If Friday’s Porsche Carrera Cup North America practice session is any indication, TOPP Racing’s Tyler Maxson is ready to clinch his Mobil Pro Class title.
The Porsche Motorsport North America Junior driver posted a best lap of 2:06.255 – just 0.034-second off of Ryan Yardley’s 2025 qualifying track record at Circuit of the Americas– on his ninth of 11 completed laps during the 30-minute session.
Friday’s practice is the lone session for the championship prior to Saturday morning’s qualifying and Saturday afternoon’s 35-minute race and immediately followed the opening Formula 1 Free Practice. Both championships run on their own version of the Pirelli P Zero tires.
Though a variety of used and new tire strategies can sway practice results, TOPP Racing proved strong. Maxson, in his No. 77 TOPP Racing Porsche 911 Cup, and teammate Cole Kleck in the No. 78 TOPP Racing machine, were the only two drivers to dip under 2:07 for their best lap.
“It was a good start to the weekend here at Circuit of the Americas,” Maxson said. “It’s a home race for TOPP Racing. It’s good to start off strong and it’s good for the championship to start off like this. The car feels mega. Every year we come here, the car is just so good.”
JDX Racing’s Callum Hedge was closest, ripping off a lap of 2:07.025 on his final lap of the session just after the checkered flag to move to third in his No. 9 Porsche 911 Cup. Janne Stiak (No. 40 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 Cup) and Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering Porsche 911 Cup) completed the top five.
Aaron Jeansonne, the Kellymoss driver trailing Maxson by 27 points entering the final two races of the season this weekend, was sixth – 1.827 seconds behind Maxson.
James Sofronas drove his No. 14 GMG Racing Porsche 911 Cup to the top of the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am standings with just seconds remaining in the session. His lap of 2:09.093 put him just in front of class champion-elect Patrick Mulcahy. Mulcahy’s best lap of 2:09.481 in the No. 54 ACI Motorsports machine came with seven minutes to go in the session.
Mulcahy has clinched the title after winning the opening 14 races of the season. Sofronas is making his first start in the championship since the season opener at Sebring International Raceway, where he finished second in both races. He missed the majority of the season following an off-track injury but is now fully recovered.
“it’s good to be back for sure,” Sofronas said. “I’ve been watching all season after an injury took me out of the car. So I’ve been rehabbing and getting back into the swing of things. The competition is fierce, that’s why I’m back. I want to push myself.”
JDX Racing’s Joel Johnson, a Sprint Challenge competitor and the inaugural Porsche Sprint Trophy Porsche Club of America champion, led the way in the Solairus Aviation Masters Class on Friday. Johnson and his No. 70 Porsche 911 Cup made his championship debut at Road Atlanta earlier in the month and posted a best time of 2:09.923.
Scott Blind (Ruckus Racing), Rob Walker (JTR Motorsports Engineering), Kyle Washington (GMG Racing) and class champion Marco Cirone (ACI Motorsports) completed the top five in the category.
Though the on-track session was the first of the weekend, Porsche Carrera Cup North America competitors got a jump on the U.S. Grand Prix off the track. The No. 37 JDX Racing car piloted by Sabré Cook, the No. 60 Best Buddies/JDX Racing Porsche 911 raced by Kevin Stadtlander, and the Pirelli P Zero Porsche 911 Safety Car were part of the F1 Experiences Live event on the front straight of Circuit of the Americas on Thursday night.
The event was available to select ticket holders and acted as the official welcome event of the weekend, including a pit lane walk.
Championship contenders Maxson and Jeansonne traveled to the Formula 1 Paddock Club for an interview and Q&A session on Friday morning, prior to practice.
The entire 25-car field returns to action on Saturday morning at 9:10am CDT for a 30-minute qualifying session. That session will set the field for Saturday’s 35-minute race, which gets the green flag at 2:35pm.
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 PMNA newsletter.
Mobil Pro Class.
