CORVETTE RACING AT INDY: Title Battles on The Bricks

CORVETTE RACING AT INDY: Title Battles on The Bricks
GTD PRO championships, Akin Award fight at center of Corvette weekend
 
DETROIT (September 15, 2026) – Championship battles for Corvette Racing teams in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be top of mind when the five Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs hit the track at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend.
Sunday’s Battle on The Bricks marks the first time since 2023 that the Indianapolis round has been a two-hour, 40-minute sprint race instead of a six-hour enduro. But that doesn’t diminish the importance of the next-to-last-event on the IMSA calendar.
Three championship fights involving Corvette teams are focal points heading to the 2.439-mile, 14-road course inside the IMS oval: · GTD PRO Manufacturers Championship: Chevrolet is carrying an 87-point lead into Indianapolis with the Bowtie going for a second straight title in the class and 16th Manufacturers crown – all in IMSA competition. Both GTD PRO Corvettes have contributed to the points total so far this year including a win at Detroit for the No. 3 of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims.· GTD PRO Drivers/Teams Championships: No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R teammates Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg sit second in Drivers points and within 23 of the championship-leading No. 1 BMW. The pairing has three podium finishes on the season including second at Laguna Seca. There are five driver parings within 67 points, and the scenario is the same in the Teams standings.· Bob Akin Award: Two-time and defending Akin Award winner Orey Fidani is second in the rankings with 13 Autosport’s No. 13 Corvette that he drives with Matt Bell. The Akin Award goes to the highest-ranked Bronze driver in GTD, and Fidani trails Brendan Iribe in the No. 70 Ferrari by 20 points going into IMS. The Akin Award also comes with an automatic invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Barring some unforeseen developments, all three championships will go down to the final race of the season – the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in two weeks. Before that, though, there is the matter of Corvette Racing winning at Indianapolis for the first time. In addition to the pair of Pratt Miller-run Corvettes in GTD PRO and 13 Autosport in GTD, two other Corvettes are on the entry list. At DXDT Racing, Robert Wickens will race at his home track in a Corvette for the first time as he shares the No. 36 Z06 GT3.R with Mason Filippi in GTD. Wickens has never finished off the podium in any of his career starts at the track including seconds twice in Michelin Pilot Challenge. Also in the class, Giacomo Altoé and Casper Stevenson will team in DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Corvette. Last time out VIR, Stevenson put the DragonSpeed entry on the GTD pole, and he was the class pole-winner a year ago at Indianapolis. The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks from Indianapolis Motor Speedway is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 20. It will air live on NBC starting at 3 p.m. ET as will streaming coverage on Peacock in the U.S. and IMSA’s YouTube channel internationally. IMSA Radio will air on-track sessions at IMSA.com, XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s disappointing that the championship is over for us and not something that we are used to. But there is still the Manufacturers Championship for us and to help Tommy and Nicky so the Drivers Championship can stay within the team. Indianapolis and Atlanta are the two places on the schedule where I’ve not won so getting one of those would be a nice way to end the season.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “There’s not a specific part of the track at Indianapolis that takes on more importance compared to a six-hour race. But that first stint definitely will be more impactful to the end result than it was in a six-hour format. There will be a slight change of approach. But nevertheless it’s the same as at any IMSA race. You have to get many things executed to be at the front. We have to be good on strategy with those two pit stops in the race. If you make a mistake early on, all of a sudden there’s less of an opportunity to claw that back than in a six-hour format. It’ll be an intense and flat-out race.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Our up-and-down season continued at VIR but we are still in pretty good shape in the championship heading to Indianapolis. At this point in the season, all you can hope for is to be in position to race for it all and we’re definitely in that spot. Fortunately for us things have been pretty unpredictable this year in GTD PRO, more than I can remember in quite awhile. There hasn’t been a dominant team this year which has been good for us and good for the fans, too. At this point, we need to start making up some points on the BMW to make our lives less difficult going into Petit Le Mans.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I feel like the Indy approach will not be different. We just need to score points. We can’t have a bad result because we need to make sure we are in the fight at Atlanta. That race will be crazy but we need to make sure we are still in it, which I think we very much are right now. Let’s try and have a fault-free and mistake-free race. Also in the pitlane we’ve cleaned some things up so hopefully we can start Road Atlanta in the lead. In any case, it’s going to come down to that one so let’s try to survive Indy first.”
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The focus for us heading into the Indianapolis race is to regain the lead of the Akin award. It’s been a hard-fought battle three years running now and we’re up for another fight! Running the 13 Autosport name in IMSA and Le Mans this year was a privilege, and one we are keen to repeat next year.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Indy is always a special place, and we’re looking forward to getting back there. The Bob Akin Championship is still really tight, so every point matters at this stage of the season. The Corvette has been strong and the team has done a great job all year, so the focus is on having a clean race and putting everything together. Hopefully we can come away from Indy with a strong result and carry that momentum into the final round.”
