KyraSage
This weekend, September 2nd – 4th, in Indianapolis, Indiana, Porsche enthusiasts of all ages will come together to celebrate the German manufacturer’s long history of performance road racing and race cars.
The on track action will be highlighted, for the second year, by the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands. Rounds 13 and 14 of the 16 race season of the world’s premier one make series will feature 35 entries across its three classes; Pro, Pro-Am and Am. On the already impressive list of Porsche drivers is NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon. With only 4 races left in the series sophomore season, the championship battles in all three classes are in full swing.
Along with the Carrera Cup, we will see four races of the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America Presented by Yokohama. Off track, there will activities for fans and families of all ages.
In the Pro class, 16 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars will make up the top class as IMS. In their most recent on track action at Road America, the championship battle became even closer when current points leader Kay van Berlo finished off podium in race one in his No. 3 Kelly-Moss Porsche and failed to finish in race two. Van Berlo’s most heated rivals Trenton Estep in the No. 6 MDK Motorsports Porsche and Parker Thompson in the No. 9 JDK Racing 911 GT3 Cup car won those rounds, respectively. Though the top three in class are the only ones with wins to date, Riley Dickinson in the No. 53 Kelly-Moss Porsche and TJ Fischer in the No. 58 Topp Racing Porsche are just behind and are both eager to nab their first win on the hallowed grounds that are IMS.
The Pro class is where four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon will find himself this weekend. He is briefly pausing his retirement to drive the No. 24 Hendrick Performance Group entered Porsche. The three time Daytona 500 winner isn’t doing this alone though, he will be reunited with longtime and legendary crew chief Ray Evernham. This is the first time the championship winning combination has teamed up since 1999. Though Jeff is in the Pro class he will technically be considered an Invitational class driver and is not eligible for points towards the Pro class championship.
Pro Class Points:
Van Berlo: 248
Thompson: 232
Estep: 216
Dickinson: 176
Fischer: 92
In the Pro-Am class, they will see 13 cars on the grid, one of the biggest of the season. Much like the Pro class, Road America has caused speculation about who will be crowned class champion come Road Atlanta. Similar to 2021, Alan Metni continues to lead coming into Sports Car Together Fest, but the pressure from behind has continued to grow. A three time winner in 2022, Alan took second place in the first race at Road America in his No. 99 Kelly-Moss Porsche, but only scored five points in the second race after suffering from damage. Behind him, after three straight wins, 2021 class champion Efrin Castro scored a total of 14 points in the No. 65 Kelly-Moss car. This was great news for those in the point standings who were looking to close in. Marco Cirone took the win in both races in his No. 84 Mark Motors Racing Porsche and has come within 59 points of Metni. Curt Swearingin and his No. 17 ACI Motorsports Porsche currently sit fourth in points while a surging Matt Halcome in the No. 55 Goldcrest Motorsports Porsche has moved into the top five.
Pro-Am Class Points:
Metni: 215
Castro: 188
Cirone: 156
Swearingin: 132
Halcome: 128
Over in the Am class, there has been a number of swapping points positions in the last several rounds. The No. 43 MDK Motorsports Porsche driven by Mark Kvamme took control of the points early in the season but having to miss rounds 9 and 10 pushed the motorsports veteran and Carrera Cup rookies out of the top spot. Bill Smith in the No. 42 Topp Racing Porsche took two wins and moved to the top but an at home injury forced him to miss Road America. Kvamme on the other hand returned to form with two wins at Road America and regained the top spot. A second place by John Goetz and the No. 57 Wright Motorsports Porsche moved him to second in the points coming into Indy. All three are entered into Sports Car Together Fest as is Grady Willingham and the No. 21 Goldcrest Motorsports Porsche, who currently sit fourth in points.
Am Class Points:
Kvamme: 222
Goetz: 219
Smith: 188
Willingham: 105
Hanley: 95
The Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands will take to the track at the following times (all times are ET);
Friday, September 2nd – Practice 1 – 11:10 am – 11:50 am
Friday, September 2nd Practice 2 – 3:50 pm – 4:20 pm
Saturday, September 3rd – Qualifying – 10:10 am – 10:40 am
Saturday, September 3rd – Round 13 – 3:15 pm – 3:55 pm
Sunday, September 4th – Round 14 – 1:30 pm – 2:10 pm
Broadcasts as well as live timing can be found at www.PorscheCarreraCup.us. The races will also be streamed live on the official series website, on Peacock and IMSA.TV with IMSA Radio providing play-by-play commentary.
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