During today’s annual press conference preceding the 24 Hours of Le Mans, officials from the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) announced the extension of their strategic alliance, securing its continuation through at least the end of 2032.

The IMSA-ACO strategic alliance provides for three automatic invitations for each year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans for IMSA competitors. Effectively, IMSA provides one automatic entry in each of the three classes racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The championship-winning team in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class earns a Le Mans entry for the following year in the Hypercar class. The winner of the annual Jim Trueman Award for the top Bronze-rated driver in the WeatherTech Championship’s Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class earns a Le Mans entry for the following year in the LMP2 class.

Similarly, the winner of the Bob Akin Award for the top Bronze driver in the WeatherTech Championship Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) class earns a spot in the next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMGT3 class.

This year’s automatic Le Mans entries from IMSA are the No. 4 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 shared by Nick Tandy, Felipe Nasr and Pascal Wehrlein in Hypercar; the No. 34 Inter Europol Competition ORECA LMP2 07 of Nick Boulle – the 2024 Jim Trueman Award winner and WeatherTech Championship LMP2 champion – being co-driven by Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer and Luca Ghiotto in the LMP2 class; and the No. 13 AWA Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R for 2024 Bob Akin Award winner Orey Fidani and co-drivers Matt Bell and Lars Kern in the LMGT3 class.

IMSA also will continue to hold exclusive rights in North America for the use of LMP2 and Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3) race cars. As a component of the extension, IMSA will adopt the new LMP2 regulations announced by the ACO in Friday’s press conference. The new LMP2 cars are expected to begin competing in the WeatherTech Championship in 2028.

The agreement also allows IMSA to use “Le Mans” in the title of the annual 10-hour season WeatherTech Championship season finale – known as Motul Petit Le Mans – at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

IMSA and the ACO have been strategic partners since the launch of the modern-day IMSA at the beginning of the 2014 season, with formal links between the two organizations dating back for decades prior.

JOHN DOONAN, IMSA President: “The undeniable success that endurance sports car racing is currently experiencing all over the world is directly the result of the ongoing partnership between IMSA and the ACO. Together, we created technical platforms and regulations that have attracted an unprecedented number of manufacturers by ensuring relevance and budget practicality. The end result is a product that is clearly resonating with motorsport fans everywhere, as evidenced by the steady and continuous growth of our collective audience.”

PIERRE FILLON, ACO President: “Endurance racing is experiencing an unprecedented level of global success, and the alliance between the ACO and IMSA is at the very heart of this momentum. Over the past decade, we have built a common framework that aligns technical regulations, fosters manufacturer involvement, and ensures sustainable growth for our sport. Extending this partnership through 2032 provides long-term stability and a shared commitment to innovation, competition, and passion—values that define endurance racing and continue to inspire fans and stakeholders around the world.”

IMSA Wire Service PR

NASCAR Xfinity Series teams will spend much of Saturday at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, with qualifying set for 12:10 p.m. EDT (The CW sapp) and the race getting underway at 4:30 p.m. EDT. (The CW).

You can watch The CW through the CW app on various devices, including Amazon Fire TV, or through services like DIRECTV, which includes The CW. You can also access some CW content on Prime Video Channels as an add-on subscription.

This is the second road course event of the 2025 season and the first international race in years. The Chilango 150 will cover 165 laps, totaling 157.3 miles.

The previous race in Mexico City, which was held in 2008 and named the Corona Mexico 200, saw Kyle Busch earn the victory after passing Scott Pruett with seven laps to go.

NASCAR drivers will face one of the biggest challenges of their careers racing at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, which sits at an elevation of nearly 7,500 feet. The next highest track on the Cup circuit in terms of elevation is Las Vegas Motor Speedway at about 2,000 feet above sea level.

To prepare its drivers for the altitude, Toyota launched a comprehensive training program months ago that had its drivers wearing a mask that simulates less oxygen while training and even sleeping in a hypoxic tent.

HOW TO WATCH

• WHAT: Chilango 150
• WHEN: 4:30 p.m. EDT Saturday
• WHERE: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City
• TV: The CW. You can watch The CW through the CW app on various devices, including Amazon Fire TV, or through services like DIRECTV, which includes The CW. You can also access some CW content on Prime Video Channels as an add-on subscription.
• QUALIFYING: Set for 12:10 p.m. EDT Saturday (The CW App)

The road course in Mexico City has been repaved and reconfigured since the Xfinity Series’ last visit, with drivers tackling a 15-turn, 2.42-mile layout. There are 39 drivers on the entry list, and they all will race because of an international provisional that added a spot for a 39th qualifier (who will be ineligible for prize money or points)

Hometown favorite Daniel Suarez, who won the 2016 Xfinity championship, will be driving the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in his first Xfinity start this season. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell (driving for Sam Hunt Racing) and Ty Gibbs (in the No. 19 of JGR) also will be moonlighting in the Xfinity race. Four of Gibbs’ 12 Xfinity Series victories have been on road courses.

The forecast looks pretty favorable, with temperatures in the mid-70s and the possibility of a shower or two.