The highest level of competition in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. The class is recognized through its orange color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in orange on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers will be clear with orange cross-marks, with the addition of orange highlights on the front bumper splitters.
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class.
Restricted to drivers who are 35 years old or older as of 1 January, 2026. The class is recognized through its green color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in green on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers will be clear with green cross-marks, with the addition of green highlights on the front bumper splitters.
Solairus Aviation Masters Class.
This class is open to drivers who are 50 years old or older as of 1 January, 2026. The class is recognized through its yellow color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in yellow on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers will be clear with yellow cross-marks, with the addition of yellow highlights on the front bumper splitters.
The full Porsche Carrera Cup North America entry list can be found by clicking here.
Event results and current points for Porsche Carrera Cup North America can be found by clicking here.
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 PMNA newsletter.
Championship implications were front and center as Porsche Carrera Cup North America opened the Petit Le Mans weekend with a hot and demanding race at Road Atlanta. While Tyler Maxson strengthened his Mobil Pro championship position with a dominant victory, several key title contenders refused to give up ground in the closing stages.
Across the three classes, race wins by Maxson, Patrick Mulcahy and Marco Cirone helped shape the championship picture with just three races remaining in the 2026 season. Each leader left Thursday with valuable points, but the battles behind them ensured nothing came easy.
The result sets up a pivotal Race 2 on Friday, when rivals will have another opportunity to gain ground before the championship heads into its final round at Circuit of the Americas.
The penultimate round of the 2026 Porsche Carrera Cup North America season is underway, and Wednesday’s practice sessions at Road Atlanta have a familiar name at the top of the time sheets.
Tyler Maxson led the way in the heat of the day both overall and in the Mobil Pro Class during Practice 2, when the TOPP Racing driver turned a best lap of 1:20.824 in his No. 77 Porsche 911 Cup. That time was just quicker than JTR Motorsports Engineering driver Jared Thomas, who unloaded on Wednesday morning and posted a lap of 1:20.825.
“Overall, it was a good session for us and a good improvement from FP1,” Maxson said.
“I don’t think FP1 was representative of where we actually are, so this was a much better indication.
“Tomorrow morning will be quite different with the cooler temperatures, but I think we have a really good race car, and we’re optimistic heading into the weekend.
“We’ve always felt good here, and the team has always been super fast. This is my home track, so I’ve always felt really confident here. We’re ready to go for the weekend.”
Maxson’s TOPP Racing teammate Cole Kleck, who made his championship debut at this round a season ago, was third in 1:21.171. Aaron Jeansonne (Kellymoss), second in the title fight, was fourth on the day.
Joel Johnson put his JDX Racing Porsche 911 Cup on the top of the Solairus Aviation Masters class. Johnson ran the championship race at Road Atlanta a year ago at Road Atlanta and recently captured the inaugural Porsche Sprint Trophy Porsche Club of America by Yokohama title. Johnson’s lap of 1:22.925 came in the morning session.
“It feels great to be back,” Johnson said. “We’ve been working real hard as a team and with a couple of coaches to get my driving more consistent so I feel like I’m in a zone right now. It’s a lot of hard work, but the car feels awesome.”
Patrick Mulcahy was best in the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class once again in his No. 54 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 Cup. Mulcahy’s time of 1:23.466 in the afternoon session was 16th overall.
Drivers are back on the Road Atlanta surface at 9:50am ET on Thursday morning for qualifying, which will set the grid for Thursday afternoon’s race at 5:25pm.
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 PMNA newsletter.
Mobil Pro Class.
The highest level of competition in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. The class is recognized through its orange color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in orange on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers will be clear with orange cross-marks, with the addition of orange highlights on the front bumper splitters.
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class.
Restricted to drivers who are 35 years old or older as of 1 January, 2026. The class is recognized through its green color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in green on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers will be clear with green cross-marks, with the addition of green highlights on the front bumper splitters.
Solairus Aviation Masters Class.
