Tyler Maxson returned to the top of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America leaderboard on Thursday, pacing the series’ first practice at the Miami Formula One Grand Prix at Hard Rock Stadium.
Maxson holds the Mobil Pro Class championship lead going into Round 3, mostly thanks to sweeping the opening round at Sebring International Raceway in March – just a short distance away from this weekend’s 3.363-mile street circuit wrapped around the famous home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
The TOPP Racing driver finished just off the podium during Carrera Cup’s most recent visit to the Long Beach Street Course two weeks ago in Southern California. However, Maxson still is five points ahead of Aaron Jeansonne (Kellymoss) in the point standings, who ran second quickest on Thursday.
“The team did a lot of work over the weekend, and I think we learned a lot in Long Beach, which was obviously really good and we put that to work here,” said Maxson, whose fastest time came at one minute, 57.716 seconds. “All the efforts from them and at the shop getting this car fast, we have a really fast car, I think. I’m really excited for the weekend ahead. I think we have a strong platform to build from.
“Any mileage we get on this new car [Porsche 911 Cup (Type 992.2)] is more data, more information for us. We’re building on it every weekend. We think we had a really strong package at Sebring, we tried some different stuff for Long Beach, and I think we have the best of both worlds here in Miami. I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made with the team so far.”
Behind Maxson and Jeansonne on Thursday’s time charts was Jared Thomas (JTR Motorsports Engineering).
“A lot of video, a lot of sim, studying the races we’ve had and last year’s races,” said Thomas, seeking his second podium finish of the season. “A combination of all that and I feel it prepared me pretty well.
“Practice 1 always leads to a good Practice 2 as long as you make the right adjustments. I feel like we’re going to make the right adjustments here and be good in Practice 2.”
In the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class, Patrick Mulcahy continues his reign with ACI Motorsports. Mulcahy – the undisputed class championship leader following two weekend sweeps thus far in 2026 – finished ninth on the overall practice charts on Thursday at Miami with a time of 1:59.186. Josh Conley (Kellymoss) followed in second place.
Canadian driver Marco Cirone topped Thursday’s times in the Solairus Aviation Masters Class at 2:00.065. Cirone and his ACI Motorsports team seek a fourth Porsche Carrera Cup victory in 2026, but have 2025 Masters Chapmpion Scott Blind hot on their heels.
Blind was only .026 off his competitor’s quickest lap on Thursday.
“This weekend, we’re going to make a few changes,” said Blind. “We’re going to be ready for the second session. We’re going to try a few things, but when we get to qualifying, we’re going to be ready.
“We’re going to push, Marco is fast… I think Marco has more laps around this track than anybody in a Cup car. We’re going to get him, we’re going to make a few changes to the front end and we’ll be there.”
The Miami GP for Carrera Cup continues Friday with Practice 2 at 3:25pm ET and qualifying later in the day at 7:10pm. Race 1 is set for Saturday at 2:50pm followed by Race 2 on Sunday at 11:10am.
All Porsche Carrera Cup North America races stream live – and are available to watch anytime – on the Porsche Motorsport North America YouTube channel. Stay up-to-date on all the latest news by following Porsche Motorsport North America on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, and Twitter, and by subscribing to the newsletter.
RESULTS.
Practice 1
Mobil Pro Class:
- Tyler Maxson #77
- Aaron Jeansonne #24
- Jared Thomas #96
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Patrick Mulcahy #54
- Josh Conley #29
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Marco Cirone #88
- Scott Blind #45
- Chris Bellomo #68
