Maxson, Jeansonne Set for Pro Title Fight in COTA Finale

The fight for the Pro class championship headlines the final two rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America season at Circuit of The Americas this weekend, where the series supports Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix.

Tyler Maxson swept both races at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta last time out in his No. 77 Topp Racing Porsche 911 Cup car and extended his championship lead over Kellymoss driver Aaron Jeansonne to 27 points.

The double victory continued Maxson’s strong late-season form, with the Georgia native claiming five wins in his last seven races to establish himself as the driver to beat heading into the season finale.

Jeansonne has remained in contention throughout the season in his No. 24 Kellymoss Porsche, consistently challenging for podium finishes to keep himself in the title fight.

With 27 points separating the pair, Jeansonne will need a strong performance in both races at COTA to close the gap and keep his championship hopes alive.

With a maximum of 56 points up for grabs, Maxson only needs to score a combination of 29 points or more between the two races, regardless of Jeansonne’s results. Maxson also holds the tiebreaker with the most wins on the season.

A 25-car field is set to tackle the 3.4-mile circuit in Austin, with 13 entries in Pro, eight in Masters and four in Pro-Am.

Pro-Am champion Patrick Mulchay will be complemented in the four-car class by GMG Racing team owner James Sofronas, who returns to the single-make series for the first time since Sebring International Raceway in March.

Additionally, Kyle Washington, the recently crowned GT World Challenge America powered by AWS Pro-Am champion, looks to continue his success in October in his return to the Masters class aboard the No. 32 GMG entry, which will compete for Masters class honors.

Track action begins on Friday for the lone practice session of the weekend, with qualifying on Saturday.

Race 1 is set for Saturday at 2:35 p.m. CST, while Race 2 takes the green flag Sunday at 10:35 a.m. CST, with both 35-minute contests to be streamed live on Peacock as well as Porsche Motorsport North America and IMSA’s YouTube channels.

Pre-Event News & Notes:

***Carrera Cup North America remains a staple on Formula 1 weekends in the U.S.. For the fourth consecutive season, the championship will end at the United States Grand Prix. In 2026, the championship was also part of the Miami Grand Prix weekend. Per the previously announced calendar, Carrera Cup North America will return to both events in 2027.

***In addition to Sofronas and Washington making their series returns, both Dan Drohan (CHR) and Joel Johnson (JDX Racing) will be making their second consecutive event starts after debuting at Road Atlanta. Connor Bloum, also of JDX, makes his first start since Long Beach, while Kellymoss driver Josh Conley is back in action after recovering from an injury.

***While Mulcahy and Marco Cirone have already locked up the Pro-Am and Masters class championships, respectively, Cole Kleck has been awarded the Rookie of the Year honors, having finished as the top rookie contender in 12 of 14 races to date this season.

***The reigning Porsche Sprint Challenge North America champion raced the final two rounds of the 2025 season to get a jump on the season, finishing on the podium at Road Atlanta. In his full rookie campaign, he’s already earned a win at Road America and is currently sixth in the overall points.

***Topp Racing currently leads the Entrants championship, 22 points over Kellymoss.

***Following this weekend’s races, the eventual Pro class champion, Mulcahy and Cirone will gather with their fellow friends, competitors and teams to celebrate the championship in Austin. Series play-by-play announcer Ryan Myrhen will host the celebration at Porsche Austin.

John Dagys contributed to this report