Entry List Notebook – IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120

Second-Highest Car Count of Season Set for Second-Last Race of 2025

September 15, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

Entry List (Click Here)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge heads back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with only two races left and the two class championship battles at opposite ends of the spectrum.

RS1 turned in a potential title-winning effort at VIRginia International Raceway with its class-leading third Grand Sport (GS) win of the season with Jan Heylen and Luca Mars aboard the team’s No. 28 Porsche 718 GT4 RS CS. After falling behind early, Mars recovered up the order with Heylen then pursuing and passing the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO for the win in the final stanza of the race. 

Coupled with mechanical gremlins that ailed the polesitting No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing with Aerosport Ford Mustang GT4 on its one pit stop, the Heylen/Mars pairing went from leading by 90 points entering the race, trailing the No. 13 Ford within the race, and then expanding the lead to a 240-point gap at the checkered flag with the win and Jenson Altzman and Nate Cicero ending a hard-luck 11th. Despite the No. 13 car’s troubles, Ford still got two cars on the GS podium courtesy of KOHR Motorsports.

The Touring Car (TCR) battle, however, shrunk to its tightest bit yet among three cars with just 30 points separating the top three in the championship after each of the contenders fought through adversity at various stages at VIR.

The No. 76 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Preston Brown and Denis Dupont rallied from an early-race penalty for incident responsibility to finish seventh and come out 20 points clear of teammate Harry Gottsacker in the No. 98 Hyundai. Gottsacker and Mason Filippi ended 11th after an incident that dropped them down the order from second. BHA’s run of podium finishes at VIR continued though with its No. 33 car of Bryson Morris and Mark Wilkins in second, marking the team’s seventh straight year with at least one VIR podium finish achieved. 

The No. 93 Montreal Motorsports Group Honda FL5 TCR, meanwhile, also was assessed a penalty for incident responsibility but like others on the weekend, rebounded to fourth, albeit losing a podium position on the final lap. Karl Wittmer and LP Montour sit third in points, only 30 behind Brown and Dupont, with a run of five straight top-four finishes and six top-four finishes in the last seven races. 

TCR’s other two manufacturers, Audi and Cupra, had season-best results at VIR. The RVA Graphics Motorsports by Speed Syndicate team of Jaden Conwright and Luke Rumberg brought their No. 31 Audi RS3 LMS TCR to Audi’s first win of the season. Cupra scored its first IMSA podium with Gou Racing’s Eddie and Eduardo Gou steering its No. 55 Cupra Leon VZ TCR to third place. 

The Indianapolis grid for Michelin Pilot Challenge is at 41 cars, split 25 in GS and 16 in TCR, for the second highest car count of the season. 

Past GS winning team Motorsports In Action is set for its first series start of the year with its No. 21 McLaren Artura GT4, with Jesse Lazare its first named driver. There’s another new pair in KOHR Motorsports’ No. 60 Ford Mustang GT4 in Robert Noaker and Cameron McLeod, two young Ford Racing prodigies who’ve starred this season in their respective series – Noaker in Mustang Challenge and McLeod in Super2, an Australian touring car series. Jake Walker is also set for his series debut aboard the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4 EVO he’ll share with Patrick Gallagher. The 16-car TCR grid, however, sees the VIR-winning RVA Audi absent and the No. 89 HART Honda Civic FL5 TCR back in action. 

Michelin Pilot Challenge teams have two one-hour practice sessions on Friday before qualifying Saturday morning and racing at 12:40 p.m. ET, live on Peacock and globally on IMSA’s Official YouTube channel, ad-free courtesy of Michelin. 

