INDIANAPOLIS — For the first time since 2014, the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Weather Tech Sports Car Championship will be competing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 17 on the IMS road course. Sunday's 2-hour, 40-minute race marks the long-awaited return of North American sports car racing to the Brickyard.
While the main event is held on Sunday, the weekend is filled with plenty of action for fans of all ages.
On Friday, public gates open at 9:30 a.m. and will feature practice and qualifying for the Michelin Pilot Challenge, Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series and the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. The IMSA WeatherTech Series is scheduled to hold practice for all classes from 2:30-4:10 p.m.
Saturday sees public gates open at 7:30 a.m. and features practice and qualifying throughout the morning. Shortly before noon at 11:50 a.m., the green flag is scheduled to wave on the first race for the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series. After that 50-minute race, each class in the IMSA Weather Tech Series will qualify. GTD and GTD Pro cars will qualify first, followed by the LMP2 and LMP3 classes and then finally the GTP class.
The Porsche Carrera Cup runs its first race of the weekend following WeatherTech Series qualifying. That 40-minute race is followed by the four-hour long Michelin Pilot Challenge race. Their race is scheduled to conclude around 8:30 p.m., meaning fans in attendance will be able to see the rare sight of cars racing around the Brickyard at night.
Fans who attended the most recent IMSA visit to the Brickyard will remember the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, which ran before the previous IMSA races during the short-lived "Super Weekend at the Brickyard." That series was essentially replaced by the Michelin Pilot Challenge.
Finally, on Sunday, the gates will open at 7:30 a.m. and feature nonstop racing action all day. The second race for the Porsche Carrera Cup has its green flag scheduled for 9:40 a.m. Following that 40-minute race, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series will run its final 50-minute race of the weekend.
It all culminates at 1 p.m. when the green flag drops on the "Battle on the Bricks."
Fans wishing to purchase tickets can do so on the IMS website. If you are unable to make it to the track on Sunday, WTHR will carry the 2-hour, 40-minute race live flag-to-flag.