Here's the thing about a long, grueling motorsport season: when the chequered flag finally drops at Motul Petit Le Mans, nobody wants the party to end immediately. That is why the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship officially wrapped up its campaign with the WeatherTech Night of Champions held at Chateau Elan Winery & Resort, bringing everyone together just a few miles from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Now, let's talk about the hardware. Just like the previous year, the full-season champions across all four WeatherTech Championship classes walked away with specially engraved Rolex timepieces to cap off the evening. In the premier Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class, Jack Aitken took the driver honors alongside the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen team and manufacturer Cadillac. Over in Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), George Kurtz and Alex Quinn claimed the driver crown with the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR squad.
The GT classes brought their own heavy-hitting champions to the stage. Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen secured the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) driver title for the No. 1 Paul Miller Racing team, while Chevrolet took the manufacturer honors. In Grand Touring Daytona (GTD), Philip Ellis and Russell Ward dominated for the No. 57 Winward Racing team, with Mercedes-AMG taking the manufacturer title. George Kurtz also secured the Jim Trueman Award in LMP2, while Orey Fidani picked up the Bob Akin Bronze Cup Award in GTD.
When you factor in the five-race IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, the trophy haul gets even wilder. In GTP, the endurance crown went to the No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport crew of Felipe Nasr, Julien Andlauer, and Laurin Heinrich, alongside manufacturer Porsche. George Kurtz, Alex Quinn, and Toby Sowery grabbed the LMP2 endurance honors for the No. 04 CrowdStrike Racing by APR outfit. Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen doubled down on their success by taking the GTD PRO endurance title with BMW, while Russell Ward and Philip Ellis added the GTD endurance crown to their collection with Ferrari.
Beyond the championship battles, the night marked the formal induction of the newest IMSA Hall of Fame class. New driver inductees Bill Auberlen, Butch Leitzinger, Roger Mandeville, Brian Redman, Lyn St. James, Hans-Joachim Stuck, and car inductees the Audi 90 Quattro GTO, Riley Daytona Prototype, Greenwood Corvettes, and Mazda RX-3 were all welcomed into history, receiving a medallion and special artwork created by longtime motorsports artist Jim Swintal.
A whole raft of special awards rounded out the celebrations before the night concluded. The VP Racing Front Runner Award went to the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R in GTP, the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA LMP2 07 in LMP2, the No. 14 Vasser Sullivan Racing Lexus RC F GT3 in GTD PRO, and the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo in GTD. Motul Pole Awards were handed out to Jack Aitken, Jeremy Clarke, Jack Hawksworth, and Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello across the respective classes.
Finally, strategic and operational excellence got its due recognition. The CrowdStrike Endurance, Teamwork & Speed Award went to the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Lamborghini Temerario GT3, the BDO Knows Strategy Award went to the No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R, and the IMSA Michelin Sustainability in Racing Award was claimed by the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R. The Michelin All-Hands for the Win Award went to the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen, No. 22 United Autosports USA ORECA LMP2 07, No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, and No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing entries, while marketing accolades went to the Heart of Racing Team / Aston Martin THOR Team and Ford Racing.
