Dickinson, Yardley Title Battle Heads to The Brickyard

Photo: Jessica Johnk/Porsche

The tightening championship battle between Riley Dickinson and Ryan Yardley in Porsche Carrera Cup North America heads to The Brickyard this weekend for Rounds 11 and 12 of the season.

With only six races remaining in the single-make series’ season, the top two drivers are separated by a mere two points, following a pair of hard-fought races last month at Road America that saw each driver score a third place finish but Yardley close the gap with a runner-up result in Race 2.

All is up for grabs, after a dominant start to the season the 2023 Pro class champion Dickinson, who leapt into an early points lead with four wins in the first seven races.

However, Yardley has finished ahead of Kellymoss driver in the last three races.

Yardley’s Topp Racing teammate, Tyler Maxson, who broke through for his first career victory, meanwhile, has helped boost the team to an 11-point advantage over Kellymoss in the team standings.

Pro-Am is led by ACI Racing’s JP Martinez, who has earned six class wins in ten races, while Scott Blind holds a commanding 73-point lead in the Masters class entering this weekend.

A total of 28 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars are expected to take part in the pair of 40-minute races, with the No. 57 JDX Racing entry, which does not have a confirmed driver, set to be a no-show.

Of note, several competitors are back in action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway after missing the last round at Road America. It includes GMG Racing’s James Sofronas and Patrick Mulcahy, who along with ACI driver Marco Cirone, are back in the Pro-Am class, while Chris Bellomo returns in Masters with his Kellymoss Porsche.

Track action kicks off on Thursday with a pair of practice sessions, followed by qualifying on Friday morning and Race 1 later that day at 3 p.m. EST. Race 2 is on tap for Saturday at 10:45 a.m., with both rounds to be streamed live on Peacock, as well as Porsche Motorsport North America and IMSA’s YouTube channels.

Pre-Event News & Notes:

***Six drivers: including Yves Baltas (twice), Zachary Vanier, Jimmy Llibre and Maxson in addition to the championship leaders – have won races this season, making it one of the most competitive Carrera Cup North America seasons to date.

***Ruckus Racing driver Blind took on a particular challenge in Porsche single-make racing this year, and it has been an unequivocal success. In addition to a full season in Porsche Carrera Cup North America, Blind raced the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama, Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West by Yokohama, and Porsche Endurance Challenge championships, all in the 992 class.

***Last weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Blind clinched the Masters class of both Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and Porsche Sprint Challenge USA West, and capped it off by taking the overall driver’s championship in Porsche Endurance Challenge. He currently leads the way in Porsche Carrera Cup North America’s Masters class.

***A total of nine drivers got into the action last week during the finale of the Porsche Endurance Challenge at Road Atlanta before this week’s Carrera Cup North America race at Indianapolis. Blind, Todd Parriott and Alan Metni all raced in both the Endurance Challenge and Sprint Challenge races during the weekend; Aaron Jeansonne, Zachary Vanier, Jared Thomas, Yves Baltas, Dickinson and Yardley all participated in the Endurance finale as co-drivers and coaches.

***Two of the Porsche Mobil 1 Female Driver Program participants call Indianapolis home. JDX Racing drivers Sabre Cook and Madeline Stewart relocated to Indianapolis to advance their careers and have the luxury of sleeping in their own beds during race weekend.

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