In the Xfinity Series’ last race on May 31, Justin Allgaier took his third series win of the season in Nashville, Tennessee, while holding off a late surge from rookie teammate Connor Zilisch.

Allgaier took the lead with 47 laps to go on a daring three-wide move on the restart, passing Zilisch and Brandon Jones for the top spot.

Coca-Cola 600 champion Ross Chastain earned a top-5 for JR Motorsports, finishing fifth.

Allgaier holds a commanding lead in the series standings, with 583 points. Austin Hill is second with three wins, seven top-5 finishes and 491 points, and Sam Mayer sits third with seven top-5 finishes and 473 points.

Jesse Love (432) and Zilisch (395) are fourth and fifth.

Qualifying was originally scheduled for 10:35 a.m., but two aircraft issues grounded multiple race teams back in North Carolina on Thursday, delaying their arrival for the first race weekend featuring the Cup Series in Mexico City.

The major adjustment will be a delay for the Xfinity Series, which shifted from two Friday practices (a 50-minute session plus a 25-minute stint) to one 50-minute practice Saturday at 11:05 a.m. EDT. Qualifying, which will split the field into two groups, will begin Saturday at 12:10 p.m. EDT. That prep time comes before the Xfinity Series’ The Chilango 150 on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. EDT.

Chase Elliott had high praise for the job Amazon Prime Video has done in broadcasting the last handful of NASCAR Cup Series races, after getting a special livery and special treatment.

The current set of NASCAR races are being broadcast by Amazon Prime, as part of a five-race segment that started in Charlotte and ends at Pocono. As it stands, the sport will have its first international race in 25 years, with the Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico City set to begin Sunday, though Denny Hamlin will miss the race due to the birth of his son.

By and large, fans have appreciated Amazon’s broadcast of the races, lauding how the races look and feel in comparison to FOX Sports’ coverage. Part of what makes the races on Prime engaging is the talent the network has enlisted to break down the competition, which includes former stars Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

At one point, both Edwards and Elliott raced against one another and the Hendrick Motorsports star sang the former’s praises as a driver during his pre-race press conference in Mexico City. As Elliott was praising Edwards, the 29-year-old also gave the former star his flowers for the job he’s done as part of Amazon’s crew.

“He’s always been very professional,” Elliott began on Edwards. “He does good in front of the cameras, but he’s also a good guy away from that too. I’m not saying he’s not, but he is, I think, a good choice for Amazon.

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“They’re leaders in entertainment and technology, and I think that’s a perfect fit on a lot of levels. Seeing a fresh perspective on our sport is cool, and I’m happy to be a part of the effort and have their support.”

And while viewership among adults 55+ is down 40 percent as a result of NASCAR shifting to Amazon, its numbers among viewers between 18-34, 18-49, and 25-54 have all seen increases of one-third, 11 percent, and 21 percent, respectively. Still, fans saw the numbers as a win in the long term.

“This is a win for NASCAR. People will try to spin this as a negative, but in the long run, this is a win,” one fan wrote. Another added: “Massive win for NASCAR, the older generation will always complain but finally numbers moving in the right direction.”

NASCAR fans have grown accustomed to seeing speed, throttle and braking on broadcasts for years. There has been one measurement, though, that has eluded networks and viewers for years.

Until now.

Viewers of the Prime Video races have been able to see fuel usage with the introduction of the Burn Bar. Race teams have measured burn rates and fuel levels down to the last ounce for years, but the methodology has been kept secret due to competitive reasons.

Prime Video, though, developed an AI tool using car data available to broadcasters and teams that can measure miles per gallon. The Burn Bar made a brief appearance during Prime’s first broadcast of the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. It has been used more frequently the past two weeks and will again be deployed on Sunday during the race in Mexico City.

NASCAR on Prime analyst Steve Letarte, a former crew chief for Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., contributed to the development of the Burn Bar and sees it as the first step in taking race analysis to a new level.

“It’s the first true tool that is taking information off the car, making calculations and then displaying to the fan a calculation or measurement that is being used in the garage. And it does affect the team,” he said. “There’s not a sensor on the car giving us miles per gallon. It’s a mathematical calculation of other cars performances.”

The AI model analyzes thousands of performance data per second, including a range of in-car telemetry signals, RPMs, throttle and optical tracking of each car’s position. The model then evaluates each driver’s fuel consumption and efficiency throughout the race.

Letarte worked with Prime Video “Thursday Night Football Prime Vision” analyst Sam Schwartzstein during the process. They came up with four methodologies that were tested during the first part of the season, which was broadcast by Fox. Schwartzstein and Letarte would then get the data from teams after races to see how close they were until they picked one what worked the best.

The Burn Bar received its toughest test during last week’s race at Michigan as the final 48 laps were run without a caution flag. Most teams made their final pit stops with 50 laps to go, meaning teams were going to be down to the end of their fuel runs at the checkered flag.

“We projected William Byron to run out, which he did, and then we were on the razor’s edge for Denny Hamlin. And then watching the truck push him back into victory lane at the end, knowing he was as close as we thought he was. What a cool way to see this feature come to life and elevate NASCAR broadcasts,” Schwartzstein said.

