IMSA names six drivers, four cars to 2026 Hall of Fame class
IMSA has unveiled a 10-member class for its 2026 Hall of Fame, headlined by six drivers and four race cars spanning five decades of North American sports car competition.
The driver inductees are Bill Auberlen, Butch Leitzinger, Brian Redman, Roger Mandeville, Lyn St. James and Hans-Joachim Stuck. They are joined by the Audi 90 quattro GTO, Riley Daytona Prototype, Greenwood Corvette and Mazda RX-3.
Auberlen, the driver with the most wins in IMSA championship-level history, has amassed 65 class wins from more than 450 starts, three IMSA titles, and remains active in 2026 in Pilot Challenge. Leitzinger, a four-time champion, claimed 50 race wins across a career that spanned nearly three decades.
Mandeville’s resume stretches back to IMSA’s earliest days, including a class win in the first IMSA GT race at VIR in 1971, while Redman added 12 class victories and the 1981 IMSA GTX title to a decorated international career that also includes two wins at the Rolex 24 and Sebring 12 Hours.
St. James broke new ground as the first woman to win an IMSA race solo (at Watkins Glen), won her class twice in the Daytona 24 and later became the first woman to earn Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year honours. Stuck’s global success included multiple victories at Daytona and Sebring, triumphs at Le Mans and the Nürburgring, and a World Sportscar Championship title in 1985.
Among the cars, the Audi 90 quattro GTO made a lasting mark despite a single partial season in 1989, winning seven races and claiming 16 podiums, while the Riley Daytona Prototype became a cornerstone of GRAND-AM and IMSA competition between 2004 and 2016 with nearly 100 wins.
The C3-bodied Greenwood Corvettes were icons of IMSA’s early era, earning multiple victories and notoriety for their speed, while the Mazda RX-3 built its legacy through success in the IMSA RS series, including four consecutive manufacturers’ titles and drivers' honours with Roger Mandeville (1979), Jim Downing (1981) and Chuck Ulinski (1982).
“Every year, the IMSA Hall of Fame gives us a chance to pause and reflect on the people and the machines that shaped who we are,” said IMSA president John Doonan. “But this 2026 class reaches straight to the heart. These drivers didn’t just win races; they inspired generations. These cars didn’t just break records; they changed the way we felt about what was possible in our sport.
“Each inductee represents a moment when someone pushed a little harder, dreamed a little bigger, and left a mark that will outlast all of us. Their stories are woven into IMSA’s history, and honouring them reminds us why we all fell in love with this sport in the first place. It’s a privilege to celebrate their impact and to carry their legacy forward.”
The 2026 intake is the fourth since the Hall of Fame was launched in 2023. Inductees are chosen by a nomination committee composed of past and present IMSA executives and members, along with a rotating group of media representatives.
The class will be formally enshrined during IMSA’s end-of-season Night of Champions following Petit Le Mans in October.
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