DeLong Holds Off Kohlbecker For Indy Race 1 Win

Parker DeLong outlasted his teammate Spike Kohlbecker aboard his No. 42 TechSport Racing Toyota GR 86 Cup car to secure his maiden Toyota GR Cup North America victory in Race 1 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Kohlbecker stayed on the attack throughout the race in his No. 15 car prepared by TechSport after starting on pole, with Will Robusto additionally inserting himself into the inter-squad fight in the early minutes piloting the No. 2 RVA Graphics Motorsports by Speed Syndicate entry.

The trio would begin to pull ahead of the mid-field pack to begin the three-car showdown in the first half of the 40-minute sprint

Robusto would fade out of contention for the overall win as the race progressed, coming down to the teammates with under 15 minutes left.

Kohlbecker continued to apply pressure on DeLong up until the final lap, but the prospective championship contender was not able to power past DeLong to claim top honors and clinch the 2026 title.

Kohlbecker settled for a second-place finish behind his stablemate, while Robusto completed the top three on the podium.

Fellow championship suitor comfortably claimed fourth aboard his No. 22 Toyota prepared by Copeland Motorsports, while battles for to finish in top five ensued further back late in the race.

Speed Syndicate driver Garrett Manes got collected entering Turn 7 driving the No. 11 car due to contact with Fletcher’s teammate Beltre Curtis in the No. 5 for Copeland.

The incident ended Manes chance to complete the top five, with Michael Edwards, son of former NASCAR star Carl Edwards, inheriting the position.

Additionally, Livio Galanti took top honors in the Legends category aboard his No. 89 entry for Dream Machine @ Eagles Canyon, while Patrick Brunson late race moves on Alcyr Araujo with 12 minutes claimed the American driver second on the podium.

Aruajo finished third in class aboard his BSI Racing No. 77 Toyota.

Qualifying 2 is scheduled for 9:05 a.m. EST on Sunday, followed by Race 2 at 12:35 p.m. EST. The race will be streamed live on GRCup.com and SRO’s GT World YouTube channels.

RESULTS: Race 1