What Is the Monterey Historics 2026?
Monterey Historics 2026, officially the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, is the marquee vintage racing event of Monterey Car Week 2026, held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Every August, this historic car race brings together hundreds of period-correct race cars for wheel-to-wheel competition on one of America’s most iconic road courses, kicking off ten days of concours, auctions, and collector car events across the Monterey Peninsula.
This year’s Monterey Historics carries added significance: the event celebrates 50 years of historic racing at Laguna Seca and returns after being named “Motorsport Event of the Year” at the 2025 International Historic Motoring Awards. The 2026 theme, “Salute to Japanese Motorsports: A Tradition of Precision & Heritage,” headlines the vintage racing calendar with rare JDM race cars alongside the event’s usual sprawling grid of historic machinery.
Monterey Historics 2026 Dates
Monterey Car Week 2026 runs Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 16, 2026, spanning ten days across Monterey, Carmel, and Pebble Beach. The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion itself unfolds in two phases at Laguna Seca:
- Monterey Pre-Reunion & Corkscrew Hillclimb: August 8-9, 2026 – warm-up sessions and hillclimb runs ahead of the main event
- Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion: August 12-15, 2026 – the four-day vintage racing festival at Laguna Seca
Featured Vintage Race Car Categories
The Monterey Historics 2026 grid fields more than 400 authentic race and sports cars across roughly 13 run groups, covering nearly every era of motorsport history. Key categories and featured marques include:
- Japanese Motorsports Class (2026 featured theme): Mazda’s 1991 Le Mans-winning 787B, the 1967 Cosmo Sport, the 767B, 787-002, RX-7 GTO, and RX-792p prototypes, with drivers Yojiro Terada and Tommy Kendall on hand
- Hurley Haywood GTP/Group C Run Group: Marking the 45th anniversary of IMSA Grand Touring Prototype racing with prototypes from Nissan, Porsche, Jaguar, Ford, Toyota, Mazda, and BMW
- Del Monte Trophy Pebble Beach Road Racers: A record 40-car field celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Pebble Beach Road Races
- Revived IROC Category: NASCAR and IndyCar legends Jimmie Johnson and Dario Franchitti return to race historic International Race of Champions cars
- Pre-war, Trans-Am, Can-Am, and Formula 5000 groups: Additional period run groups spanning nearly every decade of Laguna Seca competition
Why the 2026 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion Matters
For the first time, the Bonhams Monterey Car Week auction moves to Laguna Seca, integrating directly into the historic racing festival under a new multi-year partnership rather than being held at The Quail. This shift reflects the Reunion’s growing prominence since Friends of Laguna Seca assumed track operations in early 2024, reinforcing the Monterey Historics as the essential motorsport anchor of Monterey Car Week 2026 for collectors, vintage racers, and automotive heritage fans.
Monterey Historics 2026 FAQ
When is the Monterey Historics 2026?
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion runs August 12-15, 2026, preceded by the Pre-Reunion and Corkscrew Hillclimb on August 8-9, 2026, all within the broader Monterey Car Week 2026 dates of August 7-16.
Where does the Monterey Historics take place?
All Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion racing happens at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California, on the Monterey Peninsula.
What is the featured theme for 2026?
The 2026 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion salutes Japanese motorsports heritage, featuring Mazda’s Le Mans-winning 787B and other JDM racing icons.
How many cars race in the Monterey Historics?
More than 400 historic race and sports cars compete across roughly 13 run groups during the four-day Reunion.