This class is open to drivers who are 50 years old or older as of 1 January, 2026. The class is recognized through its yellow color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in yellow on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers will be clear with yellow cross-marks, with the addition of yellow highlights on the front bumper splitters.
The full Porsche Carrera Cup North America entry list can be found by clicking here.
Event results and current points for Porsche Carrera Cup North America can be found by clicking here.
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 PMNA newsletter.
With Indianapolis in the rearview mirror, Porsche Carrera Cup North America now shifts its focus to Road Atlanta and the annual Petit Le Mans weekend in two weeks’ time. The season enters a critical stretch with the Mobil Pro and Solairus Aviation Masters championships still to be decided.
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 PMNA newsletter.
Two class leaders in Porsche Carrera Cup North America took another step toward clinching their respective titles on Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway while the third saw his nearest rival cut into his advantage.
Porsche Motorsport North America Junior Driver Tyler Maxson (TOPP Racing) and Patrick Mulcahy (ACI Motorsports) extended their Mobil Pro and Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class leads with victories, while Richard Edge (ACI Motorsports) took Solairus Aviation Pro-Am victory and Scott Blind (Ruckus Racing) closed his championship deficit with a runner-up finish.
Just 18 points separated Maxson from Aaron Jeansonne (Kellymoss) after Maxson’s No. 77 Porsche 911 Cup secured the Race Brew Pole for Saturday’s 40-minute contest.
With the two championship leaders starting on the front row, Maxson got the jump on the Jeansonne and brought third-starting Janne Stiak’s No. 40 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 along with him.
The trio ran in that order for the entirety of the race – Maxson followed by fellow Porsche Junior Program member 19-year-old Stiak and Jeansonne’s No. 24 Kellymoss Porsche. In the middle third, Stiak was able to close to the rear of Maxson but couldn’t find a way past; over the closing laps, Jeansonne closed on Stiak through lapped traffic but remained in third.
Maxson knocked off the quickest lap of the race for an additional, valuable bonus point with a lap of 1:25.642 (102.524 mph) and to help stay in the race lead.
“It’s great,” Maxson said. “It was a good points day for us and another win on the belt. All props to the TOPP team, these guys kill it every single week.
“We’ve got one more to go tomorrow. We had a really good long-run car, and they had some good mid-race pace. We’ve got a couple of changes we can make overnight and we’ll be better tomorrow.”
Maxson enters Sunday’s race with a 27-point advantage over Jeansonne, where the starting order will be reversed with Jeansonne on the Race Brew Pole.
Patrick Mulcahy’s remarkable season showed few signs of slowing despite a dramatic opening lap. The ACI Motorsports driver spun early in the race but recovered to secure maximum points in the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class, extending his undefeated streak to 11 consecutive victories in 2026.
The result leaves Mulcahy on the verge of wrapping up the season-long championship. With Mulcahy only needing to start Sunday’s race to officially clinch the 2026 Solairus Aviation Pro-Am championship.
Early drama transformed the Solairus Aviation Masters race, creating an opportunity for Richard Edge to score his first Porsche Carrera Cup North America victory since Road Atlanta in 2024 while championship contender Scott Blind gained valuable points in the title fight.
Championship leader and Race Brew polesitter Marco Cirone (ACI Motorsports) lost the lead at the start to both Blind and Edge before contact from teammate Matt Smith (ACI Motorsports) sent him off track on lap three, forcing the points leader into recovery mode for the remainder of the race. Smith received a drive-through penalty for the incident while Cirone dropped to the rear of the field.
That left Edge and Blind out front to battle for the class victory. Blind, fresh off his win in the Miami make-up race at Road America, was focused on reducing his championship deficit, while Edge was chasing his first Carrera Cup victory in nearly two seasons.
Edge moved his No. 18 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 Cup into the lead on lap three and remained there despite pressure behind and incidents throughout the field.
“It feels pretty good,” Edge said. “The car was dialed in. The track conditions were a bit hot but overall ACI gave me a really good car.
