The high-stakes squeeze of the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic

It is finally time for the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic, and if you know anything about street racing, you know what to expect: limited courtesy, plenty of traded paint, and absolutely flaring tempers. We are looking at a 1.645-mile circuit—the shortest on the entire IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship calendar—where only the GTP and GTD PRO classes will fight for supremacy.

The marquee event is, as always, the raw, beautiful rivalry between Chevrolet and Ford. It is the yellow versus the blue, Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ No. 3 and No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs against Ford Racing’s No. 64 and 65 Ford Mustang GT3s. Frederic Vervisch, who tasted victory with the No. 65 Mustang at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, put it best: it is cool for the sport. Yet, do not blink, because Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren, Lexus, and Lamborghini are all looking to crash this Motown party in the seven-manufacturer GTD PRO field.

Then there is the Wayne Taylor Racing and Cadillac reunion. It has been a curious, difficult path for them in GTP since reuniting, but Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor in the No. 10 Cadillac V-Series.R are hunting their first win together. With Louis Deletraz and Jordan Taylor in the sister No. 40 entry also showing blistering pace, the team feels the breakthrough is close. As Albuquerque says, they are moving past championship management to purely chasing the glory of a win.

Finally, keep your eyes on Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian. Renger van der Zande, who shares the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 with Nick Yelloly, is a street circuit specialist, having won six of the last 10 IMSA street races. Coming off a massive win in Indianapolis, the team is riding a wave of momentum, looking for a special kind of "Detroit double" across the weekend.