IMSA drivers ponder where to draw the line on "good, hard racing"

After Road America, a threshold feels crossed

IMSA is celebrated for uncompromising, elbows-out competition — and its drivers relish the cut-and-thrust. But following the Road America weekend, there is a growing sense that the needle may have swung a touch too far. Conversations up and down the paddock centered on where to set the boundary between robust defending and over-aggression, and how to keep the show thrilling without inviting unnecessary risk.

For fans, the spectacle of multi-class traffic and late-race scraps is part of IMSA’s DNA. For drivers and teams, the debate now is about striking the balance: hard but fair, and sustainable across a long season.