Six three-hour rounds have been completed, and now the 2026 GT World Challenge America powered by AWS season comes down to one final event and the biggest points-paying race of the year.
The DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour will serve as the ultimate test for the championship contenders, with the season finale bringing together the GT World Challenge America field with the Intercontinental GT Challenge for an international showdown at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
With championship battles still unfolding and very few points separating the class frontrunners, there is no shortage of storylines heading into the Brickyard.
Pro Class
Mercedes-AMG Team JMF Motorsports has held the Pro championship lead throughout the 2026 season, but its advantage has tightened considerably heading into the finale.
Michai Stephens and Mikael Grenier enter Indianapolis with 114 points aboard their No. 34 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. After finishing runner-up in the championship last season, the duo will be looking to go one step further and claim the title.
Stephens and Grenier started the season in dominant fashion, winning the opening two rounds at Sonoma Raceway and Circuit of The Americas. A mechanical issue at Sebring International Raceway interrupted their run, however, as the duo missed the podium for the first time of the season.
Meanwhile, AF Corse USA has emerged as a major threat in the championship fight. Matias Perez Companc enters the finale with 105 points after a strong second half of the season that included three consecutive pole positions at Road Atlanta, Road America and Barber Motorsports Park. AF Corse converted those poles into victories at Road Atlanta and Barber, while also adding podium finishes at Sonoma and Sebring.
Perez Companc's teammate Frederik Schandorff sits on 95 points after missing the Road America round due to a scheduling conflict.
Just one point behind Perez Companc in the overall standings is Turner Motorsport's Justin Rothberg, with teammate Robby Foley on 104 points. The pair are no strangers to championship success, having claimed back-to-back Pro-Am titles before making the move into the Pro class this season.
Rothberg and Foley scored their first Pro victory at Sebring and followed it with another at Road America. Their other podium came at Circuit of The Americas, where they finished second.
With the championship lead and the chasing pack separated by relatively small margins, the Indy 8 Hour could dramatically reshape the Pro standings before the final checkered flag.
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Pro-Am Class
The Pro-Am championship is another battle that has repeatedly changed direction throughout the season. GMG Racing's Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent held the championship lead for much of the year in their No. 32 Porsche, but a crash and early retirement at Road America opened the door for Wright Motorsports' Dave Musial Jr. and Ryan Yardley to take over the top spot.
GMG Racing responded at Barber Motorsports Park, scoring a third place podium finish that allowed Washington and Sargent to reclaim the championship lead heading into the finale.
The GMG pairing currently sits on 92 points, built on two victories at Sonoma and Sebring along with podium finishes at Road Atlanta and Barber.
Wright Motorsports' No. 31 Porsche entry follows closely with 86 points. Musial Jr. and Yardley have one victory to their credit at Circuit of The Americas, along with podium finishes at Sonoma and Road America.
With six points separating the two entries, the Pro-Am championship is poised for a decisive showdown at Indianapolis.
Am Class
Jay Schreibman enters the final round with a substantial advantage in the Am championship. The AF Corse USA driver has accumulated 143 points throughout the season and is positioned to secure the title at Indianapolis.
His teammate Oswaldo Negri sits second with 100 points after missing the Road Atlanta and Road America rounds due to injury.
The remainder of the Am field has consisted primarily of partial-season efforts, leaving Schreibman with a significant advantage heading into the double-points finale.
While the championship picture is more settled than in the other classes, the Indianapolis 8 Hour will still provide one final opportunity for the Am competitors to add to their 2026 campaigns.
All Roads Lead to Indy
After six rounds of three-hour competition, every championship battle now leads to the Brickyard. The DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour will put the GT World Challenge America field through its most demanding test of the season as an international field of championship contenders go head-to-head.
Everything comes down to Indy. Get your #Indy8H tickets now and join us October 8-10, 2026, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the championship-deciding finale.