Fast Facts

Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120

Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Indianapolis, Indiana 

Sept. 19-20, 2025

Race Day/Time: Saturday, Sept. 20, 12:40 p.m. ET

Live Streaming Coverage: LIVE – Flag-to-flag beginning at 12:35 p.m., Peacock in the U.S., globally on IMSA’s official YouTube channel ad-free courtesy of Michelin

Circuit Type: 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course

Classes Competing: Grand Sport (GS), Touring Car (TCR)

Race Length: Two hours

Michelin Pilot Challenge Track Records

• GS: Jesse Lazare, McLaren Artura GT4, 1:28.490 / 99.224 mph, September 2023 (qualifying)
• TCR: Chris Miller, Audi RS3 LMS TCR, 1:31.076 / 96.407 mph, September 2023 (qualifying)

2024 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 Winners

• GS: Jeff Westphal/Sean McAlister, No. 39 CarBahn Motorsports BMW M4 GT4 (G82)
• TCR: Mason Filippi/Mark Wilkins, No. 98 Bryan Herta Autosport w/Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR

Storylines 

• RS1 Closes on GS Crown: A huge win for the No. 28 RS1 Porsche at VIR extended their lead from 90 points entering VIR to 240 leaving it. If the No. 28 car gets to more than 350 points ahead of their closest two rivals (No. 13 MMR Ford and No. 39 CarBahn BMW), they could clinch at IMS.
• TCR Triple Title Fight: The battle between the two Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR cars and the surging No. 93 MMG Honda sees just 30 points cover them in TCR. 

Who’s Hot?

• No. 13 MMR Ford: Despite the 11th-place at VIR, this car had three top-fives before that and is still riding a streak of four straight GS poles, one by Jenson Altzman and three by Nate Cicero. 
• No. 93 MMG Honda: Five straight top-four finishes, with fourth at VIR their worst result, has brought the No. 93 Honda into TCR title contention. 

Who’s Good Here?

• Winward Racing: The team’s No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT GT4 won the four-hour race overall and in GS at Indianapolis in 2023 with Bryce Ward and Daniel Morad, with Ward and Philip Ellis finishing second here last year. 
• Nos. 33 and 98 Herta Hyundai Elantra N TCRs: Two of Bryan Herta Autosport’s Hyundais have made the IMS podium their home in the last two years. The No. 33 car has finished second each of the last two years while the No. 98 car was third in 2023 and won last year. 

Previous Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 Winners in 2025 Field (6)

• Mason Filippi (1): TCR – 2024 
• Robin Liddell (1): GS – 2014
• Sean McAlister (1): GS – 2024 
• Bryce Ward (1): GS – 2023 
• Jeff Westphal (1): GS – 2024 
• Mark Wilkins (1): TCR – 2024 

Previous Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 Pole Winners in 2025 Field (2)

• Chad Gilsinger (1): ST – 2012
• Jesse Lazare (1): GS – 2023 

Previous Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 Winning Teams in 2025 Field (3)

• Bryan Herta Autosport w/Curb-Agajanian (1): TCR – 2024 
• CarBahn by Peregrine racing (1): GS – 2024 
• Winward Racing (1): GS – 2023 

Previous Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 Winning Manufacturers in 2025 Field (6)

• BMW – 4
• Chevrolet – 2
• Audi – 1
• Hyundai – 1 
• Mercedes-AMG – 1 
• Porsche – 1

Eng Eager To Make Championship Run For BMW

GTP Winner at Road America Last Race and Indianapolis Last Year Seeks Encore

September 15, 2025

By John Oreovicz

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Philipp Eng knows and appreciates BMW M Motorsport history. 

“By the way, I really like the poster in the background with the 3.0 CSL and BMW M8 GTE, so good job on that,” said the observant Austrian racer when he was introduced by the IMSA moderator on a recent teleconference for media covering the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Eng should know, because he’s played a significant part in the German marque’s successful racing legacy. He’s competed in the WeatherTech Championship with BMW M Team RLL since 2018 – first in the aforementioned M8 GTE, and more recently in the BMW M Hybrid V8 in IMSA’s top Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) category.

In 2024, Eng teamed with Jesse Krohn to win the rain-affected TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This year, Eng’s co-driver Dries Vanthoor has been sensational in qualifying, notching four consecutive Motul Pole Awards to start the season. Vanthoor and Eng have earned three podium finishes, including a victory in the most recent round at Road America to lie third in the GTP point standings with two races remaining.

Returning to Indianapolis not only as the defending Battle on the Bricks winner but also the most recent to visit victory lane has Eng feeling good about his prospects in this weekend’s six-hour contest.

