Indianapolis Carrera Cup Notebook

Photo: Wes Duenkel/Autosport Image

***After two previous standalone races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, under the ‘Porsche Sports Car Together Fest’ moniker, Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America joins the returning IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and other IMSA-sanctioned series this weekend at The Brickyard for Rounds 11 and 12 of the season.

***The entry list has been reduced from 30 to 28 cars following the pre-event withdrawals of PJ Hyett and Todd Parriott, who were due to drive for Kellymoss and GMG Racing, respectively, both in the Pro-Am class.

***This weekend marks the final time the single-make series will race with the WeatherTech Championship this season. To-date, Carrera Cup has raced with IMSA three times – including the doubleheader with IndyCar at Long Beach. It ran as support to Formula 1 at Miami and NASCAR Xfinity at Road America.

***Remaining races will see Carrera Cup as the headliner during Porsche Rennsport Reunion 7 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, on Sept. 29-Oct. 1 and it season finale with Formula 1 at the Circuit of The Americas  on Oct. 20-22.

***Like Sebring International Raceway, Watkins Glen International and Road America, Indianapolis is one of four tracks to host a Carrera Cup event each season.

***Riley Dickinson, who heads into the weekend with a 102-point lead in the Pro class championship, scored his first career Carrera Cup North America victory at Indianapolis last year, in the second of two races of the weekend.

***A Pro-Am class driver will do double duty with Carrera Cup alum this weekend in Indianapolis. Alan Metni is driving the No. 99 for Kellymoss in the single-make series and share the No. 91 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche with 2021 and 2022 Carrera Cup North America runner-up Kay van Berlo in the GTD class of the WeatherTech Championship.

***Porsche customer competitors will also split their time between two support series. Kyle Washington will pilot the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche in the Pro-Am category of Carrera Cup while joining with Jeroen Bleekemolen in the No. 32 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in the GS class of the Michelin Pilot Challenge.

***Rearden Racing enters Porsche race cars for Jake Pedersen in both Carrera Cup (No. 85 in the Pro class) and the No. 21 Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport with co-driver fellow Utah-resident Vesko Kozarov in Pilot Challenge, while Nolasport will enter machines in both series as well.

***While Dickinson, Efrin Castro (Pro-Am) and Mark Kvamme (Am) lead the way in their respective drivers’ standings, Kellymoss continues to gain momentum towards its third-straight entrants’ championship. The Madison, Wis.-based operation holds a 65-point lead on McElrea Racing and another three points ahead of third place JDX Racing.

***Dickinson, meanwhile, continues strengthen his lead in the junior championship.

***McElrea Racing will return to a two-car operation for the final rounds of the season at Laguna Seca and COTA, with Friday’s announcement that Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Michelin Junior Bayley Hall will take over the seat vacated by Thomas Nepveu. Hall recently tested at COTA in advance of next month’s season finale.

***The first 40-minute race of the weekend gets underway at 2:30 p.m. EDT, followed by Race 2 on Sunday at 9:40 a.m. Both contests will be streamed live on Peacock, IMSA.tv and PorscheCarreraCuop.us, featuring commentary from IMSA Radio’s John Hindhaugh and Jeremy Shaw.

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