Then International Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) president Scott Atherton confirmed the race was part of the schedule for the 2020 IMSA SportsCar Championship (IMSA SCC) in August 2019.[2] It was the seventh consecutive year it was part of the IMSA SCC, and the 23rd Petit Le Mans. The 2020 Petit Le Mans was the ninth of eleven sports car races of 2020 by IMSA, and the third of four races of the Michelin Endurance Cup (MEC).[3] The race took place at the 12-turn, 2.540-mile (4.088 km) Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. The event was one of the first postponed by IMSA as a result of the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, with the organization citing CDC regulations on public gatherings as the official cause of postponement.[4] The race was rescheduled from running on October 10, 2020, to October 17, 2020.[5] Due to the 12 Hours of Sebring getting postponed, Petit Le Mans would not be the season finale for the first time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.[6][7]
There were three practice sessions preceding the start of the race on Saturday, all three one on Thursday. The first session on Thursday morning lasted one hour. The second session on Thursday afternoon lasted 75 minutes. The final session on Thursday evening lasted 90 minutes.[19]
Friday's afternoon qualifying was broken into three sessions, with one session for the DPi and LMP2, GTLM, and GTD classes, which lasted for 15 minutes each, and a ten minute interval between the sessions.[19] The rules dictated that all teams nominated a driver to qualify their cars, with the Pro-Am (LMP2/GTD) classes requiring a Bronze/Silver Rated Driver to qualify the car. The competitors' fastest lap times determined the starting order. IMSA then arranged the grid to put DPis ahead of the LMP2, GTLM, and GTD cars.[36]
The first session was for cars in GTD class. Shinya Michimi qualified on pole for the class driving the No. 86 car for Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian, besting Jeff Westphal in the Scuderia Corsa entry.[37]
The final session of qualifying was for cars in the LMP2 and DPi classes. Dane Cameron secured overall pole for the event driving the No. 6 car for Acura Team Penske, beating teammate Ricky Taylor in the sister No. 7 Acura Team Penske entry by less than one-tenth of a second.[39] Patrick Kelly took pole in LMP2, beating Rob Hodes in the Inter Europol Competition entry.[40]
Qualifying results
Pole positions in each class are indicated in bold and by ‡.
1 The No. 8 Tower Motorsports by Starworks entry was moved to the back of the LMP2 field as per Article 40.1.4 of the Sporting regulations (Change of starting tires).[36]
2 The No. 23 Heart of Racing Team entry was moved to the back of the GTD field as per Article 40.1.4 of the Sporting regulations (Change of starting tires).[36]
Race
Post-race
Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor advanced from third to second in the DPi Drivers' Championship. Derani dropped from second to third while Bourdais moved from fifth to fourth.[43] The result kept Kelly atop the LMP2 Drivers' Championship. Braun advanced from eleventh to fifth.[43] The result kept Antonio García and Jordan Taylor atop the GTLM Drivers' Championship while Edwards and Krohn advanced from fourth to third.[43] By finishing second place, Telitz took the lead of the GTD Drivers' Championship. Farnbacher and McMurry dropped from first to fourth while Hawksworth advanced from fourth to second.[43] Cadillac, Chevrolet, and Lexus continued to top their respective Manufacturers' Championships while Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R, PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, and Corvette Racing kept their respective advantages in the their respective of Teams' Championships.[43] AIM Vasser Sullivan took the lead of the GTD Teams' Championship with two rounds remaining in the season.[43]
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