The 2023 IMSA season just ended, but teams are already preparing for 2024
The 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship grid is already set for the 2024 season, ready to take center stage after what was a memorable 2023 season for the series.
What's new for 2024? LOTS!
We'll see the addition of new teams and manufacturers to the grid, as well as departures for other teams (including Meyer Shank Racing, which is taking a one-year hiatus -- if not longer).
The major change will be the loss of the LMP3 class, which has been a member of the grid since 2021, but found itself ousted off the grid for 2024, a move that has been known since mid-May.
Beyond the loss of the LMP3 class, several other classes will experience drastic expansion with new additions forthcoming.
So with that said, let's break down each class and who we will be seeing on the IMSA calendar come next season:
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GTP (Grand Touring Prototype)
Overall, the GTP class won’t see many changes heading into the 2024 season, with only one new team joining the fray in the case of the #63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini, which will only run select Endurance Cup races.
The most notable change will be Meyer Shank Racing off the grid for next year.
MSR will hypothetically be replaced by the second Wayne Taylor Racing Acura, which will run as the #40 car in the series for its first season.
Other notable notes will be that both the #59 Proton Competition and #5 JDC-Miller Motorsports will compete on a full-time basis next season, after only running a partial schedule in 2023 due to being customer teams. Also, Chip Ganassi Racing will only run a one-car group, putting away some of the rumors that were swirling about the potential of a two-car team for the Ganassi Cadillacs.
(11 entries)
No. 01 – Chip Ganassi Racing
No. 5 – JDC-Miller Motorsports
No. 6 – Porsche Penske Motorsport
No. 7 – Porsche Penske Motorsport
No. 10 – Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport
No. 24 – BMW M Team RLL
No. 25 – BMW M Team RLL
No. 31 – Action Express Racing
No. 40 – Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport
No. 59 – Proton Competition
No. 63 – Iron Lynx**
**Selected Endurance Cup races only
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Le Mans Prototype (LMP2)
The LMP2 class will see some newcomers come 2024, some of whom are IMSA regulars and others who will be seeing the grid for their first full-time season.
United Autosport is the biggest addition to the grid, a team that has become a constant staple in the WEC, fielding a two-car tandem next season.
The other notable addition is AO Racing, famously known for their “Rexy” Porsche, as they will be fielding the LMP2 #99 entry that they have held on to for quite some time, preparing for a chance to add to their already popular IMSA organization.
LMP2: (12 entries)
No. 2 – United Autosports USA
No. 04 – CrowdStrike Racing by APR
No. 8 – Tower Motorsports
No. 11 – TDS Racing
No. 18 – Era Motorsport
No. 20 – High Class Racing
No. 22 – United Autosports USA
No. 33 – Sean Creech Motorsport
No. 52 – PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports
No. 74 – Riley
No. 88 – AF Corse***
No. 99 – AO Racing
***Selected events only
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Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD Pro)
The GTD Pro class is going to be loaded, to stay the least.
Not only will the defending champion #14 Vasser Sullivan be back on the grid, but the #1 BMW for Paul Miller Racing will jump up in class for next season, coming off a GTD championship-winning season.
Beyond the battle of champions, an American Classic rivalry will be reborn between Ford and Chevy -- with the addition of two Ford Mustang GTD cars being fielded by Multimatic, and two of the new Chevrolet Corvettes from Pratt Miller Motorsports -- setting the stage for what could be the most exciting matchup of the season between teams in this class.
AO Racing will also be jumping up another class. However in this case, with their GT entry, they are fielding what we assume would be Rexy in the GTD Pro class and KellyMoss with Riley, who will be putting themselves in the GTD Pro full-season entry on the grid.
GTD Pro: (13 entries)
No. 1 – Paul Miller Racing
No. 3 – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports
No. 4 – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports
No. 9 – Pfaff Motorsports
No. 14 – Vasser Sullivan
No. 19 – Iron Lynx**
No. 23 – The Heart of Racing
No. 62 – Risi Competizione*
No. 64 – Ford Multimatic Motorsports
No. 65 – Ford Multimatic Motorsports
No. 75 – SunEnergy1 Racing**
No. 77 – AO Racing
No. 92 – KellyMoss with Riley
*Full Endurance Cup season only
**Selected Endurance Cup races only
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Grand Touring Daytona (GTD)
The final class to view is the GTD field, which stays about where it was in terms of the number of entries on the grid.
For the entry-level class, there aren’t too many notable changes to the grid, featuring many of the regulars who were there in 2023.
One change of note: AWA will be fielding two entries, due in part to the LMP3 class no longer being on the main grid for the series.
Beyond that, Conquest Racing is the only other clear addition to the GTD class, a team that has primarily competed in the Ferrari Challenge recently, adding another Ferrari entry to the grid for the upcoming season.
GTD: (22 entries)
No. 12 – Vasser Sullivan
No. 13 – AWA
No. 17 – AWA
No. 21 – AF Corse*
No. 023 – Triarsi Competizione*
No. 27 – The Heart of Racing
No. 32 – Korthoff-Preston Motorsports
No. 34 – Conquest Racing
No. 43 – Andretti Motorsports
No. 44 – Magnus Racing
No. 45 – WTR Andretti
No. 47 – Cetilar Racing*
No. 57 – Winward Racing
No. 60 – Iron Lynx**
No. 66 – Gradient Racing
No. 70 – Inception Racing
No. 78 – Forte Racing
No. 83 – Iron Dames*
No. 86 – MDK Motorsports
No. 91 – Kellymoss with Riley
No. 96 – Turner Motorsport
No. 120 – Wright Motorsports
*Full Endurance Cup season only
**Selected Endurance Cup races only
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Final Thoughts
Looking at the grid overall, some great stories are already shaping up for the upcoming season.
The class that looks to have the most intrigue might not be the GTP class, but rather the GTD Pro class.
With two reigning GTD champions coming into next season and a healthy but grinding rivalry that should be the Ford Mustang and Chevy Corvette entries, it could create what is the most exciting season in that class to date.
Not to mention the change from the famed Pfaff Porsche to McLaren, there are a lot of new toys to look forward to, if you will, in the upcoming year.
The downside of having a grid this size is the on-track implications it will have in terms of jammed traffic, which could affect sizeable endurance races such as Daytona or Sebring in regards to passing.
As a result, there will be limited open entries available for teams come 2024, hindering true chances for late additions on the grid for one-off races.
Nevertheless, 2024 should be a wild and crazy season for IMSA, and it is numerically just even crazier.