IndyCar and IMSA graced the city of Detroit from 1989 until 1992, when they were moved from the city streets to the beautiful Bell Isle Park, just a couple miles East of the iconic Renaissance Center, GM’s Headquarters. In 2023, the Detroit GP moved back to the city streets surrounding the iconic towers, down Jefferson and the riverfront, as a 1.7-mile street circuit.
NASCAR has been the lifeblood of this website for the last 4 years. In October of 2023, I made the decision to start pushing to cover other forms of motorsports. I have been a NASCAR fan since the early 90’s, and I’ll be honest, I don’t know Jack or Shit about IMSA or IndyCar. Sitting here covering this event, I’m clueless on how any of this works. So, let’s learn together!
One of the really cool things that they do down here today (Friday) is Free Day. Fans can get entry into the track free of charge and have access to the grandstands, the rooftop center garage, and even the paddock (Garage for my fellow NASCAR people).
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
IMSA is a North American Sports Car racing body that competes all over the country with multiple classes of race cars. Here at Detroit IMSA will be fielding two classes of race cars, the Prototype Class and Grand Touring (GT) Class.
Prototype Class
Race cars showcasing the latest automotive technology uniquely designed for the race track. Referred to as GTP (Grand Touring Prototype)
Grand Touring (GT) Class
Race cars based on the road-going production models. GTD Pro (GT Daytona Pro)
How to Identify The Cars
Number Panels on the race cars are colored, Black for the GTP Prototypes and Red for the GTD Pro cars.
Brands You Will See in IMSA
- Lamborghini
- Porsche
- Ford
- Mazda
- Toyota
- McLaren
- Lexus
- Hyundai
- Honda
- Ferarri
- Aston Martin
- Acura
- Alfa Romeo
- Cadillac
- BMW M
- Audi
- AMG
Some NASCAR Terms in IMSA/IndyCar World
- Hauler -> Transporter
- Tight -> Understeer
- Loose -> Oversteer
All Images Credit: Tom Luttermoser
