If IMSA Expand Their Calendar, Where Else Could We Go Racing?

Hot off the heels of an awesome Rolex 24 and just days away from the 12 Hours of Sebring, it's quite easy to make the statement that IMSAs popularity and reach has never been greater. 

We're seeing an explosion of the sport in the three key areas when it comes to raising the bar with existing fans and increasing exposure to bring in new ones - TV/streaming viewership numbers, social media interactions and in-person attendance. Regardless of how we all feel in the NBC vs. Peacock debate, we're seeing levels of engagement and interest that the sport frankly hasn't seen ever before, and we wonder if that could that lead to an expanded calendar in either 2026 or 2027.

Last year before the 12 Hours of Sebring IMSA President John Doonan pulled the curtain back on the 2025 season by dropping the full slate of races (11 total and five endurance rounds) well before the other two major racing series in the World Endurance Championship and the various levels of GT World Challenge under the SRO banner. The decision was calculated on Doonan and IMSAs part; they wanted to get out ahead of the other racing bodies around the globe and set the tempo for the rest of the calendar to come.

Even with IMSA getting the jump on everyone else, the WEC and SRO still set their schedules pretty much the way they wanted to, and as a result we'll see multiple overlaps and close-calls between all three this season. The crown jewel of that will be the absolute cluster-eff that is the month of June with Le Mans (June 14-15), the 6 Hours At the Glen and the N24 both occurring on the same weekend (June 21-22) and then the 24 Hours of Spa (June 28-29) all taking place in three consecutive weekends. That's 78 hours of racing stretched out across two continents in four different countries and those three weeks will be absolute hell for teams and drivers as they attempt to balance that logistical nightmare, and we fully expect that there will be those unable to make all of that happen and ultimately lead to some sitting out one or the other.

That's what makes 2026 and 2027 so intriguing before any details have been leaked or outright announced about potential tracks, dates and full-season schedules. The WEC has already stated that they are unlikely to expand to a ninth round until 2027 - which is right at the time when more manufactures are scheduled to hit the Hypercar and LMGT3 grid. There has been no such commentary from IMSA; they've neither confirmed nor denied that a 12th round could be added for '26 or '27.

It gets us thinking - where could an additional race fall on the calendar, and where could we go racing at? There are some obvious places to look at, as well as some outside-the-box locations that given enough time and planning would serve as a worthy addition to a series that is increasing in popularity by the race.

Multiple sources have told Motorsport Media Hub that IMSA have yet to have any internal discussions about adding more races to the 2026 calendar, citing the increased travel costs for teams that would come with adding to the schedule. To IMSAs credit, they're aware of the strain that it would put on some teams and they're conscious of the already high-costs that come with running a full-season program. Per the same source, it is unlikely that the calendar will expand for the 2026 season, yet there is the possibility that IMSA opts to reintroduce GTP machines to the Chevrolet Grand Prix at CTMP, as well as potentially - get this - at Virginia International Raceway, which hasn't seen top-level prototypes race there in over a decade.

With all that being said - if IMSA choose to add a 12th round to the calendar, where could that race take place at? Here are our choices - 

1. Lime Rock Park

This is the easiest suggestion in this exercise. IMSA have passed over LRP the last two seasons in favor of street racing around Detroit, a race that surely brings in the attention of corporate sponsorship and scratches the back of General Motors, however it isn't exactly the best example of sportscar racing for this new era we're currently living in. Lime Rock certainly has drawbacks of its own if we're being honest, but those drawbacks are also what makes the track so unique and special for fans; its in the middle of nowhere Connecticut, it's certainly a pain for many teams to get to, and the venue itself is lacking in terms of the paddock/garage space, amenities for fans and being able to handle potentially the largest crowd in LRP history. However in a very clear 'Build It And They Will Come' move, LRP have invested over $4 million in improvements to the infrastructure of the track, a move that's already paid dividends for their personal-best eight-event calendar this season, which is highlighted by the debut of the NASCAR Truck Series in late June. If the track has seen major upgrades and can handle larger crowds, and the Northeast is BEGGING IMSA to make their return after a two or three-year absence, there's no reason why the powers that be shouldn't aim to make that happen sooner rather than later, and there is the added break of likely remaining GT-only, although we are holding out hope of seeing GTPs return to screw around the block and bang out 45-second lap times around the block. 