Alex Strand, Prime Video’s senior coordinating producer for live sports, also sees the Burn Bar as the first tool of many that Amazon and Prime Video can develop for its coverage. Prime Video is in the first year of a seven-year agreement to carry five races per season.

“It’s really cool to live in a world where it shows us that anything is possible. We’re starting with something that we’re really excited about, but it’s setting us down a path that will open up new doors for us,” he said. “I think that’s what we’re really excited about is to say, ‘OK, we’ve had success in year one on a feature that’s resonated with fans right out of the gate.’ It raises the table for our offseason.”

After Sunday’s race in Mexico City, Prime Video’s coverage for this season wraps up with the race at Pocono on June 22.

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AP NASCAR: https://apnews.com/hub/nascar-racing

Photo credit: Porsche

Porsche customer team Manthey will run a special third entry at this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans to promote Brad Pitt’s upcoming film ‘F1 The Movie’. The No. 90 Porsche 911 GT3 R will carry the blue and white colours of Chip Hart Racing, the fictional outfit led by Pitt’s character in the Apple Original Films release due in cinemas on 25 June.

Manthey’s usual entries—the No. 85 Iron Dames car and the No. 92 Manthey 1st Phorm entry—will compete as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The livery swap for the No. 90 car brings the Hollywood storyline to France’s legendary endurance race. In the film, legendary driver Sonny Hayes (Pitt) returns to motorsport for one final shot at glory in a Porsche fielded by Chip Hart Racing. The production also captured real-race footage last year at Daytona with Wright Motorsports.

Photo credit: Porsche

Behind the wheel of the special livery car at Le Mans will be Antares Au from Hong Kong, Austria’s Klaus Bachler and Dutchman Loek Hartog. This trio earned their seat by claiming the Asian Le Mans Series title earlier this year. Their participation bridges cinema and sport, offering a taste of Hollywood drama on the 13.626-kilometre Circuit des 24 Heures.

With global audiences eager for both top-level racing and the film’s debut, Porsche and Apple Original Films have combined efforts to showcase the Chip Hart Racing brand at one of motorsport’s biggest stages. Fans will see the No. 90 car on the starting grid when the green flag drops for the 93rd running of the endurance classic.

NASCAR fans have grown accustomed to seeing speed, throttle and braking on broadcasts for years. There has been one measurement, though, that has eluded networks and viewers for years.

Until now.

Viewers of the Prime Video races have been able to see fuel usage with the introduction of the Burn Bar. Race teams have measured burn rates and fuel levels down to the last ounce for years, but the methodology has been kept secret for competitive reasons.

Prime Video, though, developed an AI tool using car data available to broadcasters and teams that can measure miles per gallon. The Burn Bar made a brief appearance during Prime’s first broadcast, the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25. It has been used more frequently the past two weeks and will be deployed again on Sunday during the race in Mexico City.

NASCAR on Prime analyst Steve Letarte, a former crew chief for Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., contributed to the development of the Burn Bar and sees it as the first step in taking race analysis to a new level.

“It’s the first true tool that is taking information off the car, making calculations and then displaying to the fan a calculation or measurement that is being used in the garage. And it does affect the team,” he said. “There’s not a sensor on the car giving us miles per gallon. It’s a mathematical calculation of other cars performances.”

The AI model analyzes thousands of performance data per second, including a range of in-car telemetry signals, RPMs, throttle and optical tracking of each car’s position. The model then evaluates each driver’s fuel consumption and efficiency throughout the race.

Letarte worked with Prime Video “Thursday Night Football Prime Vision” analyst Sam Schwartzstein and Amazon Web Services during the process. They came up with four methodologies that were tested during the first part of the season, which was broadcast by Fox. Schwartzstein and Letarte would then get the data from teams after races to see how close they were until they picked one that worked the best.

The Burn Bar received its toughest test during last week’s race at Michigan as the final 48 laps were run without a caution flag. Most teams made their final pit stops with 50 laps to go, meaning teams were going to be down to the end of their fuel runs at the checkered flag.

“We projected William Byron to run out, which he did, and then we were on the razor’s edge for Denny Hamlin. And then watching the truck push him back into victory lane at the end, knowing he was as close as we thought he was. What a cool way to see this feature come to life and elevate NASCAR broadcasts,” Schwartzstein said.

Alex Strand, Prime Video’s senior coordinating producer for live sports, also sees the Burn Bar as the first tool of many that Amazon and Prime Video can develop for its coverage. Prime Video is in the first year of a seven-year agreement to carry five races per season.

“It’s really cool to live in a world where it shows us that anything is possible. We’re starting with something that we’re really excited about, but it’s setting us down a path that will open up new doors for us,” he said. “I think that’s what we’re really excited about is to say, ‘OK, we’ve had success in Year 1 on a feature that’s resonated with fans right out of the gate.’ It raises the table for our offseason.”

After Sunday’s race in Mexico City, Prime Video’s coverage for this season wraps up with the race at Pocono on June 22.

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AP NASCAR: https://apnews.com/hub/nascar-racing

Joe Reedy, The Associated Press