In the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup North America season finale, Riley Dickinson was first out of the gate over championship rival Ryan Yardley, as the Texan local star topped the final practice of the year.

As the Porsche Carrera Cup North America finale unfolds at Circuit of The Americas during the Formula One United States Grand Prix, only two points divide Dickinson and Yardley in the fight for the ExxonMobil Pro class crown.

Dickinson ran fastest in Friday’s lone session with a time of two minutes, 8.225 seconds around the Austin, Texas circuit – which is located less than an hour from his hometown of New Braunfels. But as they are in the point standings, Yardley was right on Dickinson’s heels in second place, just .176 seconds from the lead himself. Tyler Maxson, Yardley’s Topp Racing teammate, finished third.

“Racing on my home track really doesn’t provide any added momentum,” said Dickinson.

“At the end of the day, it’s just another track, coincidentally, just 45 minutes down the road which is nice. I can sleep in my own bed. But no, it’s just another track. 

“I love it here, and the fans are already showing out in force this weekend. It’s cool to see everyone up so far on Turn 1. It’ll be a good weekend for everybody.

“At the end of the day, we just have to focus forward and work on hitting every lap that we can, every apex that we can. Like I said in (the last round at) Road Atlanta, the results are going to be what they’re going to be. Just focus on ourselves and see what we can do.”

This week Porsche Carrera Cup North America heads to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas for the eighth and final round of the 2025 season with championships hanging in the balance. The 26-car entry list includes 16 ExxonMobil Pro class, five Solairus Aviation Pro-Am, and five Solairus Aviation Masters class competitors. The event is part of the Formula One World Championship US Grand Prix weekend.

Both the Pro and Pro-Am titles are up in the air in Austin, while Scott Blind of Ruckus Racing has clinched the Masters class title.

In the ExxonMobil Pro class, just two points separate leader Riley Dickinson (Kellymoss) from Topp Racing’s Ryan Yardley. Yardley had wrestled the lead from Dickinson leaving Indianapolis, but Dickinson won race two at Road Atlanta in Round Seven and is back on top.

Dickinson, the 2023 champion, has earned his top spot in the Driver championship on the strength of a series-high five wins. Yardley has just one win, but podium finishes in 12 of 14 races – including eight second-place finishes. Zachary Vanier of JDX Racing trails Dickinson by 44 points, meaning he is mathematically eligible for the championship with 56 points up for grabs at COTA.

Yardley and teammate Tyler Maxson have boosted Topp Racing to the front of the Entrant standings with one to go. Maxson owns two wins of his own, and Topp Racing is nine points in front of Kellymoss. Kellymoss has gotten support from Dickinson and his rookie teammate Aaron Jeansonne, who has come on strong late in the season with his first win at Indianapolis and a pair of runner-up finishes at Road Atlanta.

Jeansonne and Maxson are battling amongst themselves for a highly competitive Rookie of the Year title, with Jeansonne up by 11 points.

JP Martinez of ACI Racing has led the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class for the entire season, but Kellymoss driver Alan Metni is still in the hunt. With six wins, Martinez holds a 19-point advantage in the title search. Metni managed to narrow the gap by 19 points with his performance at Road Atlanta, but would have to repeat that effort in Austin for a chance at the crown.

The Round Eight finale begins with a 30-minute practice on the afternoon of Friday, October 17, followed by qualifying on Saturday morning at 9:45 a.m. CT. The pair of 40-minute races run at 2:40 p.m. on Saturday, October 18 and at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 19.

Riley Dickinson made a resounding comeback in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America championship by winning Race 2 at Road Atlanta to conclude the weekend.

After being demoted to second place in the ExxonMobil Pro class championship standings during the last event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dickinson finished ahead of title rival Ryan Yardley in both rounds in Braselton, Georgia.

As a result, with two races remaining at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) next weekend, Dickinson and the Kellymoss team are provisionally now just 2 points ahead of Yardley’s Topp Racing crew.

