By: Laurence Foster January 21, 2019 6:35 PM The 50th anniversary of IMSA isn’t just a chance to indulge in the past – but, wow, what an incredible past. It’s also a celebration of the exciting here and now in North American endurance sports car racing.When you talk of IMSA’s golden ages, the GTP era of the 1980s and early ’90s is a spectacular high water mark. More recently, the American Le Mans Series, with its mix of high-tech prototypes and relatable GTs tearing up the old script about sports car racing being a marathon, not a sprint, is right up there, too.But how about we also include the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship?

Pre-season hyperbole? Not a bit of it.When ALMS and Grand-Am announced their merger in the fall of 2012, with IMSA sanctioning the united championship for its ’13 debut, short-term pragmatism determined the structure and format of the various classes, but proved astute over the longer term. Retaining both series’ GT classes to provide a home for factories and privateers alike was a decision that continues to pay off in quality, quantity and variety. Meanwhile, the transition from Daytona Prototypes to the “P2 on steroids” machines of Daytona Prototype international (DPi) is a case study in how to provide manufacturers with a platform that can showcase a brand and tell a technology story, but without heading down an LMP1-style budgetary death spiral.Bottom line, we have a series that, front to back, supplies great racing from its heaving grid, and connects with fans on multiple levels.Connecting with a television audience was always something of a challenge for the IndyCar Series, thanks to its nomadic existence across multiple broadcast partners. Going all-in with the NBC Sports Group for 2019, with six races, including the 103rd Indianapolis 500, on network NBC and the rest on NBCSN, could be a huge booster. Add in newly-announced title sponsor NTT, and we’re definitely liking the momentum the series is building. Click here to purchase the new issue of RACER.