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IMSA will move races to Road Atlanta, Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval

IMSA Roval Road Atlanta

CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 29: Fans watch the race near the chicane on the back stretch in the Bank of America Roval 400 on September 29, 2019 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord,NC.(Photo by Dannie Walls/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

IMSA modified its 2020 schedule Saturday, announcing new race dates at Road Atlanta and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

The six-hour WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race Sept. 6 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta will replace the previously scheduled event at Watkins Glen International. A four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge race will be held at the track Sept. 5.

The Roval will play host to the GTLM and GTD classes Oct. 9-10 (with practice Friday and a 100-minute race Saturday) ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series racing in the Bank of America Roval 400 on Oct. 11.

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The GTLM and GTD classes had been scheduled to race Sept. 12 at Lime Rock Park. Both Connecticut and New York have quarantine restrictions because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) that would have made the races at Watkins Glen and Lime Rock logistically impossible for IMSA and its teams.

In a statement, Watkins Glen said its IMSA races being moved were “a result of the ongoing pandemic and its impact on the state of New York.”

The Roval will mark the first time IMSA and NASCAR have shared a track on a race weekend in six years.

“When Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith first envisioned the Roval, part of that vision included bringing new series to the track in addition to our classic NASCAR Cup Series events,” Charlotte Motor Speedway executive vice president and general manager Greg Walter said in a release. “We look forward to working in partnership with IMSA to provide a unique perspective to race fans and a one-of-a-kind challenge to the drivers who will be tasked with tackling this technically innovative course.”

Here’s the release from IMSA:

IMSA today announced realignment to upcoming dates on its 2020 schedule, which includes shifting of the Labor Day Weekend six-hour race from Watkins Glen International to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, and the GT-only event from Lime Rock Park to the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.

Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta will host the six-hour IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race on Sunday, Sept. 6, with three other IMSA-sanctioned series that all were previously scheduled to compete at Watkins Glen also moving to Michelin Raceway that weekend. A four-hour IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race will be held on Saturday, Sept. 5, with doubleheader races for both the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama and Lamborghini Super Trofeo races also planned for the weekend.

The Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL will host the WeatherTech Championship GT Le Mans (GTLM) and GT Daytona (GTD) classes in a 100-minute race as part of the NASCAR event weekend, Oct. 9-10, at the facility. This event will replace the Lime Rock Park race previously scheduled for Sept. 11-12.

Michelin Pilot Challenge, which also was scheduled to race at Lime Rock Park, instead will have a doubleheader of two-hour races at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on the weekend of Sept. 25-27. The GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama will have three events per weekend at Mid-Ohio and the Motul Petit Le Mans weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Oct. 14-17.

IMSA continues to monitor state and local COVID-19 guidelines which may make additional schedule revisions appropriate in the coming weeks. Current Provisional IMSA schedules follow below.