“We needed that one pretty bad,” said Dickinson. “That’s the first win that we’ve had since Watkins Glen (in June). It’s been a bit of a dry spell, pretty hard and a bit of sleepless nights, that’s for sure. 

“Topp Racing stepped up their game. Ryan Yardley, he’s doing an incredible job. Ultimately, we didn’t have what we wanted yesterday and we got it done today.”

Dickinson led every lap from pole position en route to his victory, while teammate Aaron Jeansonne finished second. Yardley finished third to complete the podium.

All gloves were off in the first Porsche Carrera Cup North America race at Road Atlanta – and hometown hero Tyler Maxson emerged on top Thursday afternoon as the rookie class of 2025 filled the top four spots.

Maxson – who hails from Bogart, Georgia, just 40 minutes from the classic 2.54-mile circuit – started third of the ExxonMobil Pro class drivers, but with a move with less than 10 minutes remaining, acquired the top spot from polesitter Aaron Jeansonne.

“It’s just amazing,” said the Porsche Motorsport North America EBOOST Junior Program driver.

“These guys (at Topp Racing) have put in so much work in these last few weeks of this home stretch here. To reward them with a win is just amazing. They work so hard, and I’m happy to finally bring it home for them.”

Maxson led an impressive string of drivers on Thursday, as Carrera Cup rookies made up the top four finishers. Jeansonne finished second, followed by Porsche Sprint Challenge North America champion Cole Kleck in third in his series debut, and Jared Thomas in fourth.

“What a first race for (teammate Cole Kleck). An awesome job, and I’m really excited to have him on the team with us for the end of the year here and hopefully going into next year. It’s awesome to have all three of us (with teammate and championship leader Ryan Yardley) up front running well and really just a great statement to the guys and all the work they’ve been doing this season.”

For the ExxonMobil Pro class championship standings, Yardley finished one position behind rival Riley Dickinson after receiving a 10 second penalty for contact. Yardley finished sixth in class behind Dickinson in fifth.

Aaron Jeansonne is riding a wave of momentum in Porsche Carrera Cup North America, and his latest success came in Thursday morning’s qualifying session at Road Atlanta.

The rookie driver captured his first Race Brew Pole Award just last month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway before he quickly earned his second at the Braselton, Georgia racetrack. Sandwiched between the two pole positions was his first Carrera Cup victory during Race 2 at the Brickyard.

Jeansonne’s quickest lap came late in the half hour session, as he nipped Kellymoss teammate Riley Dickinson with just over five minutes remaining. The pole-winning time of one minute, 21.136 seconds was less than two tenths faster than Dickinson’s, but the pair went on for a Kellymoss front row sweep.

“It was a bit unexpected,” said Jeansonne. “Yesterday was a bit challenging in practice, but I think it shows how strong Kellymoss is for us being 1-2 for both races. I had the best car today and it did the job today. I’m proud.

“I’ve just been building confidence all year and really believing that I could do it after Indy. Just trying to replicate what I felt and the process to see if I could do it again. I love this track, so why not do it again?”

Topp Racing locked out the second row with Tyler Maxson in third and Ryan Yardley – the new Pro class championship leader by 10 points over Dickinson – in fourth.

With two events remaining on the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup North America calendar, Riley Dickinson is gearing up for a late-season lunge at the championship – starting with Wednesday’s practice at Road Atlanta.

The former series champion, who sits 10 points behind Pro class title leader Ryan Yardley, posted the quickest time of the day amongst Porsche 992 GT3 Cup cars at one minute, 22.470 seconds. Dickinson’s time was fastest in the morning session with the Kellymoss team, while Yardley was hot on his heels in the afternoon session with a chart-topping time of 1:22.695.

“(Road Atlanta) is quite special,” said Dickinson. “Ever since my first lap that I turned here in 2019, it’s been a nice place to drive, and obviously, the Petit Le Mans event is absolutely special. It’s one of the best events all year long with the IMSA weekends.