MASON FILIPPI, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m excited for Indy. It’s the only track where I’ve driven a GT3 car on the calendar so it will be nice to have a reference. It’s a challenging and technical circuit which I think helps the Corvette through the second half of the lap. DXDT Racing deserves a good result. We are shooting for a podium and worked hard the last couple of weeks to see what we can do. It will be an interesting one with all four classes there… lots of action and fun.”
CASPER STEVENSON, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m really happy to go back to Indy. It’s a cool place with some cool energy there. I got my first IMSA pole there last year. The race didn’t go so well but I have a great memory there, which is nice. It should be a good track for Corvette, and it does allow good racing. There’s no grass everywhere like VIR so you can take a little bit more risk on the racecraft. It’s an exciting prospect but will be quite a lot to fit all of the classes there. I’m really looking forward to it and I hope we’re on the right side of it.”
CORVETTE RACING AT INDY: Title Battles on The Bricks
GTD PRO championships, Akin Award fight at center of Corvette weekend
 
DETROIT (September 15, 2026) – Championship battles for Corvette Racing teams in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be top of mind when the five Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs hit the track at famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend.
Sunday’s Battle on The Bricks marks the first time since 2023 that the Indianapolis round has been a two-hour, 40-minute sprint race instead of a six-hour enduro. But that doesn’t diminish the importance of the next-to-last-event on the IMSA calendar.
Three championship fights involving Corvette teams are focal points heading to the 2.439-mile, 14-road course inside the IMS oval: · GTD PRO Manufacturers Championship: Chevrolet is carrying an 87-point lead into Indianapolis with the Bowtie going for a second straight title in the class and 16th Manufacturers crown – all in IMSA competition. Both GTD PRO Corvettes have contributed to the points total so far this year including a win at Detroit for the No. 3 of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims.· GTD PRO Drivers/Teams Championships: No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R teammates Tommy Milner and Nicky Catsburg sit second in Drivers points and within 23 of the championship-leading No. 1 BMW. The pairing has three podium finishes on the season including second at Laguna Seca. There are five driver parings within 67 points, and the scenario is the same in the Teams standings.· Bob Akin Award: Two-time and defending Akin Award winner Orey Fidani is second in the rankings with 13 Autosport’s No. 13 Corvette that he drives with Matt Bell. The Akin Award goes to the highest-ranked Bronze driver in GTD, and Fidani trails Brendan Iribe in the No. 70 Ferrari by 20 points going into IMS. The Akin Award also comes with an automatic invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Barring some unforeseen developments, all three championships will go down to the final race of the season – the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in two weeks. Before that, though, there is the matter of Corvette Racing winning at Indianapolis for the first time. In addition to the pair of Pratt Miller-run Corvettes in GTD PRO and 13 Autosport in GTD, two other Corvettes are on the entry list. At DXDT Racing, Robert Wickens will race at his home track in a Corvette for the first time as he shares the No. 36 Z06 GT3.R with Mason Filippi in GTD. Wickens has never finished off the podium in any of his career starts at the track including seconds twice in Michelin Pilot Challenge. Also in the class, Giacomo Altoé and Casper Stevenson will team in DragonSpeed’s No. 81 Corvette. Last time out VIR, Stevenson put the DragonSpeed entry on the GTD pole, and he was the class pole-winner a year ago at Indianapolis. The TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks from Indianapolis Motor Speedway is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 20. It will air live on NBC starting at 3 p.m. ET as will streaming coverage on Peacock in the U.S. and IMSA’s YouTube channel internationally. IMSA Radio will air on-track sessions at IMSA.com, XM 206 and SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s disappointing that the championship is over for us and not something that we are used to. But there is still the Manufacturers Championship for us and to help Tommy and Nicky so the Drivers Championship can stay within the team. Indianapolis and Atlanta are the two places on the schedule where I’ve not won so getting one of those would be a nice way to end the season.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “There’s not a specific part of the track at Indianapolis that takes on more importance compared to a six-hour race. But that first stint definitely will be more impactful to the end result than it was in a six-hour format. There will be a slight change of approach. But nevertheless it’s the same as at any IMSA race. You have to get many things executed to be at the front. We have to be good on strategy with those two pit stops in the race. If you make a mistake early on, all of a sudden there’s less of an opportunity to claw that back than in a six-hour format. It’ll be an intense and flat-out race.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Our up-and-down season continued at VIR but we are still in pretty good shape in the championship heading to Indianapolis. At this point in the season, all you can hope for is to be in position to race for it all and we’re definitely in that spot. Fortunately for us things have been pretty unpredictable this year in GTD PRO, more than I can remember in quite awhile. There hasn’t been a dominant team this year which has been good for us and good for the fans, too. At this point, we need to start making up some points on the BMW to make our lives less difficult going into Petit Le Mans.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I feel like the Indy approach will not be different. We just need to score points. We can’t have a bad result because we need to make sure we are in the fight at Atlanta. That race will be crazy but we need to make sure we are still in it, which I think we very much are right now. Let’s try and have a fault-free and mistake-free race. Also in the pitlane we’ve cleaned some things up so hopefully we can start Road Atlanta in the lead. In any case, it’s going to come down to that one so let’s try to survive Indy first.”