“Last year, well, I was over the moon, and I still am when I think about this race,” he remarked. “Gosh, it was such an up and down of emotions - we’re at the front, we’re at the back - so it was a race, which was very, very hectic, but we managed it very well together as a team. Also, my teammate last year was Jesse Krohn. He did an incredible job keeping the car on track with slicks when it was drying up. And that all contributed to a very successful day and I will never forget this day. 

“I think it’s a very special feeling to win at Indianapolis, and I really hope that we can win again this year. That’s the clear goal, because it’s such a fantastic track.”

Vanthoor and Eng were unable to translate the single-lap speed of the No. 24 BMW into race-winning pace in the first half of the season and they fell 297 points out of the championship lead following the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic. The win at Road America moved them within 181 points of leaders Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet in the No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963.

“We’ve had really good momentum,” Eng said. “I think we had a strong first part of the season, especially in qualifying. Then to convert the strong qualifying results into a victory and two more podium positions in (WeatherTech Raceway) Laguna (Seca) and Long Beach was really good. Unfortunately, we lacked a bit of execution, let’s say, in the races, and that’s why we are 180 points behind our friends from Stuttgart (Porsche). 

“Nevertheless, we believe that our car is really strong,” he added. “I think as a team, we’ve progressed a lot during the progress of the season, and our goal is to win the championship. We as BMW, we feel strong, we feel confident. From a driver perspective, I can tell you that the car feels really good, especially in the last event at Road America. We had really good pace and really good drivability. I hope we can convert that aspect into a very good end of the season, which would mean to win both remaining races. And we need some luck in the end, because 180 points in this championship is a lot. But we are certainly not giving up and we will fight very hard as a team.”

Winning the championship would be the most spectacular way to celebrate the end of an era for BMW M Team RLL, as BMW M Motorsport is planning to shift administration of its GTP program to another partner team in 2026. Eng paid tribute to the Indianapolis-based team and its leader, Bobby Rahal.

“My first race was Daytona 2018 with the BMW M8 GTE – the first ever race of that race car,” Eng recalled. “I have a very emotional connection to that car and to that team because it was the first time I was really involved in a proper works environment. The M8 program really made me a better driver because I got to experience what it means to race for a works team and not only try and drive as fast as possible around in circles, but also to be trying to lead a team and leading a direction in the development of a race car, which was a first time for me.

“With BMW and Team RLL, we’ve won the Rolex 24 At Daytona together (Grand Touring Le Mans class in 2019), and we’ve had some great success in GTP,” he continued. “So, looking back at almost 10 years, it’s been extremely helpful, making me a better race driver and it’s such a privilege to be racing for Bobby Rahal. He’s a legend, not only as a team owner, but he’s a legend as a racing driver, and I respect him so much for everything he has achieved. And I’ve made so many good friends in the last 10 years with mechanics, engineers, with Bobby and the management team. 

“So, I don’t want to think about end of race Petit Le Mans, because it will be definitely a little bit emotional.”

A piece of Eng’s BMW M Team RLL history – his 2024 IMSA driver’s suit - is on display at the recently revamped Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

“I need to have a look at that,” he smiled. “A great honor. There’s a lot of history in that museum.” 

All six hours of the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks will be streamed live from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Peacock beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 21. NBC television joins for the final three hours of coverage from 3-6 p.m. International viewers can follow the action on IMSA.TV or the official IMSA YouTube channel.

Logan Sargeant Refreshed, Ready for IMSA Debut in Indianapolis

As Part of Reloaded PR1 Mathiasen LMP2 Team, Sargeant Set for High-Profile First IMSA Start

September 4, 2025

By Tony DiZinno

IMSA Wire Service

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Camaraderie. Atmosphere. Racing at home.

“I took that break, but it was a much needed one, and I feel super fresh coming into it. That test was super useful for me to find my feet again, and, yeah, I feel super ready and just grateful for the opportunity.”

Sargeant enters a lineup with good company. Pedersen set a record as the fastest qualifying rookie in the Indianapolis 500’s 100-plus year history and won Rookie of the Year honors there in 2023. His best finish in his first full IMSA season is third at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Rao is set for his second start of 2025 and he has past IMSA paddock experience including a Prototype Challenge series championship in 2020. 

