# 2019 IMSA SportsCar Championship

The 2019 IMSA SportsCar Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship) was the 49th motor racing championship sanctioned by the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) (which traces its lineage back to the 1971 IMSA GT Championship). It was the sixth season of the United SportsCar Championship and fourth to be held under the name as the IMSA SportsCar Championship. It began on January 26 with the 24 Hours of Daytona, and ended on October 12 with the Petit Le Mans. The 2019 season marked the 50th anniversary since the founding of the International Motor Sports Association.

## Series news

* NBC Sports Group took over from Fox Sports as the series' official broadcaster. Coverage alternates between local NBC stations, NBC Sports Network, CNBC, and livestreams.
* Michelin increased its IMSA involvement by becoming the sole official tire supplier of the series, following the departure of Continental Tire at the end of 2018.
* As part of a plan to attempt to cut costs for the series' GT Daytona (GTD) class, the 2019 season featured a new support championship called the WeatherTech Sprint Cup. The championship was held for the GT Daytona class at the sprint events of the calendar.
* After an eleven-year partnership, Tequila Patrón ended their involvement with IMSA altogether at the end of the 2018 season. They also ended their sponsorship of the Extreme Speed Motorsports prototype team, who subsequently closed down operations. Michelin took Patrón's place as the sponsor of the endurance cup.
* As part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of IMSA, multiple teams adopted racing liveries created in tribute to iconic teams throughout IMSA's history, such as Brumos Porsche, Electramotive Engineering, Roush Racing, and Comptech Acura.

## Classes

* Daytona Prototype international (DPi)
* Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2)
* GT Le Mans (GTLM)
* GT Daytona (GTD)
The Prototype class, which previously combined Daytona Prototype international cars alongside Le Mans Prototype 2 cars, was now split into two separate classes.

### Rule changes

* The DPi class is now the lead class of the championship, and features teams with full professional lineups running DPi cars. The class has its own Balance of Performance (BoP). The LMP2 class is the lower prototype class in the championship, featuring Global LMP2 cars with Pro-Am lineups. There is no BoP applied to the LMP2 class.
* Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) and GT Daytona (GTD), the Pro-Am classes of the championship, must adhere to driver rating requirements. Each car is only allowed two Platinum-rated or Gold-rated drivers for the endurance events, alongside the requirement of at least one Bronze-rated or Silver-rated driver for all sprint races. In these classes, the Bronze or Silver-rated drivers are required to start the race.

## Schedule

The 2019 schedule was released on August 3, 2018 and features twelve rounds.
| Rnd. | Race | Length | Classes | Circuit | Location | Date |
| 1 | Rolex 24 at Daytona | 24 hours | All | Daytona International Speedway | Daytona Beach, Florida | January 26–27 |
| 2 | Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring | 12 hours | All | Sebring International Raceway | Sebring, Florida | March 16 |
| 3 | BUBBA Burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach | 1 hour 40 minutes | DPi, GTLM | Long Beach Street Circuit | Long Beach, California | April 13 |
| 4 | Acura Sports Car Challenge | 2 hours 40 minutes | All | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio | May 5 |
| 5 | Chevrolet Sports Car Classic | 1 hour 40 minutes | DPi, GTD | The Raceway on Belle Isle | Detroit, Michigan | June 1 |
| 6 | Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen | 6 hours | All | Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, New York | June 30 |
| 7 | Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix | 2 hours 40 minutes | All | Canadian Tire Motorsport Park | Bowmanville, Ontario | July 7 |
| 8 | Northeast Grand Prix | 2 hours 40 minutes | GTLM, GTD | Lime Rock Park | Lakeville, Connecticut | July 20 |
| 9 | IMSA Road Race Showcase | 2 hours 40 minutes | All | Road America | Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin | August 4 |
| 10 | Michelin GT Challenge at VIR | 2 hours 40 minutes | GTLM, GTD | Virginia International Raceway | Alton, Virginia | August 25 |
| 11 | IMSA Monterey Grand Prix | 2 hours 40 minutes | All | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca | Monterey, California | September 15 |
| 12 | Motul Petit Le Mans | 10 hours | All | Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta | Braselton, Georgia | October 12 |
Notes:
* ↑ The GTD class only scored points towards the WeatherTech Sprint Cup.

