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    • IMSA, with NASCAR ties, engines running. QNA with President John Doonan
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    IMSA, with NASCAR ties, engines running. QNA with President John Doonan

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    55 years ago this month at Pocono, IMSA ran its first stock car race. Accounts vary slightly, but about 350 fans came to watch.

    Earlier this month, IMSA concluded its 2024 season in front of tens of thousands of people on the scenic, rolling hills of Road Atlanta, east of the big city, in Braselton. It took about nine months from the start of the season until tens of thousands of people flocked to Daytona International Speedway for the Rolex 24.

    Meanwhile, the sanctioning body and its arm of racing divisions – established by the WeatherTech Championship Series – visited many of the well-known hot spots synonymous with auto racing: Watkins Glen, Laguna Seca, Sebring, Indianapolis and others.

    READING THE GREAT AMERICAN: Celebrate a quick history of the Daytona 500 with a new book; foreword by Richard Petty

    And wherever it goes, 18 international car manufacturers come – OEM is the industry term for original equipment manufacturer, such as Ferrari, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Ford, etc.

    The International Motor Sports Association, in its original form in 1969, had the organizational and financial support of NASCAR boss Bill France Sr. By the end of the century, sports car racing was fragmented and fragmented, but 10 years ago the name IMSA was reborn and a unification of sports car interests put IMSA on the path to a solid and unique foundation in today’s motor racing universe.

    IMSA operates as its own entity, but is a NASCAR property, based in Daytona Beach. The organization draws particular interest and oversight from Bill France Sr.’s second son, Jim, a longtime supporter of the sport, who added the role of NASCAR president/CEO to his duties six years ago .

    In 2019, France and his team hired John Doonan to become the new president of IMSA. The Chicago native had been Mazda’s director of motorsports since 2011.

    At Road Atlanta, nearly five years to the day since his hiring as president, Doonan discussed all things IMSA as the current season slides into the offseason.

    John Doonan: 18 car manufacturers… and counting

    News Log: How would you compare IMSA to where it was a year ago?

    Doonan: “Stronger is the word, I would say. We have 18 OEMs and recently announced a 19th with Cupra, which is part of the Volkswagen group. They announced that they wanted to come to the US and sell cars on the road. For us, it’s just a perfect example of someone coming here using motorsports as a platform to build brand awareness.

    “Ask someone on the street today what a Cupra is… hopefully in three years’ time, after they’ve raced here for a while, they at least have some recognition in the enthusiast group.”

    NJ: Your WeatherTech Series runs 12 weekends, including the pre-Rolex 24 test weekend in Daytona. NASCAR fans might wonder why you don’t run more events.

    Doonan: “We are very sensitive to the costs for the teams. The machines are quite sophisticated. I got into a nice routine with this 12-race championship. We are looking at other markets, but because of the length of our races – 24 hours, 12 hours, 10 hours, six hours twice (the five longest races) – the running time, the running budgets of these teams are quite significant . .

    “The longer the runtime, the bigger the budget.”

    NJ: NASCAR has a multi-billion dollar network business that keeps the lights on. What does IMSA pay for?

    “Manufacturers are all here to use it as a marketing tool, so they are investing heavily. WeatherTech… Michelin is a big supporter of course. VP Racing Fuels. And then we have several dozen corporate partners who use this as an entertainment platform for current customers and attract new customers. So it’s that corporate partnership basis.

    “We have just announced a new long-term partnership with Rolex. Obviously, we have a relationship with them for the Rolex 24, but on top of that, they are now the official watch of IMSA. So the champions at the end of the season, starting next year, will all get Rolex watches as well. Throughout the season you will see them active at the races.

    “Then of course we as a company are responsible for Michelin Raceway (Road Atlanta) and Sebring as part of the IMSA portfolio. And record attendance, that helps too. Our total for four days here was probably 125,000 people. We had 11 out of 12 races this year, which were all-time records for that unit in the modern era.”

    Off-season testing planned for Daytona, torque sensors

    NJ: How long is the offseason for you? It’s not like you closed until January.

    Doonan: “No, we don’t. From November 15-17, we will be testing at Daytona in preparation for next year. All classes, with special emphasis on the GT category. We have a ‘performance balance’ with all the different cars here and they will be running torque sensors next year, so it will be the first time all the cars are on these torque sensors.

    “It’s going to be kind of like a dyno, so we know the power in the straights, in the corners and every part of the track. It’s a big deal for us to get everybody there early enough.”

    NJ: Elevating the Rolex 24 as an “event weekend” seems to be the theme throughout your schedule. Was it intentional?

    Doonan: “Starting with Rolex was a big boost. The philosophy has always been, you’re going to be a showcase for the producers, but it’s really focused on the fans and the fan experience. Our promoter group is part of a group called the Road Racing Industry Council and they come together and share best practices and they’ve all bought into this philosophy of opening it up.”

    NJ: Do you feel like NASCAR lends some of the IMSA event atmosphere to its races?

    Doonan: “I would call it ‘shared best practices.'”

    How the NASCAR IMSA Relationship Helps

    NJ: How would you explain the IMSA-NASCAR relationship?

    Doonan: “At its simplest, tons of core functions. Accounting, legal, IT and all that. Everything is part of one.

    “Look at the NBC extension we announced in June. Of course, NBC has been a huge partner of NASCAR, so we’re very fortunate in that regard to be able to use that.

    “The NASCAR R&D Center, from a technical standpoint … there’s a lot of technical collaboration. The cars are very different, but you look at the Next Gen Cup car and a lot of the things they put into that car are very similar to an IMSA GT car.

    “The driver’s safety cell … front clamp, rear clamp, single hub just like we do here, so I think the learnings that we’ve had and they’ve had are shared.”

    NJ: There has been recent talk of NASCAR and IMSA sharing a venue for a race weekend.

    Doonan: “We’re constantly looking at the event schedule and thinking about how we can partner with them on the event weekends.”

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