Aitken: “Surreal” To Keep Podium Streak Going With Second Win

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Jack Aitken said it “feels a bit surreal” to keep his and Action Express Racing’s streak going, after scoring the team’s second IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory in a row, and eighth consecutive podium finish in last weekend’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.

Aitken and co-drivers Earl Bamber and Fred Vetsti delivered a dominant performance in their No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R, which led all but 40 laps in the 182-lap contest.

Having started from pole, Aitken was quickly in control of the third leg of the Michelin Endurance Cup season, with their victory only slightly in question in the final 90 minutes with other GTP class cars on different strategies.

“The yellow sequence, the way it worked out, we had a couple of cars in front of us with a bit of an advantage, stopping just before the yellow came out,” explained Aitken.

“And we knew we had a bit of a fuel advantage, so it was just trying to stay close to them and keep saving fuel, see if we could get by if there were any opportunities.

“I think the next pit stop sequence the team played it pretty much perfectly, so we got out with a decent gap, and we were able to just manage it from there and kind of just make sure we’re taking care of the car and managing the traffic, which is always a bit — a lot of fun here but quite scary at times.

“The car was fantastic today. Another great performance from the Whelen Cadillac guys and my teammates who were at the front the whole race in some form or another.

“It’s a real pleasure, and it feels a bit surreal to keep the streak going, but it’s a testament to what’s been done and the talent of the people involved.”

For Aitken and Bamber, it was their fourth win in the last eight-race stretch, dating back to last year’s Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, followed by Motul Petit Le Mans, which catapulted the Briton into a runner-up finish in the 2025 points standings.

He now leads this year’s standings by 203 points over Laurin Heinrich with only three GTP rounds to go.

Aitken said he was able to settle into a rhythm on the final stint of the race, which was impacted by nine full-course cautions.

“I definitely was expecting it,” he said. “It was kind of then typical that it didn’t come, but I was happy for that. Obviously [I] managed to be able to build up a bit of a buffer.

“I think you just never know in IMSA racing. That’s the cool thing. You can say it’s going to be super predictable, then there’ll be another yellow coming, but then you’ve got a massive green run until right at the end when you can’t go green again.

“It was in the back of my mind, but I was just trying to run clean laps, keep the car in a nice place, keep the tires happy and all that good stuff and just wait watching the [competition].”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John