## Entries
### Daytona Prototype international (DPi)

| Team | Chassis | Engine | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
| Mustang Sampling Racing Whelen Engineering Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 5 | Filipe Albuquerque | All |
| Mustang Sampling Racing Whelen Engineering Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 5 | João Barbosa | All |
| Mustang Sampling Racing Whelen Engineering Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 5 | Christian Fittipaldi | 1 |
| Mustang Sampling Racing Whelen Engineering Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 5 | Brendon Hartley | 2 |
| Mustang Sampling Racing Whelen Engineering Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 5 | Mike Conway | 6, 12 |
| Mustang Sampling Racing Whelen Engineering Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 31 | Pipo Derani | All |
| Mustang Sampling Racing Whelen Engineering Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 31 | Felipe Nasr | All |
| Mustang Sampling Racing Whelen Engineering Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 31 | Eric Curran | 1–2, 6, 12 |
| Acura Team Penske | Acura ARX-05 | Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 6 | Dane Cameron | All |
| Acura Team Penske | Acura ARX-05 | Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 6 | Juan Pablo Montoya | All |
| Acura Team Penske | Acura ARX-05 | Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 6 | Simon Pagenaud | 1–2, 12 |
| Acura Team Penske | Acura ARX-05 | Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 7 | Hélio Castroneves | All |
| Acura Team Penske | Acura ARX-05 | Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 7 | Ricky Taylor | All |
| Acura Team Penske | Acura ARX-05 | Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 7 | Alexander Rossi | 1–2 |
| Acura Team Penske | Acura ARX-05 | Acura AR35TT 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 7 | Graham Rahal | 12 |
| Konica Minolta Cadillac | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 10 | Jordan Taylor | All |
| Konica Minolta Cadillac | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 10 | Renger van der Zande | All |
| Konica Minolta Cadillac | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 10 | Fernando Alonso | 1 |
| Konica Minolta Cadillac | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 10 | Kamui Kobayashi | 1 |
| Konica Minolta Cadillac | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 10 | Matthieu Vaxivière | 2, 12 |
| Juncos Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 50 | Will Owen | 1–7, 12 |
| Juncos Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 50 | René Binder | 1–2, 6, 12 |
| Juncos Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 50 | Agustín Canapino | 1–2 |
| Juncos Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 50 | Kyle Kaiser | 1, 3–4 |
| Juncos Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 50 | Victor Franzoni | 5, 7 |
| Juncos Racing | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5 L V8 | 50 | Spencer Pigot | 12 |
| CORE Autosport | Nissan Onroak DPi | Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Turbo V6 | 54 | Jon Bennett | All |
| CORE Autosport | Nissan Onroak DPi | Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Turbo V6 | 54 | Colin Braun | All |
| CORE Autosport | Nissan Onroak DPi | Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Turbo V6 | 54 | Romain Dumas | 1–2, 6, 12 |
| CORE Autosport | Nissan Onroak DPi | Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Turbo V6 | 54 | Loïc Duval | 1 |
| Mazda Team Joest | Mazda RT24-P | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 55 | Jonathan Bomarito | All |
| Mazda Team Joest | Mazda RT24-P | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 55 | Harry Tincknell | 1–3, 5–7, 9, 11–12 |
| Mazda Team Joest | Mazda RT24-P | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 55 | Olivier Pla | 1–2, 6, 12 |
| Mazda Team Joest | Mazda RT24-P | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 55 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | 4 |
| Mazda Team Joest | Mazda RT24-P | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 77 | Oliver Jarvis | All |
| Mazda Team Joest | Mazda RT24-P | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 77 | Tristan Nunez | All |
| Mazda Team Joest | Mazda RT24-P | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 77 | Timo Bernhard | 1–2, 6, 12 |
| Mazda Team Joest | Mazda RT24-P | Mazda MZ-2.0T 2.0 L Turbo I4 | 77 | René Rast | 1 |
| JDC-Miller MotorSports | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5L V8 | 84 | Stephen Simpson | All |
| JDC-Miller MotorSports | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5L V8 | 84 | Simon Trummer | All |
| JDC-Miller MotorSports | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5L V8 | 84 | Chris Miller | 1–2, 6, 12 |
| JDC-Miller MotorSports | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5L V8 | 84 | Juan Piedrahita | 1 |
| JDC-Miller MotorSports | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5L V8 | 85 | Mikhail Goikhberg | All |
| JDC-Miller MotorSports | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5L V8 | 85 | Tristan Vautier | All |
| JDC-Miller MotorSports | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5L V8 | 85 | Rubens Barrichello | 1 |
| JDC-Miller MotorSports | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5L V8 | 85 | Devlin DeFrancesco | 1 |
| JDC-Miller MotorSports | Cadillac DPi-V.R | Cadillac 5.5L V8 | 85 | Juan Piedrahita | 2, 6, 12 |

### Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2)