“I got a bit lucky at the start and avoided some chaos, and then Scott made a little bobble through the chicane later, and I was able to get by him. I just tried to keep my head down and avoid making any mistakes and move forward, so it worked out in the end.”
Blind briefly lost second position to JTR Motorsports Engineering driver Rob Walker before reclaiming the spot on the final lap in his No. 45 Ruckus Racing Porsche 911 Cup.
Walker completed the podium in third, while Cirone recovered to fourth in class to limit the championship damage.
Cirone’s class pole and fourth-place finish allow him to carry a 33-point championship advantage into Sunday’s race at Indianapolis, with five races remaining on the 2026 schedule.
Porsche Carrera Cup North America returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Race 2 at 11:20am ET on Sunday. With valuable championship points still available in all three classes, competitors will have one final opportunity to strengthen their title campaigns.
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 PMNA newsletter.
After losing more than half of his championship lead in the three races at Road America, TOPP Racing driver & Porsche Junior Tyler Maxson rebounded in Friday’s qualifying at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to take the Race Brew Pole award overall and in the Mobil Pro Class.
Maxson and No. 77 TOPP Racing Porsche 911 Cup ripped off a lap of 1:24.281 with 5:27 remaining in the 30-minute session to leapfrog Kellymoss driver Aaron Jeansonne for the final time and secure the starting position and, just as importantly, the two points that go with it.
Jeansonne’s No. 24 Kellymoss Porsche 911 Cup led the early stages of the session. Maxson moved into the lead with 13:30 remaining, but just seconds later Jeansonne was back on top. His lap of 1:24.320 looked strong until Maxson bettered it by 0.039-second in the final run.
The duo entered Round 10 at Indianapolis separated by 16 points after Jeansonne cut 21 points out of his deficit at Road America.
“It’s a good start for the weekend,” Maxson said. “We’re looking to rebound after Road America, which was not a great weekend for us. The team is just doing what they do best.
“We honestly were worried about this track more than any other and we’ve come on super strong this weekend, the guys have been doing a really good job. We got the car dialed in for qualifying and we’re super excited for the race tomorrow.”
Janne Stiak will start Saturday’s 40-minute race in third with his No. 40 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 Cup, alongside Callum Hedge in the No. 9 JDX Racing Porsche.
Marco Cirone and Scott Blind continue to battle for the top spot in the Solairus Aviation Masters class.
Cirone, the leader in the title fight, put his No. 88 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 Cup on top in the class, 13th overall in the 20-car race. His lap of 1:25.791 was 0.383-second quicker than Blind’s best in the No. 45 Ruckus Racing machine.
The Race Brew Pole stretches Cirone’s lead to 39 points and gives him a jump on Blind in Saturday’s race.
“The team did such an amazing job,” Cirone said. “They worked all day and we got the setup just bang on. I went out there and the car felt great everywhere. We had a significant amount of time in our pocket so it worked out great and I can’t be happier.”
Patrick Mulcahy earned his 10th Race Brew Pole of the sason in the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am class as he takes one step closer to claiming the season-long title. Mulcahy will start the race 16th overall in his No. 54 ACI Motorsports Porsche.
Race 1 for Porsche Carrera Cup North America on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course is scheduled to go green at 12:35pm on Saturday, 19 September, followed by Race 2 on Sunday morning at 11:20am.
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 PMNA newsletter.
| Round | event | date |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Sebring International Raceway | March 18 – 20 |
| Round 2 | Long Beach Street Circuit | April 17 – 19 |
| Round 3 | Miami International Autodrome | May 1 – 3 |
| Round 4 | Watkins Glen International | June 25 – 27 |
| Round 5 | Road America | July 30 – August 1 |
| Round 6 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | September 18 – 20 |
| Round 7 | Road Atlanta | September 30 – October 2 |
| Round 8 | Circuit of the Americas | October 23 – 25 |
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