Stevan McAleer enters the final weekend of the 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season in a unique position.
The veteran driver is one of the championship contenders in the Grand Sport (GS) class with AutoTechnic Racing, while his own McCumbee McAleer Racing (MMR) organization is also in contention for the title entering Friday’s season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
For McAleer, the unusual situation has created an added layer to an already significant championship weekend, but his focus remains firmly on the No. 27 AutoTechnic BMW M4 GT4 EVO and the opportunity in front of him.
“There’s obviously a lot of excitement,” McAleer said. “This will be my second year with AutoTechnic. Last year, Austin (Krainz) and I finished third, and in a much stronger point position this year.”
McAleer has been in championship-deciding situations before, experiencing both the elation of winning a title and the disappointment of watching one slip away late in a season.
“I’ve been in this situation before and it went my way before and it didn’t go my way before,” he said. “So I’ve seen both ends of the outcome of this race, and one, you feel on top of the world, and the other one, it’s a good gut punch and you’re scratching your head heading home.”
The championship battle will require McAleer and co-driver Austin Krainz to execute their race without putting themselves in unnecessary danger. With the Auto Technic entry leading the standings, the cars chasing them must finish ahead of them to overtake them in the championship.
“For our race on Friday, we just need to do what we’ve been doing,” McAleer said. “We need to execute the pit stop and get a nice driver change, and maybe we get a little lucky with a caution, which is what everybody’s always banking on anyway.”
McAleer also expects several other GS competitors to play a role in the outcome, particularly with the balance of performance and characteristics of the Road Atlanta circuit potentially favoring other manufacturers.
“I do feel there’s some faster cars in the class at the moment, and they certainly could be a factor towards the end of the race on Friday,” he said.
Despite racing for a championship with Auto Technic, McAleer is also watching the progress of MMR, which has emerged as another title contender. Rather than viewing the situation as a conflict of interest, McAleer described the circumstances as a unique reflection of the relationship between the two programs.
“I think it’s certainly a unique thing that has happened,” he said. “I love the MMR team and crew and drivers.”
McAleer said he remains in regular contact with the MMR personnel throughout race weekends, regardless of which side of the championship battle they occupy.
“Even after a good race or a bad race, I’m always in the MMR trailer talking with Robert and Finn or the crew, and we’re always chatting and helping each other,” he said.
Ultimately, however, McAleer said his priority as a driver is clear.
“There’s another BMW in the fight, there’s MMR in the fight, do I help BMW? Do I help MMR? No, I help myself,” McAleer said. “I’m there as a driver.”
Experience Could Be Key
McAleer’s experience in championship-deciding races could prove valuable as the 2026 season reaches its conclusion.
He pointed specifically to the 2015 and 2016 seasons as examples of how quickly a championship can change during a season finale.
In 2015, McAleer said his team endured a difficult race that included rain and contact on a restart, but its primary championship contenders experienced even greater problems, allowing McAleer and his teammates to secure the title.
A year later, the situation was dramatically different.
“We were leading the points going into the last race,” McAleer said. “I was leading with 30 minutes to go, pulling away from the entire field, thinking, here we go, this is—it’s a championship #2. And we had an engine failure.”
The failure came with 20 minutes remaining, dropping the team from first to fourth in the championship standings.
That experience has given McAleer a clear perspective heading into another title-deciding race.
“I think one of the key things that I would mention to Austin, or have mentioned to Austin and the boys in the MMR car, is, you know, make sure you know who you’re racing,” he said.
McAleer also understands the different motivations throughout a season finale. While championship contenders have an obvious reason to protect their equipment, other drivers may be competing for race wins or positioning for future opportunities.
“There’s cars out there that are going out there to win,” McAleer said. “There’s drivers out there to prove themselves for next season.”
A Season of Parity
The 2026 Michelin Pilot Challenge season has featured a broad mix of competitive teams and manufacturers, contributing to a championship battle that has remained open throughout the year.
McAleer acknowledged a recent description of the season as one of the lowest-scoring GS championships in some time, initially taking the characterization as criticism before recognizing the factors behind it.
“In all honesty, it’s true, and it’s true for two reasons,” he said. “One, there’s a lot of good cars. There’s a lot of good driver pairings. And as you mentioned, there’s a lot of teams that can win a race.”
