DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – With year-end celebrations by German manufacturers Porsche and BMW occurring in successive weeks, nearly all the 11-car Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) field is set for the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Here’s a recap of the announcements from the last two weeks, since November 21:
November 26: Porsche Penske Motorsport GTP Lineup Revealed
It’s nearly all change for Porsche Penske Motorsport with its Nos. 6 and 7 Porsche 963 cars. Felipe Nasr remains in the No. 7 car, now alongside Julien Andlauer with Laurin Heinrich new third driver in three Michelin Endurance Cup rounds. Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell make for a new look No. 6 car, with Campbell in the Michelin Endurance Cup spot.
The team may add fourth Rolex 24-only drivers, potentially Team Penske IndyCar stars Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden, who tested in November. But it remains to be seen whether Penske will stick with three or go to four. The team has won the last two Rolex 24 At Daytona races with either scenario.
November 29: Porsche Night of Champions Confirms Heinrich Leap to Factory Status
The 2024 IMSA Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) champion, Heinrich, was promoted to full factory Porsche driver as part of a run of announcements at Porsche’s annual Night of Champions in Stuttgart.
Also in Stuttgart, JDC-Miller MotorSports’ No. 85 Porsche 963 was confirmed again to participate for 2026 as it has been since appearing on IMSA’s 2026 entry list at Motul Petit Le Mans. But Porsche did not name any of its factory or works affiliated drivers who may be racing it. As of now, the No. 85 car is the only GTP car that doesn’t have its full lineup officially announced.
December 1: BMW Retains Continuity with Drivers for WRT Team Switch
As BMW shifts its IMSA program from BMW M Team RLL to BMW M Team WRT, what it hasn’t done is switch any of its drivers. The only change is Sheldon van der Linde and Philipp Eng trading places across the No. 24 and 25 BMW M Hybrid V8s. Van der Linde will share his No. 24 car with Dries Vanthoor, with Eng and Marco Wittmann in the No. 25 car.
December 2: Cadillac WTR Looking Ahead to 2026
No lineup changes here as Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing had already announced, but here’s a deeper dive at the team’s optimism coming off its November test at Daytona with updated Cadillac V-Series.R cars. The team was also testing in cooler conditions at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, this week.
December 2: Aston Martin Valkyrie Set with No Changes
The No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie will run an unchanged lineup of Roman De Angelis and Ross Gunn for the full season, Alex Riberas for Michelin Endurance Cup races and Marco Sorensen as its fourth driver at Daytona. The only tweak is that this lineup was paired in an Aston Matin Vantage GT3 Evo in Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) in 2025, with Sorensen racing the Valkyrie in the FIA World Endurance Championship and not yet in IMSA.