Robby Foley has grown especially fond of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over the years, and his bond with the Brickyard has only been strengthened with every visit. It is a place where he has won championships, conquered races, and accumulated memories that will last a lifetime.
Foley has already stood on the top step of the podium at the Indianapolis 8 Hour, and has 4 total class wins at the venue in SRO America competition. Now, as the event prepares to close its chapter at the legendary circuit, he has one more opportunity to add another to his tally.
Foley is coming into the 2026 DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour with Turner Motorsport and teammates Justin Rothberg and Connor De Phillippi, while simultaneously chasing what would be a third consecutive championship with Rothberg. After two straight Pro-Am titles, the pair made the jump to the Pro class this season and have remained firmly in the championship fight. Heading into the last eight hours of racing on the calendar, they are separated from the top of the standings by a mere 7 points.
For Foley, the prospect of another Indianapolis victory is enticing, but there is still a bigger picture.
“First of all, it's probably the most storied track in the world, and hosts the biggest race in the world,” Foley said. “And for us here in SRO America, it's been the marquee race for many years.”
The event has rewarded him handsomely. His success at IMS includes numerous wins in multiple classes, machinery, and series. He also knows that it is a track where both experience and patience can pay dividends, particularly in an eight-hour race where simply being fast is not enough to get the desired end result.
“We've always just tried to have an endurance mindset for this race,” Foley explained. “It's eight hours long. You need to be quick, but you also need to be smart and keep the car clean to be there at the end.”
He further stressed the importance of that outlook due to the technically demanding intricacies of the Indianapolis road course. With much of the lap made up of slower, 90-degree corners, setup becomes a balancing act between getting the car to rotate and preserving its rear tires on corner exit.
“It's a unique kind of track to set the car up for,” Foley elaborated. “We’ve got a lot of experience here, so hopefully we can use that this weekend. But you also have to be adaptable to the conditions. As we saw, the race last year was pretty entertaining with weather, but we didn't get to run the full duration. This place always keeps you on your toes.”
No matter whether it’s rain or shine, the Turner Motorsport drivers are setting out to put themselves in a familiar position to capitalize when the opportunity comes. The two have already won back-to-back Pro-Am championships together. This year, they took on an entirely different challenge by moving into the Pro class. Rather than setting lofty expectations at the beginning of the season, Foley said the approach was simply to focus on the process.
“Honestly, we try not to have expectations,” he shared. “We try to just do our best and focus on ourselves.”
Rothberg has made the transition to Pro competition while going up against some of the strongest Silver-rated drivers in the field, and Foley has had a front-row seat to his development.
“I would say we've probably exceeded expectations from others and so has Justin this year, making the jump up,” Foley said. “He's been really competitive with some really strong Silvers in the Pro class.
“When we started together, he had never done a pit stop, never done a driver change,” Foley recalled. “So we really started from zero basically. He's improved so much in such a short period of time. He's a great guy. We're good friends and have a great time racing, so it's kind of a dream scenario.”
They now have a chance to expand upon an extraordinary three-year run together. A championship at Indianapolis would give them three consecutive titles, despite this year's move into the more competitive Pro class.
“It's going to be tough, but three in a row would be awesome. If we can repeat our performance, we'll be in good shape.”
Adding to Turner's lineup will be Connor De Phillippi, another driver with a strong history at Indianapolis. He and Foley were supposed to contest the race together a few years ago, but circumstances played out differently when a teammate fell ill. The opportunity has now finally arrived.
Foley has known De Phillippi for years through BMW's racing program, and the two bring a familiarity that should help the trio settle quickly into the rhythm required for an eight-hour event, giving the Turner lineup another reason for optimism heading into the season finale.
The 2026 DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour will be the final running of the event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before the elongated round moves to Circuit of The Americas in 2027 for the Texas 8 Hour.
Foley has watched the event grow from its early years into an established international fixture, helped in large part by its place on the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar.
“I think this has been a great event, especially for the series,” Foley said. “You can see it has really grown over the years, with a lot of international interest from it also being an IGTC round, and it's always been a great end to the season.”
He is already looking ahead to the next chapter at COTA, a track he believes can provide the right setting for an endurance race of this scale. But before that chapter begins, there is still another page left to write in the history books at Indianapolis.
“Indy just being such a storied, historic place, it's been pretty fitting to have our biggest race here,” Foley stated. “I think everybody in this paddock has really enjoyed that. We'll try to close the chapter on a high note.”
To see Robby Foley, Justin Rothberg, and Turner Motorsport fight for their third consecutive GT World Challenge America championship, get your #Indy8H tickets now and join us trackside on October 10th.