The end of every racing season brings changes. This off-season, though, seems to harbor more change in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship paddock than any in recent memory barring the introduction of the GTP class last season.
Wayne Taylor Racing is switching to Cadillac. Meyer Shank Racing returns to run two cars for Acura and Honda Racing Corporation. Chip Ganassi Racing exits the paddock again. Heart of Racing shuffles its entries to accommodate the introduction of the Aston Martin Valkyrie to GTP, and the list goes on.
Here are a few of the teams, drivers, cars and others that the paddock will be saying farewell to – at least for now.
Chip Ganassi Racing
Chip Ganassi Racing has been in and out, but mostly in, the IMSA paddock for two decades. From the Daytona Prototype era with Lexus and Ford, through its Ford GT days in GTLM, and most recently as Cadillac Racing in DPi and GTP. But barring any surprises, the team will not be in the WeatherTech Championship next season; however, it vows to return.
“We’ve got one more race to win, and that’s how we’re looking at it right now,” CGR’s director of operations, Mike O’Gara, told RACER. “It’s a long shot for the championship, so we’re focusing on doing everything we can to win the race. At the end of the race, I guess we call it goodbye for now. We don’t have any immediate plans for IMSA for 2025, but we’ve got a few different things working right now, talking to some other manufacturers. So hopefully we’ll be back here in ’26.
“We started sportscar racing 20 years ago, and we have a long legacy of winning races and championships and representing OEMs to the best that we can, and we’re excited to do that for another OEM.”
Departing drivers
With Chip Ganassi Racing’s exit, Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande become free agents, and neither has a ride confirmed for 2025 although RACER hears one of them may be back in a Cadillac next season. Likewise, Pipo Derani’s time with Action Express Racing comes to an end after two championships.
Bryan Sellers will run his last race with the team that has propelled him to two championships with Madison Snow. Sellers is leaving Paul Miller Racing to take on a greater role with DXDT Racing, which enters the paddock next year in GTD running a Corvette Z06 GT3.R. Whether that Sellers’ role includes driving or not is still unknown.
There are other driver facing exists, of course, but many won’t be known until after season concludes and contracts run their course. RACER hears rumors of wholesale changes within one GTP team, as well as at least one departure in another.
Acura NSX GT3
After eight years of near-constant presence and much success in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the Acura NSX GT3’s time in the series is coming to an end as the homologation of the NSX GT3 Evo2 expires.
“It’s bittersweet to see the end of the NSX in IMSA competition,” said Honda Racing Corporation USA President David Salters. “It’s a beautiful car and we’ve seen great success with it. It’s also a very popular car amongst fans both in its race and road car variants. We’ve had some great results with the NSX in the GTD class, including two championship years and a victory right here at Petit Le Mans in 2022 for Gradient Racing.
“I would like to sincerely thank all the people who have worked so hard on this program over the years, whose skill, efforts and passion made and fiercely competed a great championship winning racing car. Thank you all, and thank you NSX”
The NSX GT3’s legacy in IMSA competition includes two drivers and team championships in GTD with Meyer Shank Racing. The car has also propelled drivers to championships in GT World Challenge America. Its final race in IMSA will be run by Gradient Racing, with Sheena Monk, Stevan McAleer and Tati Calderon piloting the No. 66.
Aston Martin in GTD PRO
While the GTP field will welcome the Aston Martin Valkyrie campaigned by Heart of Racing Team in 2025, Petit Le Mans will mark the end, at least for now, of Aston Martin’s presence in GTD PRO. Heart of Racing was one of the first to jump on board the new GTD PRO class in 2022, splitting its entries between the class and GTD. But as it introduces the Valkyrie, the team has elected to field only a single Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo in the GTD class.
The team has a chance to exit GTD PRO with a bang, as the team, manufacturer and driver Ross Gunn are in the fight for the championship.
Cetilar Racing and Risi Competizione
The stalwart Ferrari team, which has been part of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup for the last three years and counts a Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring victory in 2022 among its accomplishments, is currently not among the entries for the Michelin Endurance Cup in 2025. Roberto Lacorte’s team is still working on its plan for next season, and a return to IMSA is still a possibility.
Likewise longtime IMSA competitor Risi Competizione is missing from the full-season and IMEC entry lists in GTD. This year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona winning team in GTD PRO for Ferrari has not announced any plans for 2025.
Proton Competition
Proton Competition is scaling back its IMSA efforts for 2025. Its Porsche 963 GTP effort will become a Michelin Endurance Cup campaign only. With that, its GTD Ford Mustang GT3 goes away as well. It has been campaigned by Corey Lewis and Giammarco Levorato, including a pole position earned by Levorato at VIRginia International Raceway.
Sean Creech Racing
Sean Creech Racing moved from LMP3, where it competed with success for several years, to LMP2 for 2024, but struggled. The team had already halted competition before Petit Le Mans and was not featured on the entry list IMSA released on Thursday. Creech, however, is looking at several options to return to the IMSA paddock in one form or another and intends to continue competing.
100 years of PR experience
Two longtime public relations professionals are retiring at the end of the season, and while their names may not be known to the general public, you’ve seen their work. With 100 years of motorsports experience between them, they will be missed in the press room, although they may continue their work in motorsports elsewhere.
Dan Layton has worked in motorsports since he was 17 years old, and knows his way around a racecar as well as he knows the PR game. For 30 years he’s been communicating Honda Racing’s message to the media, but in December he’ll pass the torch to a colleague. However he says that he’s looking for other opportunities in motorsports.
John Love has been in in the public relations business for 50 years, and working with Michelin since 1988. As the tire supplier to several IMSA series and the title sponsor of the Michelin Pilot Challenge and Michelin Endurance Cup, Michelin’s participation in the IMSA paddock is deep, and Love has had the duty of spreading the word about that involvement, a duty he has clearly relished.