The SCCA created a showroom stock class for amateur club racing in 1972. Following the success of endurance events including the 24-hour races at Nelson Ledges and Mid-Ohio, the SCCA formalised these into a manufacturer's championship in 1984. By 1985 it had become a six-race professional series, initially sponsored by Playboy magazine and subsequently by Escort radar detectors from 1986 to 1991.
In 1990, the series was officially named World Challenge and restructured to adopt rules similar to European Group A for homologated production cars. The higher-cost sports classes were dropped after 1996, leaving a simplified class structure that would remain broadly stable until 2010. Speed TV began sponsoring the series in 1999. With growing grids, the GT and Touring classes began racing separately from 2000 onwards.
From the 2011 season, Pirelli became the official tyre supplier and title sponsor, giving the series the Pirelli World Challenge name. The Italian tyre manufacturer replaced longtime partner Toyo Tires and introduced racing slicks — Pirelli P Zero — to the GT class for the first time, replacing the DOT competition tyres that had been used throughout much of the series' history.
In 2013, FIA GT3 specification cars were approved to compete in the GT class, marking a significant shift toward the international GT3 technical formula that would eventually define the championship. A GT-A classification for gentleman drivers was established in 2014, similar to the FIA's bronze driver category. In 2015, a GT Cup class was added featuring Porsche 991 Cup Cars within the overall GT class races.
The SprintX format was introduced in 2016, adding two-driver sprint races of 60 minutes' duration alongside the existing single-driver sprint format. The GTS class was expanded to include GT4 homologations through the series' partnership with SRO.
For 2017, the championship transferred its sanctioning body from the SCCA to the United States Auto Club (USAC).
On 25 May 2018, it was announced that Stéphane Ratel Organisation had become the majority shareholder of WC Vision LLC, the commercial rights holder of the Pirelli World Challenge. This brought the series into SRO's global GT network, which already operated the Blancpain GT Series in Europe and Asia. Following the acquisition, the series was rebranded as GT World Challenge America, while the European and Asian SRO championships became the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe and Asia respectively. The Pirelli World Challenge name was retired.
Under SRO management, GT World Challenge America runs exclusively for GT3-class cars across approximately eleven event weekends per season. Each event weekend features two 90-minute races, though a format change to a single three-hour race per weekend was confirmed for 2026. The series functions as the anchor championship of SRO Motorsports America weekends, with supporting championships including Pirelli GT4 America, GT America, Toyota GR Cup North America, TC America, and McLaren Trophy America also on the bill.
The series succeeded the Trans Am Series as the SCCA's premier competition through its SpeedVision television partnership, and has maintained a strong North American manufacturer-supported presence with GT3 entries from Porsche, Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Aston Martin, Ferrari, and Acura among others.
Speed TV broadcast the World Challenge from 1996. Versus (later NBC Sports Network) took over from 2010. CBS Sports Network became the television partner from 2015, broadcasting at least one race live per season, with Motor Trend On Demand carrying streaming coverage. The championship's visibility has grown substantially under SRO's management, benefiting from the organisation's international distribution infrastructure.