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.
Maxson leads flag-to-flag for overall win.
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.
Mulcahy continues march toward the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am championship.
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.
Edge makes return to victory lane, Blind closes the gap.
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.
Sunday showdown ahead.
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.
RESULTS.
Race 1
Mobil Pro Class:
- Tyler Maxson, #77
- Janne Stiak, #40
- Aaron Jeansonne, #24
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class:
- Patrick Mulcahy, #54
Solairus Aviation Masters Class:
- Richard Edge, #18
- Scott Blind, #45
- Rob Walker, #53
