After misfortune struck during Race 1 on Friday, Tyler Maxson (TOPP Racing) quickly reestablished himself atop the Porsche Carrera Cup North America field with a win on Saturday.
Running at Watkins Glen International, Maxson dominantly led flag-to-flag in his #77 Porsche 911 Cup (Type 992.2) despite a mid-race restart and while others sparred behind him. The Mobil Pro Class championship leader was poised for a win the day before, but was brought to pit lane after a tire puncture.
Fourth win of the year for Maxson.
Today’s win was Maxson’s fourth win from seven races this season, following on from his clean-sweep at Sebring and victory at the Miami Grand Prix.
“What a car, what a team, these guys are working so hard,” said Maxson. “I felt like we didn’t get everything out of the last two races. I think we did that here. We’ll focus on the rest of the season, there’s still a long way to go. But this is a good turn of fortune.
“The puncture yesterday was heartbreaking, but we knew we had a really fast car. Just credit to all these guys for the work they’ve been doing.”
In a mirror image of Friday’s results, Janne Stiak (ACI Motorsports) narrowly bested Callum Hedge (JDX Racing) at the finish line by three-tenths. The two dueled all race long, and while yesterday’s finish was for the win, Saturday morning’s battle decided second and third place.
After scoring a podium yesterday, Aaron Jeansonne finished fourth while Jared Thomas initially crossed the line in fifth before receiving a 10-second penalty for incident responsibility.
Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program member Sabre Cook had her strongest ever weekend yet in Carrera Cup. After finishing sixth yesterday, she backed that up with another top ten in P7 today.
7-up for Mulcahy.
Patrick Mulcahy (ACI Motorsports) continues his runaway season in the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class, capturing his seventh win in as many races in 2026.
Mulcahy finished just a step outside the top 10 overall, but was well ahead of his next closest competitor, Josh Conley (Kellymoss), in second place.
“I was really hoping to chop it up with (Alan) Metni out there, he’s kind of my rival on track,” said Mulcahy of his Mobil Pro Class counterpart.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it happen, but it was good fun. We kept it clean, the restart was clean unlike yesterday so I’ll take the win today.”
Smith edges Blind at the finish line for weekend sweep.
After joining the grid at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, Matt Smith (ACI Motorsports) is now a double-winner in the Solairus Aviation Masters Class following victories in Race 1 & 2 at Watkins Glen.
Smith started second behind championship leader and ACI Motorsports teammate Marco Cirone, but grabbed the top spot quickly into the 40-minute race.
Despite leading for the remaining laps, Smith barely edged a hard-charging effort from Scott Blind (Ruckus Racing) by .101 seconds at the finish line.
“It was truly amazing, the team did an amazing job,” said Smith. “The coaching was fantastic, the competition was tough though, because Scott almost caught me at the end, but I pulled it through.
“It was getting a little sketchy. I was losing the rear towards those last couple laps and just holding on to make sure I brought it home.”
Blind chose to start at the back of the grid after a time penalty from the day prior, but his valiant effort earned the 2025 Masters Champion valuable points in his title endeavors towards Cirone, who completed the podium in third.
America’s National Park of speed awaits.
Road America – another classic North American road course – is up next for Porsche Carrera Cup North America. The races are scheduled for July 30 to August 1 and will support the first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix at the historic 4.048-mile circuit.
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.
Race 2
Mobil Pro Class
- Tyler Maxson, #77
- Janne Stiak, #40
- Callum Hedge, #9
Solairus Aviation Pro-Am Class
- Patrick Mulcahy, #54
- Josh Conley, #29
Solairus Aviation Masters Class
- Matt Smith, #74
- Scott Blind, #45
- Marco Cirone, #88
