It was 55 years ago this month, at Pocono, when IMSA ran its first automobile race. Accounts vary slightly, but roughly 350 fans came to watch.
Earlier this month, IMSA wrapped up its 2024 season before tens of thousands on the scenic, rolling hills of Road Atlanta, east of the big city, in Braselton. It was some nine months after the season started before tens of thousands packed into Daytona International Speedway for the Rolex 24.
In between, the sanctioning body and its handful of racing divisions — headlined by its WeatherTech Championship series — visited many of the well-known hotspots synonymous with auto racing: Watkins Glen, Laguna Seca, Sebring, Indianapolis and others.
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And everywhere it goes, 18 international car manufacturers come along — OEM is the industry term for Original Equipment Manufacturer, such as Ferrari, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Ford, etc.
The International Motor Sports Association, in its original formation in 1969, had the organizational and financial backing of NASCAR boss Bill France Sr. By the end of the century sports-car racing was splintered and fragmented, but 10 years ago the IMSA name was reborn and a unification of sports-car interests put IMSA on a path to its solid and unique footing in today’s auto racing universe.
IMSA operates as its own entity but is a NASCAR property, headquartered in Daytona Beach. The organization draws particular interest and oversight from Bill France Sr.’s second-born son, Jim, a longtime supporter of the sport who added the role of NASCAR Chairman/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, almost five years to the day of his hiring as president, Doonan discussed all things IMSA as the current season was sliding into the offseason.
John Doonan: 18 car makers … and counting
News-Journal: How would you compare IMSA to where it was a year ago?
Doonan: “Stronger is the word, I’d say. We have 18 OEMs, and recently announced a 19th with Cupra, which is part of the Volkswagen group. They have announced they want to come to the U.S. and sell road cars. To us, it’s just a perfect example of someone coming here, using motorsports as a platform to build brand awareness.
“Ask somebody on the street today, what’s Cupra … hopefully three years on, after they’ve been racing here a while, they at least have some recognition in the enthusiasts group.”
N-J: Your WeatherTech series runs 12 weekends, including the pre-Rolex 24 test weekend in Daytona. Fans of NASCAR might wonder why you don’t run more events.
Doonan: “We’re super sensitive to the cost to the teams. The cars are quite sophisticated. We’ve gotten into a nice routine with this 12-race championship. We’re looking at some other markets, but due to the length of our races — 24 hours, 12 hours, 10 hours, six hours twice (the five longest races) — the running times, the running budgets of these teams is quite significant.
“The more run time, the more budget.”
N-J: NASCAR has a multi-billion-dollar network deal that keeps the lights on. What pays for IMSA?
“The manufacturers are all here to use it as a marketing tool, so they invest heavily. WeatherTech … Michelin is a big supporter, of course. VP Racing Fuels. And then we have another couple dozen corporate partners who use this as an entertainment platform for current clients and attracting new clients. So it’s that corporate partnership base.
“We just announced a new long-term partnership with Rolex. We obviously have a relationship with them for the Rolex 24, but in addition to that, they’re now the official timepiece of IMSA. So the champions at the end of the season, starting next year, they will all get Rolex watches as well. Throughout the season you’ll see them activating at 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 as well. Our four-day total here was probably 125,000 people. We had 11 of 12 races this year that were all-time records for that facility in the modern era.”
Offseason testing planned for Daytona, torque sensors
N-J: How long is the offseason for you? It’s not like you shut down until January.
Doonan: “No, we don’t. On Nov. 15-17, we’ll be testing at Daytona in preparation for next year. All classes, with particular focus on the GT category. We have a ‘balance of performance’ with all the different cars here, and they’ll be running torque sensors next year, so it’ll be the first time to get all the cars on these torque sensors.
“It’ll be sort of like a rolling dyno, so we know the power outputs in a straight line, in the corners and every part of the track. That’s a big deal for us to get everybody there early enough.”
N-J: The growth of the Rolex 24 as an “event weekend” seems to be the theme throughout your schedule. Has that been intentional?
Doonan: “Kicking off with the Rolex has been a big boost. The philosophy has always been, you’re gonna be a manufacturer showcase, but it’s really focused on the fans and the fan experiment. Our group of promoters are part of a group called Road Racing Industry Council, and they get together and they share best-practices, and they’ve all bought into this philosophy of let’s open it up.”
N-J: Do you sense NASCAR borrowing some of IMSA’s event vibe at its races?
Doonan: “I’d call it ‘shared best practices.’”
How NASCAR relationship helps IMSA
N-J: How would you explain the IMSA-NASCAR relationship?
Doonan: “In the simplest form, tons of central functions. The accounting, the legal, the I.T. and all those things. It’s all part of one.
“Look at the NBC extension we announced back in June. Of course, NBC has been a huge partner of NASCAR, so we’re very fortunate in that regard to be able to leverage 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 integrated into that car are very similar to an IMSA GT car.
“The driver safety cell …. front clip, rear clip, single-hub just like we have here, so I think the learnings we’ve had and they’ve had are shared.”
N-J: There’s been some recent talk about NASCAR and IMSA sharing a venue for a race weekend.
Doonan: “We’re continually looking at the event schedule and thinking of how can we collaborate with them on event weekends.”