The marathon finishing kick to the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season begins Sunday with the Battle on the Bricks at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
The six-hour event is the first of two endurance races to close the year, which began with four consecutive victories for Porsche Penske Motorsport. The past three events have been won by Acura and BMW, which is coming off a 1-2 victory at Road America.
BMW also swept the top two spots in last year’s Battle on the Bricks, so IMS looms as a pivotal title marker ahead of the Oct. 11 season finale in the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Michelin Road Atlanta.
Porsche Penske Motorsport star Felipe Nasr, who leads the points standings with No. 7 teammate Nick Tandy in pursuit of a second consecutive championship, said the manufacturer gap has tightened.
“BMW has been getting their stuff in terms of the execution when it comes to race day,” Nasr said. “Honestly, they were probably one of the better cars all year long when it came to pure pace. They were always strong at every weekend. Even when we didn’t have the fastest car, when it came to race day, we knew how to execute, and we knew how to put ourselves in a position to fight at the front.”
Advancing through the field can come with a combination of tire management, fuel saving and strategy, but it’s been since April in Long Beach that PPM’s No. 7 963 has landed on that perfect blend to reach victory lane. At Road America, Nasr and Tandy finished last in class and 22nd overall. That was on the heels of an 11th in class at Watkins Glen International, where Tandy endured a heavy crash.
“Honestly, I feel like the championship has been from our side, pretty consistent,” Nasr said. “We had our lows. It can happen to any car in the championship. That’s racing. As I can use my experience and knowledge to pass along with Nick, I think he takes it very well when we have conversations out of the car and say what we could have done differently, what we could have done better.
“It doesn’t take much to score a few extra points here and there, so you’re very open on those discussions. I think he understands that the last two races were not great. He’s very professional, and I know he’s upset as well. We hate losing, and that’s the proof. That’s why we are true racers. That makes us hungrier for more. We want to get back to where we belong.”
In the championship battles for the other three categories with two races remaining:
LMP2: The No. 99 AO Racing ORECA LMP2 07 leads by 107 points over the No. 22 United Autosports USA entry after its victory at Road Amerca.
GTD Pro: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ No. 3 Z06 GT3.R leds by 53 points over the No. 81 DragonSpeed Ferrari 296 GT3.
GTD: Defending champion Winward Racing leads by 171 points with the No. 57 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
Here are the start times, daily schedules and streaming info for the 2025 IMSA Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
2025 IMSA Indianapolis
WHEN: Sunday, Sept. 21 at 11:40 a.m. ET
DISTANCE: A six-hour race on the 14-turn, 2.349-mile road course in Indianapolis.
ENTRY LIST: Click here to see the 53-car field in the GTP, LMP2, GTD Pro and GTD categories for the Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis.
FORECAST: According to WeatherUnderground, it’s expected to be 76 degrees with a 23% chance of rain at the green flag.
QUALIFYING: Saturday, Sept. 20 at 3:10 p.m. ET (streamed on Peacock Premium)
How to Watch IMSA at Indianapolis
TV/STREAMING: The Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be streamed on Peacock Premium from flag to flag beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 21. NBC also will have coverage from 3-6 p.m.
The NBC Sports broadcast will feature announcers Dave Burns, Calvin Fish, Brian Till and Townsend Bell. Matt Yocum, Kevin Lee and Kristen Beat are the pit reporters.
RADIO: All sessions live on IMSA.com; SiriusXM live race coverage begins Sunday, Sept. 21 at 11:30 a.m. (SiriusXM channel 206, Web/App 996)
IMSA Indianapolis schedule, start times
Here’s a rundown of the IMSA schedule this week at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (all times are ET):
Thursday, Sept.18
10:50-11:20 a.m.: Porsche Carrera Cup practice
11:35 a.m.-12:20 p.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo practice
2:20-3 p.m.: Porsche Carrera Cup practice
3:15-4 p.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo practice
Friday, Sept. 19
8:20-9:20 a.m.: Michelin Pilot Challenge practice
9:35-10:05 a.m.: Porsche Carrera Cup qualifying
10:20-10:55 a.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo qualifying
11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice
1:45-2:45 p.m.: Michelin Pilot Challenge practice
3-3:40 p.m.: Porsche Carrera Cup Race 1 (Peacock)
4-4:50 p.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo Race 1 (Peacock)
Saturday, Sept. 20
8-8:35 a.m.: Michelin Pilot Challenge qualifying
8:55-10:25 a.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship practice
10:45-11:25 a.m.: Porsche Carrera Cup Race 2 (Peacock)
12:40-2:40 p.m.: Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120 Michelin Pilot Challenge race (Peacock)
3:15-4:45 p.m.: IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying (Peacock)
5:10-6 p.m.: Lamborghini Super Trofeo Race 2 (Peacock)
Sunday, Sept. 21
11:40 a.m.-5:40 p.m.: Battle on the Bricks (Peacock Premium, NBC 3-6 p.m.)
2025 SEASON RECAPS