In accordance with the 2017 LMP2 regulations, all cars in the LMP2 class use the Gibson GK428 V8 engine.
| Team | Car | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
| DragonSpeed | Oreca 07 | 18 | Ryan Cullen | 1 |
| DragonSpeed | Oreca 07 | 18 | Roberto González | 1 |
| DragonSpeed | Oreca 07 | 18 | Pastor Maldonado | 1 |
| DragonSpeed | Oreca 07 | 18 | Sebastián Saavedra | 1 |
| DragonSpeed | Oreca 07 | 81 | Ben Hanley | 1 |
| DragonSpeed | Oreca 07 | 81 | Henrik Hedman | 1 |
| DragonSpeed | Oreca 07 | 81 | Nicolas Lapierre | 1 |
| DragonSpeed | Oreca 07 | 81 | James Allen | 1 |
| Performance Tech Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 38 | Cameron Cassels | All |
| Performance Tech Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 38 | Kyle Masson | 1–2, 4, 6–7, 11–12 |
| Performance Tech Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 38 | Robert Masson | 1 |
| Performance Tech Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 38 | Kris Wright | 1 |
| Performance Tech Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 38 | Andrew Evans | 2, 6, 12 |
| Performance Tech Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 38 | James French | 9 |
| PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 52 | Matt McMurry | All |
| PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 52 | Gabriel Aubry | 1–2, 6, 12 |
| PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 52 | Enzo Guibbert | 1 |
| PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 52 | Mark Kvamme | 1 |
| PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 52 | Anders Fjordbach | 2 |
| PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 52 | Eric Lux | 4, 6 |
| PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 52 | Dalton Kellett | 7, 11–12 |
| PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | Oreca 07 | 52 | Patrick Kelly | 9 |

### GT Le Mans (GTLM)

| Team | Chassis | Engine | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
| Corvette Racing | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8 | 3 | Antonio García | All |
| Corvette Racing | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8 | 3 | Jan Magnussen | All |
| Corvette Racing | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8 | 3 | Mike Rockenfeller | 1–2, 12 |
| Corvette Racing | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8 | 4 | Oliver Gavin | All |
| Corvette Racing | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8 | 4 | Tommy Milner | 1–4, 6, 9–12 |
| Corvette Racing | Chevrolet Corvette C7.R | Chevrolet LT5.5 5.5 L V8 | 4 | Marcel Fässler | 1–2, 7–8, 12 |
| BMW Team RLL | BMW M8 GTE | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 24 | John Edwards | All |
| BMW Team RLL | BMW M8 GTE | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 24 | Jesse Krohn | All |
| BMW Team RLL | BMW M8 GTE | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 24 | Chaz Mostert | 1 |
| BMW Team RLL | BMW M8 GTE | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 24 | Alex Zanardi | 1 |
| BMW Team RLL | BMW M8 GTE | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 24 | Philipp Eng | 2, 12 |
| BMW Team RLL | BMW M8 GTE | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 25 | Connor De Phillippi | All |
| BMW Team RLL | BMW M8 GTE | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 25 | Colton Herta | 1–2, 12 |
| BMW Team RLL | BMW M8 GTE | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 25 | Philipp Eng | 1 |
| BMW Team RLL | BMW M8 GTE | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 25 | Augusto Farfus | 1 |
| BMW Team RLL | BMW M8 GTE | BMW S63 4.0 L Turbo V8 | 25 | Tom Blomqvist | 2–4, 6–12 |
| Risi Competizione | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | 62 | James Calado | 1, 12 |
| Risi Competizione | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | 62 | Alessandro Pier Guidi | 1, 12 |
| Risi Competizione | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | 62 | Miguel Molina | 1 |
| Risi Competizione | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | 62 | Davide Rigon | 1 |
| Risi Competizione | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | 62 | Daniel Serra | 12 |
| Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Ford GT | Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 66 | Dirk Müller | All |
| Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Ford GT | Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 66 | Sébastien Bourdais | 1–4, 12 |
| Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Ford GT | Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 66 | Joey Hand | 1–2, 6–12 |
| Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Ford GT | Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 67 | Ryan Briscoe | All |
| Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Ford GT | Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 67 | Richard Westbrook | All |
| Ford Chip Ganassi Racing | Ford GT | Ford EcoBoost 3.5 L Turbo V6 | 67 | Scott Dixon | 1–2, 12 |
| Porsche GT Team | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 911 | Patrick Pilet | All |
| Porsche GT Team | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 911 | Nick Tandy | All |
| Porsche GT Team | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 911 | Frédéric Makowiecki | 1–2, 12 |
| Porsche GT Team | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 912 | Earl Bamber | All |
| Porsche GT Team | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 912 | Laurens Vanthoor | All |
| Porsche GT Team | Porsche 911 RSR | Porsche 4.0 L Flat-6 | 912 | Mathieu Jaminet | 1–2, 12 |