Road Atlanta could provide another test of that parity, with McAleer expecting the McLaren and Toyota Supra entries to be particularly competitive based on their previous performance at the circuit. The depth of the field has also made mistakes more costly.
“If you have a bad race, you don’t finish in 13th or 14th like previous years; you finish well down in the order,” McAleer said.
That depth has remained intact even as the season reaches its final round, another factor that has contributed to the uncertainty surrounding Friday’s championship finale.
Building MMR
While McAleer is chasing the Michelin Pilot Challenge championship with AutoTechnic, he has also been overseeing the continued growth of MMR.
The organization has expanded its presence across IMSA and SRO Motorsports Group competition, with the team preparing to field two SRO GT4 cars and adding another car to its program for the Road Atlanta weekend.
McAleer credited his business partner and co-owner, Chad McCumbee, for much of the organization’s development.
“I think a lot of the credit has to go to my partner, Chad,” McAleer said. “He’s at the shop full-time. I’m based up in New York, and we obviously chat on a regular basis, almost a daily basis.”
MMR’s Mazda MX-5 Cup program has also remained an important part of the organization, with the team having won the championship in each of the previous two seasons with different drivers.
The organization now has an opportunity to add another championship with Justin Adakonis.
“I think that’s such a good development program,” McAleer said of MX-5 Cup. “It’s definitely a great feeder championship that we love to be involved in. And that’s definitely going to stay.”
Looking toward 2027, McAleer said the ideal scenario would see MMR operating two full-season Michelin Pilot Challenge entries alongside two SRO GT4 entries, while continuing its MX-5 Cup operation.
“In the best-case world for ’27, I would love to see two full-season entries in Pilot Challenge and two full SRO GT4,” McAleer said. “We’d love to have two cars in each series.”
Finn Wiebelhaus Adds to MMR’s Future
One of the newest additions to the MMR lineup has been Finn Wiebelhaus, who joined the organization during the 2026 season and quickly adapted to IMSA competition.
McAleer said Wiebelhaus’ attitude and approach have made him a strong fit within the organization.
“He is super nice. He’s very talented,” McAleer said. “There’s no question that he has a lot of talent.”
Wiebelhaus has also embraced the responsibility of bringing the car back to his teammates in strong condition.
“He starts the race and, hey, you know, do us a favor, protect the car and then give Robert a car in a good spot and clean, and he’s done just that,” McAleer said.
McAleer indicated that MMR is already considering how Wiebelhaus could remain part of the organization beyond the 2026 season.
“There’s certainly a discussion if there’s some way that we can have Finn continue with us the years down the line,” he said. “He’s a great kid and he’s got a lot of good things to come.”
Family Remains at the Center
Beyond the championship implications and organizational growth, the Road Atlanta weekend also represents another chapter in McAleer’s long racing career.
McAleer began karting at 12 years old, with his family supporting him throughout his development as a driver.
That family connection remains important today, including his relationship with his brother, Stuart, with whom McAleer shared a car at Sebring earlier this year in GT4 America.
The pair’s Sebring outing ended with a mechanical failure, but McAleer said the experience reinforced his desire to eventually race alongside his brother again in a GT4 car.
“I think there’s definitely something down the line where I want to figure out how to run with my brother in a GT4 car,” McAleer said. “I think it’s something that has to happen.”
That same family-oriented approach extends to his relationship with the MMR organization, which will be competing directly against McAleer’s Auto Technic entry for championship honors.
The MMR and AutoTechnic crews are parked next to one another at Road Atlanta, creating a lighthearted atmosphere despite the stakes.
“They’re saying, ‘Oh, here comes the competition,’ and I’m doing the same thing, and we’re all laughing,” McAleer said.
Regardless of how Friday’s championship battle unfolds, McAleer said he will be among the first to congratulate MMR if his own organization comes out on top.
“If MMR beats us in the GT4 championship, the first person to congratulate them will be myself,” he said. “It’s been a tremendous effort inside the shop, tremendous effort on the racetrack.”
For McAleer, the stakes are significant on both sides of the paddock, but the bigger picture extends beyond a single championship.
“It would be nice to pull this championship off, you know, first of all with myself or second of all with MMR,” McAleer said. “And if none of us get it, then sure, I would be a little disappointed.”