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The focus for us heading into the Indianapolis race is to regain the lead of the Akin award. It’s been a hard-fought battle three years running now and we’re up for another fight! Running the 13 Autosport name in IMSA and Le Mans this year was a privilege, and one we are keen to repeat next year.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Indy is always a special place, and we’re looking forward to getting back there. The Bob Akin Championship is still really tight, so every point matters at this stage of the season. The Corvette has been strong and the team has done a great job all year, so the focus is on having a clean race and putting everything together. Hopefully we can come away from Indy with a strong result and carry that momentum into the final round.”
MASON FILIPPI, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m excited for Indy. It’s the only track where I’ve driven a GT3 car on the calendar so it will be nice to have a reference. It’s a challenging and technical circuit which I think helps the Corvette through the second half of the lap. DXDT Racing deserves a good result. We are shooting for a podium and worked hard the last couple of weeks to see what we can do. It will be an interesting one with all four classes there… lots of action and fun.”
CASPER STEVENSON, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m really happy to go back to Indy. It’s a cool place with some cool energy there. I got my first IMSA pole there last year. The race didn’t go so well but I have a great memory there, which is nice. It should be a good track for Corvette, and it does allow good racing. There’s no grass everywhere like VIR so you can take a little bit more risk on the racecraft. It’s an exciting prospect but will be quite a lot to fit all of the classes there. I’m really looking forward to it and I hope we’re on the right side of it.”
2026 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship PointsGTD PRO Drivers Standings1. Connor De Phillippi/Neil Verhagen – 24322. Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg – 24093. Andrea Caldarelli/Sandy Mitchell – 23764. Harry King/Nick Tandy – 23655. Christopher Mies/Frederic Vervisch – 23657. Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia – 2238 GTD PRO Teams Standings1. No. 1 Paul Miller Racing – 24322. No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 24093. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 23764. No. 77 AO Racing – 23655. No. 65 Ford Racing – 23657. No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 2238 GTD PRO Manufacturers Standings1. Chevrolet – 26482. BMW – 25613. Ford – 25504. Porsche – 25125. Lamborghini – 2484 GTD Drivers Standings1. Philip Ellis/Russel Ward – 23732. Patrick Gallagher/Robby Foley – 23373. Dudu Barrichello – 2317                         4. Aaron Telitz/Benjamin Pedersen – 22175. Albert Costa – 19597. Matt Bell/Orey Fidani – 188812. Giacomo Altoé – 169816. Mason Filippi – 1552
 GTD Teams Standings1. No. 57 Winward Racing – 23732. No. 96 Turner Motorsports – 23173. No. 27 Heart of Racing – 23174. No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing – 22175. No. 34 Conquest Racing – 19597. No. 13 13 Autosport – 188810. No. 81 DragonSpeed – 169813. No. 36 DXDT Racing – 1552 GTD Manufacturers Standings1. Mercedes-AMG – 26342. Ferrari – 26143. Aston Martin – 25804. BMW – 23905. Lexus – 23697. Chevrolet – 2246 CORVETTE RACING AT INDY: By the Numbers• 1: One manufacturer, one brand and one race program for 27-plus years – Chevrolet, Corvette and Corvette Racing• 5: Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs entered for this week’s Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway• 15: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 35: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Fuji, Houston, Imola, Indianapolis, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sāo Paulo (Brazil), Sebring, Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), Sonoma, Spa-Francorchamps, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 44: Number of drivers to win races in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list were TF Sport’s Peter Dempsey and Salih Yoluc at Sāo Paulo in WEC• 73: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year• 88: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. K-Tunes’ Kazunori Suenaga and Sena Sakaguchi joined the list in the No. 96 Corvette at Suzuka in Japan Cup competition• 159: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 119 in IMSA, 10 at Le Mans, six in the FIA WEC, 13 in GT World Challenge America, three in GT World Challenge Asia, GT America and the European Le Mans Series, and one in IGTC/GT World Challenge Europe• 392: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 514,569.38: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. The program went over the half-million mark at this year’s 24 Hours of Spa Corvette Racing at Indianapolis (wins in bold)2014: No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2023: No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 5th in GTD PRO
2024 IMSA: No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims – 3rd in GTD PRO (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg – 11th in GTD PRO (Catsburg pole)No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 6th in GTD (Bell fastest race lap)
2024 SRO America: No. 63 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Alec Udell/Alexander Sims – 3rd in GTWCA ProNo. 64 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Bryan Sellers/Patrick Liddy/Blake McDonald – 6th in GTWCA Pro-Am
2025 IMSA: No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims – 4th in GTD PRONo. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg – 6th in GTD PRO No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 6th in GTD No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Alec Udell/Salih Yoluc – 17th in GTD
2025 SRO America: No. 11 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Blake McDonald/Alec Udell – 12th in IGTC Pro-AmNo. 50 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Nicky Catsburg/Aaron Povoledo/Ross Chouest – 11th in IGTC Pro-AmNo. 50 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Ross Chouest – 7th, 1st in SRO3

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