Carrera Cup Continues Title Push at Road America

Photo: Jessica Johnk/Porsche

For the second consecutive round, Porsche Carrera Cup North America returns to one of its legacy tracks, with Road America on tap for Rounds 9 and 10 of the season in the highly competitive single-make series.

A total of 29 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars are entered for the pair of 40-minute races on the four-mile circuit, which will play host to the ANDIAL Cup for the third time this season.

The championship-within-a-championship awards points at the traditional road course events on the schedule run with the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, including Sebring, Watkins Glen International, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

At the halfway mark of the season, the Pro points battle is as close as it’s been since the season began.

Kellymoss driver Riley Dickinson, who has four wins on the season, continues to hold the lead, but by only eight points over Ryan Yardley of Topp Racing.

A win in Carrera Cup North America is worth 25 points per race, with 20 points per second place, so the championship lead could change hands this weekend.

JP Martinez of ACI Motorsports is at the top of Pro-Am, while Ruckus Racing’s Scott Blind is in control of the Masters class with four weekends and eight races still to play for.

This weekend opens with a 30-minute practice on Thursday, followed by a second practice on Friday morning,  and a 30-minute qualifying session later that afternoon. The pair races get the green flag at 10:55 a.m. CST and 10:35 a.m. CST on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, with live coverage available on Peacock, as well as Porsche Motorsport North America and IMSA’s YouTube channels.

Pre-Event News & Notes:

***The entry list has dropped by two following the withdrawal of both GMG Racing Porsches. Team owner/driver James Sofronas revealed to Sportscar365 that he sustained a “slight fracture” to his right ankle following a multi-car accident in Race 2 at Watkins Glen, with his injury only fully diagnosed following his recent McLaren Trophy America outing at Virginia International Raceway two weeks ago, where he picked up a class win.

***Sofronas, who sits third in the Pro-Am class standings, indicated he and both Patrick Mulcahy, who is tending to other commitments this weekend, plan to be back in Carrera Cup action for the next round at Indianapolis in September, with both cars having been rebuilt from the Watkins Glen accident, including Sofronas’, which has been re-tubbed.

***Another notable absentee is Kellymoss driver Ashley Freiberg, who like Sofronas, was also collected in the multi-car accident at The Glen, which resulted in a financial dent in her planned full season campaign according to Kellymoss team co-owner Victoria Thomas.

***Thomas told Sportscar365: “Our ‘Be Your Own Hero’ driver, Ashley Freiberg, experienced one of racing’s toughest moments at Watkins Glen. Through no fault of her own, her car sustained irreparable damage and was deemed a total loss. As a result, Ashley will not be competing with Kellymoss at Road America. We remain steadfast in our belief in her talent and determination. Should a sponsor step forward, we would be thrilled to support her return to the track in future events. She will always have a place on Team Kellymoss.”

***Alex Pratt is set for his Carrera Cup debut in the No. 6 ACI Motorsports Porsche, competing in Pro, while Citimarine Motorsports has two cars entered, one in the Pro class with a to-be-announced driver and the return of Javier Ripoll Jr. in Pro-Am.

***Road America is a home race for Wisconsin-based Kellymoss, and the site of victories in 2023 with Riley Dickinson and again in 2024 with Loek Hartog. Both drivers continued on to claim championship titles after the respective wins.

***None of the 2024 race winners are returning this weekend, leaving the battle wide open. Dickinson swept the weekend in 2023 during his championship season, which makes him a contender. JDX Racing scored second place overall with two different drivers including Zachary Vanier in 2024, which makes them a contender for the overall prize with four entries in the field. Scott Blind of Ruckus Racing has been the Masters class driver to beat all season long, but Todd Parriott has won twice this season in the class.

***Two weeks ago, 13 drivers in the Porsche EBOOST Junior program and Porsche Mobil 1 Female driver program visited Team Penske for a behind the scenes look at the culture and philosophy of Team Penske, Porsche Penske Motorsport, and a variety of seminars to improve their ability on and off the track as race car drivers.

***Vanier and Paul Bocuse from JDX Racing, Topp Racing’s Tyler Maxson and Yves Baltas from ACI Racing represented the Junior drivers in Porsche Carrera Cup. Madeline Stewart and Sabre Cook, both JDX Racing drivers, were on hand as part of the Female Driver program and are at Road America this weekend.

***In addition to seminars on marketing and media, all drivers got hands-on experience with the Penske Porsche 963 and the Team Penske NASCAR Cup cars for pit stop practice. On Friday morning, the drivers visited PitFit Training for an eye-opening session on motorsports-specific exercises.

***PenFed Credit Union and Kellymoss are teaming up to honor local military members at Road America as part of the ‘Championing Our Heroes’ program. The exclusive program honors service members and their families with a unique VIP experience at select IMSA events. Extending the day’s impact beyond the exclusive VIP program planned for invited heroes, the first 50 military fans visiting the Kellymoss paddock will receive a custom designed “Supporting Our Troops” hat, created to match the striking PenFed Porsche theme.

***Additionally, these 50 guests will be invited to join members of the PenFed and Kellymoss team on the track for a special rendition of the National Anthem, creating a moving tribute to their service in front of thousands of fans.

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