On 24 August 2021, Cadillac announced its intent to compete in IMSA's new GTP class and join the FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar field in 2023 using an LMDh-compliant design. Dallara was confirmed as the chassis supplier on the same day, with Action Express Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing named as the IMSA campaign teams, and Chip Ganassi Racing also committed to contest the FIA WEC.
Cadillac released renders of the car in June 2022 along with powertrain details. The hybrid drivetrain combines the naturally aspirated V8 with standardised hybrid components supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering, Bosch, and Xtrac. A first shakedown was completed in July 2022, followed by testing at Sebring International Raceway and Road Atlanta accumulating nearly 19,300 kilometres of pre-season mileage. By October 2022, both teams were coordinating to prepare three cars for the season-opening Daytona event.
Cadillac entered three cars for 2023: Chip Ganassi Racing ran the yellow number 01 and blue number 02 V-Series.Rs as the factory Cadillac Racing entry, while Action Express Racing ran the red number 31 as Whelen Engineering Racing. The number 2 car also competed full-time in the FIA WEC.
The V-Series.R's global debut at the 2023 24 Hours of Daytona saw Cadillac competitive in the early stages alongside Acura, BMW, and Porsche, all debuting under the new LMDh/Hypercar rules. Cadillac led for extended periods but fell to third overall at the finish as Acura's ARX-06 proved stronger late in the race.
The car's first victory in any series came at the 2023 12 Hours of Sebring with Action Express Racing, overcoming an early contact incident with an LMP3 car. In the same weekend's WEC round, the number 2 V-Series.R finished fourth overall. Cadillac's Le Mans return in 2023 — their first since the 2002 Northstar LMP programme — produced a third-place finish for the number 2 car, one lap behind the Ferrari and Toyota ahead.
Additional IMSA victories at the 2023 Motul Course de Monterey and podiums at the Six Hours of The Glen and Petit Le Mans ultimately secured all three IMSA championship titles for Cadillac, with Action Express Racing clinching the Teams' and Manufacturers' crowns at Petit Le Mans after a season-long battle with Acura and its partner teams.
Action Express Racing qualified on pole position at the 2024 24 Hours of Daytona with Pipo Derani setting a track record lap. The number 31 ran near the front throughout and contested the overall victory in the final hour but finished second, 2.112 seconds behind the race-winning Porsche 963. In the WEC, Cadillac's 2024 campaign was disrupted by a disqualification, a low finish, and a high-speed crash in the first three rounds. Over the full IMSA season, Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express Racing combined for eight podiums, two wins, four pole positions, and two fastest laps, though neither retained the championship.
Chip Ganassi Racing departed Cadillac's programme ahead of 2025. Wayne Taylor Racing took over the IMSA factory operations while Jota Sport assumed the WEC entry. At the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, Jota's V-Series.Rs claimed a front-row lockout in Hyperpole qualifying, with Alex Lynn on pole — Cadillac's first ever Le Mans pole position. Lynn's number 12 car went on to win the 2025 6 Hours of Sao Paulo, and Jota secured a 1-2 finish for Cadillac, marking Cadillac's first victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The Cadillac V-Series.R arrived as one of the most competitive LMDh entries in a new regulatory era that simultaneously attracted Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, and Acura. Its triple championship sweep in the 2023 IMSA season in its debut year, combined with consistent podium appearances in the FIA WEC and its ultimate maiden WEC victory in 2025, established the car as a major force in top-tier sports car racing during the LMDh/Hypercar convergence period.