Updated

Updated · Sportscar365 · Jun 28

Action Express Cadillac Wins 6 Hours of The Glen as Final-Lap Crash Ends Race Under Yellow

Updated

Updated · Sportscar365 · Jun 28

Action Express Cadillac Wins 6 Hours of The Glen as Final-Lap Crash Ends Race Under Yellow

Q: With a record lap and strategic win, is Jack Aitken's team becoming unbeatable this IMSA season?

No. Action Express Racing’s No. 31 Cadillac is the form team in IMSA right now, but not an unbeatable one. The evidence for their rise is strong. Jack Aitken put the car on pole at Watkins Glen with a record GTP lap of 1:31.284, and the team converted that into victory with a sharp late-race call to take only left-side tires. That decision helped Jake Aitken jump the No. 93 Acura and control the closing stint. It was the No. 31 crew’s second straight win after Detroit, and they have now built a significant points advantage in GTP. Their consistency is just as notable: they have been on a long podium streak stretching back into 2025. But Watkins Glen also showed why “unbeatable” is too strong. The win depended on strategy, execution and race circumstances, including cautions, rather than outright domination alone. Earl Bamber described the fight as tight, and the race itself was chaotic. More importantly, this car has already been beaten this season. At Laguna Seca, JDC-Miller’s No. 5 Porsche took victory after a late pass, proving the No. 31 can be challenged and overtaken. The broader championship picture also argues against calling them untouchable. Porsche Penske and JDC-Miller remain credible threats, while Acura still had the pace to pressure the Cadillac at Watkins Glen before strategy swung the race. What Action Express has become is the benchmark: fast over one lap, disciplined in the pits, and highly reliable under pressure. That makes them favorites, not unbeatable.

Q: Was Cadillac's two-tire gamble a masterstroke that has reshaped the GTP championship battle?

Yes. Cadillac’s left-side-only tire call at Watkins Glen was a decisive strategic win and it materially strengthened the No. 31 car’s position in the GTP title fight. The key fact is that Action Express made the shorter final stop with 52 minutes left, taking only two tires while the No. 93 Acura took four. That track-position gain put Jake Aitken ahead at the most important moment of the race, and he then had enough pace to pull clear rather than merely defend. In an event repeatedly interrupted by cautions, that was the difference between fighting in traffic and controlling the race. Its championship impact is real. The No. 31 Cadillac was already near the top of the standings entering Watkins Glen, and this victory was its second straight IMSA win of 2026. The result extended Aitken and the team’s GTP points lead, while key rivals did not maximize their day. That means the gamble did more than win one race; it increased Cadillac’s margin and momentum in a season where execution has become as important as outright speed. Still, “reshaped” should be understood in proportion. One race does not settle the championship, and Porsche, Acura and JDC-Miller’s Porsche remain firmly in contention. But at a major endurance round, Cadillac converted pole speed, pit-lane decisiveness and race management into maximum points. That makes the two-tire call a genuine masterstroke and one of the most important strategic moments in the GTP season so far.

Q: After 836 winless days, what was the secret behind Vasser Sullivan's triumphant return to victory?

The key to Vasser Sullivan’s first GTD Pro win in 836 days was strategy: the No. 14 Lexus team pitted early and refused to gamble on a late caution. That call, made to cover the cars behind, was the decisive difference at Watkins Glen. Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat had the pace from the start after taking pole, but the race turned on the pit wall’s decision to stop early rather than stretch fuel and hope for yellow. With the final 1 hour and 13 minutes effectively running caution-free until the last-lap crash, rivals who bet on a late neutralization were caught out. The team also benefited from lessons learned in earlier races, notably a previous loss tied to late-race fuel strategy. This time, Vasser Sullivan chose the safer, more controlled option and executed it cleanly. As competitors either had to pit late, fell back on fuel numbers, or lost ground through penalties, the Lexus stayed in command. Hawksworth and Barnicoat then did the rest by controlling the race from the front, managing traffic and avoiding the mistakes that hit others in an incident-heavy event. Their pole speed, disciplined execution, and a pit strategy that matched the race’s caution-free closing stretch ended the 25-race drought.

3 articles · Updated · Sportscar365 · Jun 28

Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Fred Vesti won Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in the No. 31 Cadillac, giving Action Express Racing and Cadillac back-to-back IMSA wins.
Aitken retook control through strategy—a left-side-only tire change with 52 minutes left jumped Nick Yelloly’s No. 93 Acura—and then built a lead of more than 4 seconds before the race-ending caution.
A massive final-lap crash by Christopher Mies brought out the yellow, while Laurin Heinrich charged from seventh on the last pit cycle to finish third in the No. 5 JDC-Miller Porsche.
No. 99 AO Racing won LMP2 for its first victory of the season, Vasser Sullivan’s No. 14 Lexus ended an 836-day GTD Pro drought, and Manthey’s No. 912 Porsche took GTD.
Nine cars retired in an incident-filled race that also eliminated two GTP entries in the opening hour and featured another major GTD pileup in the Esses.