The Published Grid
SRO Motorsports Group published the provisional entry list for the DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour on 15 September 2026. The list carries 29 cars across nine manufacturers. Porsche holds 11 entries, Mercedes-AMG six, Ferrari and BMW three each, Chevrolet two, and Ford, Lamborghini, McLaren and Aston Martin one each.
Twenty-five of the 29 entries carry a United States nationality. The other four are entered from Canada, Denmark, Germany and San Marino. The list gives team, nationality and car. It carries no driver column, and the organiser states the driver combinations follow closer to the event.
SRO's news item calls the field a record provisional entry and states that 29 cars are confirmed. The same item says several more entries could yet materialise. A group planning against the grid has 29 as the published floor.
The Final Edition
SRO states that the race hosts the Intercontinental GT Challenge and GT World Challenge America championship showdowns for the final time. The item dates IMS's first race with the series to 2020 and places America's leg at Circuit of The Americas next season. Both championship titles are decided at Indianapolis.
The organiser dates the meeting 8 to 10 October. The venue dates its public weekend 9 to 11 October 2026 and sells three gate days. Confirm the day a group wants with Group Sales before the block goes out.
What The Venue Sells A Group
IMS group sales runs on a threshold of 20 tickets. The group page lists four benefits for new purchases of 20 or more: up to $40 savings on ticket options, a $5 retail discount at participating IMS Retail Shops, a personal group sales representative and special group block seating. The offer does not apply to tickets already bought.
Reservations run through 317-492-8100 or groupsales@brickyard.com. Suite enquiries go to sales@brickyard.com. Suites sit above Gasoline Alley. The published packages are $5,000 plus tax for 25 people and $7,500 plus tax for 50 people, or $200 and $150 a person. The access line on that page reads “gate hours, October 16-18” against a weekend dated 9 to 11 October.
The Payment Clock
Full payment is due no later than 30 days before the race. For the Saturday that date was 10 September 2026, and it has passed. A group may cancel tickets at any time until final payment is due. Once full payment arrives, the tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. There is no cost to reserve.
General admission admits children 15 and under free with a paid adult. Any person, regardless of age, needs a reserved seat ticket in the reserved seating areas.
Access Terms That Shape The Day
General admission includes garage access for all series. The paddock sits behind a separate product. A Paddock Plus pass costs $90 for three days, $50 for Saturday and $45 for each of Friday and Sunday. The pass does not include gate admission and it is not mailed. Collect it on site during the event weekend. The gate regulations repeat the rule: everyone, regardless of age, holds a Paddock Plus pass to enter the paddock.
The Car Collective sells as an upgraded option with paddock access included. It costs $145 for three days and $80 on a single day.
Saturday carries four autograph sessions on the venue schedule: the 8 Hour session at 9:30 a.m. and the Pirelli GT4 America, GT America and Toyota GR Cup sessions at 2:00 p.m. The organiser's provisional schedule adds two on the Friday, for McLaren Trophy America and TC America, both at 11:30 a.m.
The Rules A Group Packs Around
The gate regulations permit coolers no larger than 18 by 15 by 15 inches, food and drinks in non-glass containers, strollers, lawn chairs, personal cameras and umbrellas. They prohibit glass containers, oversize bags and luggage, drones and firearms. The page states there are no provisions for checking and holding prohibited items, and that items left unattended are removed and discarded.
Parking runs $10 a day or $25 for three days in Lot 2 on Georgetown Road, a grass lot across from Gate 6. The rules bar buses and box trucks even where a vehicle fits the 10 by 20 foot space. Rideshare and taxi drop-off and pick-up use Lot 3P, and bicycles park outside Gate 6. A group arriving by coach has no published on-site parking, and the group sales FAQ routes the parking question to a sales representative. Camping runs off site at the American Legion Post 500, at prices the venue lists as varying.
The venue publishes no attendance figure, no room block and no lodging rate for the weekend. Its event FAQ routes lodging to Visit Indy on 1-800-556-INDY.
Building The Outing
Hold the Saturday as the anchor day. It carries the eight-hour race from 12:30 p.m. and the four autograph sessions. Add the Friday for practice, qualifying and the 5:35 p.m. pole shootout. Confirm the paddock and parking needs before quoting a price, because both carry separate products and separate rules. Ask Group Sales for the payment and cancellation terms in writing. Test the 20-ticket threshold against the headcount, because children 15 and under enter general admission free.