“For me, the neat piece here is this group of drivers. It’s pretty unique, it's neat to put them all together and we're very fortunate to have been able to come together the way we are in the last few races.

“Benjamin rose to the occasion … and being able to bring Logan in to partake in the thing is absolutely fantastic in terms of the third role at this moment. So, it's neat to have two, what I would call ‘gunslingers’ in the package. and be able to just rely on these guys are going to take care of whatever we need to do.”

Rao, an engineer by trade, added, “I would say that the game has really been raised on the Bronze side. I mean, some of the Bronze drivers are now faster than a lot of professional drivers. You've just got to be on top of your own game, your own mental game, all of that when you get in the car. So that challenge is what I really love here, and what brings me back.”

Sargeant Firesuit (alongside Brody Oergel) and Helmet Images Courtesy of PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports

IMSA Resilient Racers Program to Feature Children’s Names on Race Cars at Indianapolis

Program Supports Children Fighting Serious Illnesses in Collaboration with IMSA’s Two Proud Charity Partners

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 4, 2025) – IMSA has teamed up with its two proud charity partners, the Austin Hatcher Foundation and Camp Boggy Creek, to launch the IMSA Resilient Racers program.

September marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the IMSA Resilient Racers program was created to raise awareness and funds so both charities can continue providing vital resources, programs, and care to children and families who are bravely facing pediatric cancer and other serious illnesses. 

Participating IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race teams have been paired with a child from either the Austin Hatcher Foundation or Camp Boggy Creek. At the next round on the WeatherTech Championship schedule – the TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sept. 21 – the child’s first name and last initial will be displayed alongside the names of the professional drivers above both doors of the race car and in the spotters guide as a powerful show of encouragement and support. 

The six-hour Battle on the Bricks marks the fourth of five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events, showcasing all four classes and one of the season’s largest fields – making it possible to honor approximately 50 children.

Some of the pairings were based on a child’s favorite things such as color, number, type of car or hometown connection.

Beginning on Sept. 1 and throughout the run-up to the race, IMSA and its charity partners will highlight participating teams and children across their social and digital channels. 

Race teams are embracing and supporting the initiative through a number of creative and meaningful ways, by hosting kids at track, incorporating them in their hero cards, sharing video messages during the event and providing team gear and memorabilia.

The Resilient Racers effort is a special program that will make for an uplifting part of the Indianapolis weekend for both of IMSA’s proud charities.

“The Resilient Racers program is a powerful example of how we merge the world of motorsports with our mission to empower families facing childhood cancer,” said Amy Jo Osborn, CEO and co-founder of the Austin Hatcher Foundation whose son, Austin “Hatch” Osborn, will be among those honored. “At the Austin Hatcher Foundation, we use racing as a platform to teach resilience, teamwork, and perseverance – qualities that our children and families live out every day. Our partnership with IMSA, which has spanned over a decade, allows us to bring this to life on an incredible stage, connecting the racing community with a cause that truly changes lives. Together, we’re not only building champions on the track but also building strength and hope for families across the country."

“Our long-time partnership with IMSA has always been rooted in their dedication to giving back,” said Jacqueline Boykin, chief development officer at Camp Boggy Creek. “This latest effort of Resilient Racers is just another example of how IMSA, and this community of racing, continues to stand alongside Camp Boggy Creek in bringing joy and empowerment to children living with serious illnesses.”

While the race runs on Sept. 21 – with the final three hours airing on network NBC starting at 3 p.m. ET, bringing widespread awareness to the cause – fans are invited to join the movement by making a donation, of any amount, through the end of September to support IMSA’s Resilient Racers program. Donations can be made by going to hatcherfoundation.org/resilient-racers. Fans can also donate in support of their favorite team by including the team’s name in the Donor Note section of the donation page. 

All proceeds are shared between the Austin Hatcher Foundation and Camp Boggy Creek, helping provide children with therapy, resources and joyful experiences. To learn more about each of IMSA’s two proud charities, we invite you to click the links below.

Austin Hatcher Foundation

Camp Boggy Creek