“It’s cool to see that there’s already a lot of fans around the track, so it looks to be quite nice and a good weekend.

“At the moment, it’s one session at a time. At the end of the day, the results are going to be what they’re going to be. Just focus on ourselves and keep working on everything that we can and continue to chip away at it. We’ll see where the chips fall at the end at (Circuit of The Americas).”

Yardley followed, “It’s definitely tough out there. We didn’t have the luxury of testing last week like most teams did, so it’s completely different track conditions from when I last drove, which was the Porsche Sprint Challenge enduro (in September).

“It’s taking a bit for us to catch up and find some speed, but it seems to be okay in Practice 2. But there’s still a lot of hard work to do before qualifying tomorrow.”

Every handprint tells a story. Brightly painted palms pressed onto the bodywork of a Porsche have become the most recognizable symbol of Racing for Children’s, a grassroots effort that has grown into one of North America’s most inspiring motorsport programs. 

What began as a small way to bring joy to children battling cancer has since become a championship-winning partnership with Kellymoss, Porsche’s most successful North American team.

Over the years, the handprint Porsche has carried some of the sport’s top young talents to glory. Riley Dickinson claimed the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup North America title in the car, while Dutch driver Loek Hartog added another championship to its résumé the following year.

Kay van Berlo became a 13-time race winner in the livery, cementing his reputation as one of the most dominant drivers in the series. Michael McCarthy, a former Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama champion, brought his own deeply personal connection to the program—he was named after his father’s best friend, who passed away from cancer.

Multiple Pro-Am class champion Efrin Castro turned the livery into a Pro-Am powerhouse while giving back to the kids who inspired the effort last season.

Together, these drivers proved that the handprint Porsche was more than a symbol—it was a winner.

Now, the Racing for Children’s mission has extended to anyone willing to participate through the High Five Challenge. The concept is straightforward: donate $5, challenge five friends to do the same, and collectively help the organization reach its ambitious $1 million goal.

September was Childhood Cancer and Sickle Cell Awareness Month, but the challenge will continue through the end of the racing season, with each high five representing another step toward critical research funding.

For the first time this season, Ryan Yardley enters a Porsche Carrera Cup North America round as the point leader as a full field of drivers head to Road Atlanta for round seven of the 2025 season, held in conjunction with IMSA’s season-ending Petit Le Mans. Dickinson jumped out to an early lead with a pair of wins at Sebring and held that position for six rounds and a series-high four wins, while Yardley has ridden a win and eight runner-up finishes to his current position at the top.

A field of 29 drivers head to Road Atlanta for a pair of 40-minute races on the 12-turn, 2.55-mile circuit. That includes 17 in the ExxonMobil Pro class, five in the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am field, and seven in the Solairus Aviation Masters class.

While IMSA closes its WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with the iconic 10-hour Petit Le Mans, the weekend serves as the penultimate round for Porsche Carrera Cup. The finale, round eight, will take place a week later in support of Formula One at Circuit of the Americas.

Just 10 points separate Yardley from Dickinson entering the Road Atlanta races. Both have won in Porsche Carrera Cup North America at the track; Yardley scored a victory last season, while Dickinson earned one back in 2022. Dickinson also won at Road Atlanta in the championship’s predecessor, Porsche GT3 Cup North America, in both 2019 and 2020. Zachary Vanier of JDX Racing is also still within striking distance, sitting 35 points behind Yardley. Each of the top three drivers still control their own destiny in the championship with four races to go.

JP Martinez of ACI Racing enters the weekend with a 38-point advantage over Kellymoss driver Alan Metni in the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class. Scott Blind mathematically clinched the Solairus Aviation Masters class in Indianapolis, leaving only race wins on the table for the remainder of the season.

Road Atlanta’s round begins on Wednesday, October 8 with a pair of practices, followed by qualifying on Thursday morning at 8:35 a.m. ET. The pair of 40-minute races run at 5:05 p.m. on Thursday, October 9 and at 10:40 a.m. on Friday, October 10.