TireRack.com Battle on The Bricks 2026

The 2026 TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway delivered another outstanding performance from Action Express Racing, with the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R finishing second overall after leading deep into the closing stages of the race.

Returning to Indianapolis as the defending winners, Jack Aitken and Earl Bamber arrived with the No. 31 leading the GTP championship and looking to build on an exceptionally consistent 2026 campaign. This year’s Battle on the Bricks adopted a shorter two-hour, 40-minute format, placing even greater emphasis on outright pace, track position and flawless execution.

Throughout the race, the Action Express Racing crew kept the Cadillac firmly in contention. Following the final round of pit stops and a restart with 48 minutes remaining, Bamber emerged at the head of the GTP field and began an intense battle with the No. 24 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Sheldon van der Linde. As the pair negotiated heavy GT traffic, the gap repeatedly compressed to just fractions of a second.

Bamber defended strongly under sustained pressure, balancing the opportunity for another Indianapolis victory against the importance of protecting the team’s championship position. With less than six minutes remaining, van der Linde used traffic to make his move, passing the Cadillac as the leaders worked their way through a GTD PRO battle.

The No. 31 crossed the famous Yard of Bricks second overall, just 2.926 seconds behind the winner, securing another significant haul of championship points after 112 laps of competition.

Although narrowly denied consecutive Indianapolis victories, the performance demonstrated once again the consistency and competitiveness that have defined Action Express Racing’s season. The Cadillac possessed the speed to lead and challenge for victory, the crew executed under pressure, and the drivers maximized the opportunity without compromising the larger championship objective.

Most importantly, the runner-up finish sent the No. 31 into the season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans with Jack Aitken holding a 147-point advantage in the GTP Drivers’ Championship. After winning at Indianapolis in 2025, returning twelve months later as championship leaders and fighting for victory until the closing minutes represented another impressive chapter in the No. 31 program’s remarkable run of form.