Cooper Wins Final-Lap Fuel Mileage Dash at Indianapolis

Photo: Mike Levitt/IMSA

Michael Cooper took victory for Ibiza Farm Motorsport in a final-lap shootout that saw contact between Cooper’s McLaren Artura GT4 and the No. 60 KohR Motorsports Ford Mustang GT4 of Mike Skeen that was ruled incidental by IMSA.

Cooper and co-driver Moisey Uretsky claimed back-to-back wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the dramatic two-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge contest, while picking up their third victory of the season.

A late-race caution for the No. 43 Andretti Performance Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport of Gabby Chaves, which ran out of fuel while in the lead with six-and-a-half minutes to go, ultimately bunched the field up for a combined green/white flag with 1 minute and 30 seconds left on the clock and a drizzle of rain in the air.

Skeen, in the No. 60 KohR Mustang GT4, led the field to the restart but lost the position to Cooper with a lunge by the McLaren driver on the inside of Turn 7.

The two cars made side-to-side contact, although IMSA race control declared no further action.

The No. 39 CarBahn with Peregrine Racing BMW M4 GT4 EVO of Jeff Westphal and Sean McAllister completed the podium in a last-lap charge by Westphal.

Daan Arrow brought the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 home in fourth, with the No. 37 AutoTechnic Racing BMW of Stevan McAleer and Austin Krainz finishing fifth, and taking over the GS points lead as a result.

The duo provisionally enter next month’s Fox Factory 120 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with a 40-point lead over the No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW duo of Luca Mars and Dillon Machavern, which stopped on track on the final lap and was classified 16th in class.

Robert Noaker, in the No. 13 McCumbee McAleer Racing Mustang GT4, is provisionally 50 points behind in third heading into the title decider.

The class pole-sitting No. 26 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Evo was credited with a sixth place finish after Hannah Grisham took the final restart in fourth, behind Billy Johnson, who like Mars, also had an issue on the final lap.

In TCR, the No. 99 Victor Gonzalez Racing CUPRA Leon VZ TCR of Tyler Gonzalez and Steven Clemons came out on top, claiming their second consecutive class win.

Gonzalez finished less than one-second ahead of the No. 76 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Denis Dupont, who kept his and Preston Brown’s championship hopes alive thanks to a final lap charge to second at the checkered flag.

The No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR of Karl Wittmer and LP Montour completed the class podium in third.

RESULTS: Indianapolis Motor Speedway 120

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John