How soon could we return to LRP?

2. Mid-Ohio

Another track that has just made a massive investment to repave, reshape and modernize a classic course that's been around forever. IMSA were last at Mid-Ohio in 2022 in the days when DPis and LMP3s shared the track - which honestly seems like a lifetime ago, however IMSA have brought the Michelin Pilot Challenge to Troy Township last year and will do so again this year. What would it take to bring the Big Show back around for another go? The upgrades certainly help and could be what the track needs to lure the WeatherTech series back to town, with the added advantage of being able to handle GTP machines on track. What works against Mid-Ohio is the fact that there's already a handful of races tabbed for the Mid-West with Detroit, Indy and Road America well-entrenched in the current rotation, which likely pushes IMSA to look elsewhere for more growth opportunities. Me personally, I'd swap out the streets of Detroit for Mid-Ohio in the blink of an eye but it's hard to imagine that race going anywhere anytime soon with the sort of backing that comes from racing around GMs backyard, unfortunately. 

3. Circuit of the Americas

It sounds crazy, sure, but stay with us. We're looking at tracks that have a history running IMSA machinery and COTA falls under that umbrella. The original Lone Star Le Mans that originally ran from 2013-2017 under the various sportscar series was replaced in 2018 with the round at Mid-Ohio, funny enough. What works against - or could help - the potential return of the WeatherTech Series to Austin is the fact that Formula One has established a pretty good thing for themselves with the United States Grand Prix in mid-October, as well as the World Endurance Championship ditching Sebring to link back up for the new and improved Lone Star Le Mans. We also already have SRO staging rounds at COTA, along with NASCAR and IMSAs VP Racing Challenge. You can see both sides to it - either F1 and the WEC already have their claim to COTA for the foreseeable future and IMSA would opt to look elsewhere for their own slice of the entertainment pie, or they recognize that a rising tide raises all ships and look to bring back the 'Super Sebring' weekend effect with a dual IMSA/WEC effort. How sick would that be? I'm not here to figure out the logistical side of it all, but if they can manage to pull off the 1000 Miles of Sebring and 12 Hours of Sebring in the same weekend why not try to recreate it at COTA? The track can certainly handle the crowds with attendance records being set for the US Grand Prix each passing year so that wouldn't be a problem. But again, does IMSA view COTA as a track that already has major events set in stone for the foreseeable future, leading them to consider elsewhere? 

photo via circuitoftheamericas.com

4. More Endurance Rounds?

In the same vein of 'adding' to the calendar by re-introducing prototypes to a VIR or CTMP, could expansion happen in the form of increasing a current round on the calendar to another endurance round? IMSA pulled that move in 2024 by increasing the Battle on the Bricks from a sprint race to a six hour enduro so there's very recent precedent. They can increase the total hours of combined racing without needing to expand to another track/city and in turn keep costs significantly lower - sounds like a win-win to us. Taking out the existing endurance rounds we already have and we're left with Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Detroit, CTMP, Road America and VIR. Whittling that down a bit further, let's focus on Laguna Seca and Road America as both tracks already have a history of running either as a four or six hour races from 2004-2013 in both the Sports Car Championship and American Le Mans Series. John Doonan previously commented back in 2022 about the possibility of extending Road America beyond the sprint race format it's held since 2013, and that IMSA are "always looking for new opportunities to run a bit longer" at the historic track. Of all the suggestions we provided, bumping Road America and that whole weekend up a notch would be awesome; if IMSA were to adjust Road America from a 2:40 sprint race to a six hour endurance round I'd promise never to complain about anything regarding the race game for at least two years.

Again, with all of these suggestions come the grain-of-salt understanding that the financial limitations is paramount to any sort of expansion to the calendar. IMSA have done a great job of controlling the growth these last three years and we're pretty confident they'll do the right thing with whatever it might be as we continue to blow this thing up with each passing race.

If a calendar expansion does happen, where would you want it to happen?