Cadillac’s No. 31 Turns Seven Podiums Into the 2026 IMSA GTP Title

Published October 12, 2026

The No. 31 Cadillac Whelen team and drivers celebrate the 2026 IMSA GTP championship. Photo: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen Digital Agency, via IMSA.

Cadillac’s 2026 IMSA Grand Touring Prototype season was defined less by one dominant weekend than by repeated finishes at the front. A new season review published by IMSA on October 12 shows how the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R recorded seven podiums in nine starts, giving Jack Aitken the driver championship while Action Express Racing and Cadillac took the team and manufacturer titles.

The recap follows the October 3 Petit Le Mans finale, so it is an official season analysis rather than a new race result. Chiefs Review did not attend or test the Cadillac V-Series.R.

Two wins supported a long podium streak

The updated V-Series.R arrived for 2026 with aerodynamic changes that included a lower rear-wing mounting. After finishing second at Daytona and third at Sebring, the No. 31 scored back-to-back victories on Cadillac’s home streets in Detroit and at Watkins Glen.

Aitken’s points lead grew to 203 after Watkins Glen, where he shared the car with Earl Bamber and endurance driver Frederik Vesti. IMSA says the result extended the No. 31’s GTP-era record to eight consecutive podiums.

Cadillac’s own technical review credits the season’s aerodynamic and braking updates, along with a broader “One Team” approach connecting its Action Express, Wayne Taylor Racing and World Endurance Championship programs. That is the manufacturer’s explanation, but the results support the larger point: the title was built on repeatable pace and reliability across different circuits.

Laurin Heinrich kept the pressure on

Porsche driver Laurin Heinrich emerged as Aitken’s strongest challenger. Driving the privateer No. 5 JDC-Miller Porsche 963 at Laguna Seca, Heinrich won with Tijmen van der Helm and moved into the points lead. Porsche later adjusted its lineups to support his championship run in the factory cars.

The fight tightened after contact between Aitken and Kevin Estre at Road America. Heinrich finished second there and moved within 118 points. But at Indianapolis, Aitken added qualifying points and finished second while Heinrich was third, creating a 147-point cushion before the finale.

The title was secured before the final green flag

Aitken added four more points in Petit Le Mans qualifying. That left him needing only to start the race to clinch the driver championship. The No. 31 eventually finished seventh, while the No. 7 Porsche finished eighth after Felipe Nasr crashed late in the race. Aitken ended the season 161 points ahead of Heinrich.

Cadillac also secured its fifth top-class IMSA manufacturer championship. Action Express Racing earned its seventh team championship, including four with Cadillac. The No. 31’s two victories mattered, but five additional podiums were the real foundation of the season.

For more endurance-racing coverage, read about Porsche’s Petit Le Mans victory and Corvette Racing’s 2027 GTD PRO lineup.

Sources and image credit

Primary sources: IMSA’s October 12, 2026 GTP season review and Cadillac Racing’s October 8 technical review. Featured image: the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen team and drivers celebrating the 2026 championship in victory lane. Photo: Brandon Badraoui / Lumen Digital Agency, via IMSA; image source.