Indianapolis crowns SRO Pirelli GT4 America, GT America and TC America champs

Pirelli GT4 America

The Pirelli GT4 America season came to a thrilling conclusion at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with all three championship titles decided in a dramatic final race. Sam Craven had clinched the driver championship in Race 1 on Saturday, however his teammate Kenton Koch joined him in the champion’s circle, securing the Pro-Am championship for himself as well. Luca Mars, Spencer Pumpelly, and RS1 claimed the Silver class crown with a 1-point advantage, while Frankie Muniz and Tyler Stone emerged victorious in the Am championship battle.

The Silver class championship battle took a dramatic turn before the field had even completed its opening lap.

Tyler Gonzalez made an aggressive move for the overall lead in the No. 68 RAFA Racing Team Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4, but polesitter Trenton Estep quickly responded in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.

Further back, the No. 028 RS1 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport got caught up in an opening-lap incident, sustaining damage that forced the team to return to the pit lane and retire from the race. The incident brought out a Full Course Yellow, leaving RS1's championship hopes hanging in the balance.

When racing resumed, Estep maintained the overall lead, with Gonzalez immediately applying pressure. However, as Pro-Am contender Michael Cooper made his move toward the front, Gonzalez followed him through to take control of the Silver class. Eric Filgueiras moved into second in the No. 73 Kellymoss Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, relegating Estep to third.

With 28 minutes remaining, Gonzalez brought the Toyota into pit lane to hand over driving duties to Workman. The latter rejoined in the Silver class lead, keeping RAFA Racing Team's championship ambitions alive.

However, despite being sidelined by the opening-lap incident, the No. 028 RS1 entry remained classified sixth in class at that stage, a position that would be sufficient to secure the championship.

As the final stint unfolded, Workman continued to lead the Silver field, with Yves Baltas running second in the No. 7 ACI Motorsports Porsche. The podium was completed by the new entry of the No. 007 CSM Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 EVO.

Ultimately, it was Luca Mars, Spencer Pumpelly, and RS1 who emerged as the 2026 Silver class champions, overcoming a difficult season finale to secure the title.

“We managed the weekend pretty well,” said RAFA Racing Team’s Westin Workman. “We came here knowing we needed to win both races, and that's exactly what we did. It's unfortunate what happened to the RS1 Porsche, but hats off to those guys. You have to give credit where credit is due. They were incredible all year, going on a seven-race winning streak. It feels great to walk away with both victories.”

Tyler Gonzalez admitted that; “we race our hearts out every time we get on track. Westin did a great job all season, and I've really enjoyed working with him. It's been a fun year. We knew we would be fast here and knew exactly what we needed to do. Like Westin said, we came here, executed our plan, and did our jobs. Unfortunately, things didn't quite work out in the championship, but we gave it everything we had.”

“I can't believe it!” exclaimed Spencer Pumpelly, the 2026 Silver champion. “What a fantastic job by RS1, Luca, and everyone involved. It's a good thing we had such a strong summer because we certainly needed those results in the end.”

“Watching from the sidelines was incredibly stressful,” said Luca Mars, “But I'm so happy that everything we accomplished throughout the season paid off and we were able to come away with the championship. A huge thank you to Spencer and everyone on the team.”

The Pro-Am field delivered its own share of action, with Michael Cooper immediately establishing himself as a contender for both the class victory and the overall lead.

Behind the wheel of the No. 33 Blackdog Racing McLaren Artura GT4, Cooper ran third overall in the opening stages while leading the Pro-Am class, with Ryan Yardley following in second aboard the No. 25 ACI Motorsports Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.

The order soon shifted as Matheus Leist moved into the Pro-Am lead in the No. 47 NOLASPORT Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, ahead of Cooper and Harry Gottsacker in the No. 40 Off Leash Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT4.

Cooper was far from finished, however. The Blackdog Racing driver fought his way back into the class lead before completing a move for the overall lead just 20 minutes into the race.

His charge was subsequently complicated by a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, to be served during the team's mandatory pit stop. A further 10-second penalty for incident responsibility added to Blackdog Racing's challenges.

Cooper remained on track as long as possible, maximizing his permitted driving time before handing the McLaren over to teammate Tony Gaples.

Following the pit stop cycle, Matt Travis emerged in the Pro-Am lead for NOLASPORT, with Allen Patten running second in the No. 39 Dome Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT4. Despite serving its penalties, Blackdog Racing remained in contention, with Gaples holding third.

The fight for the class victory intensified in the closing minutes, as Patten closed the gap to Travis. With just four minutes remaining, Patten completed the overtake to move into the Pro-Am lead, putting Dome Motorsport in prime position to close out the season on a high note.

“We worked hard all year, and it was great to finally put everything together and execute,” said Marc Miller at the podium.

Allen Patten continued saying, “we should have been fighting at the front all year, but we had some terrible luck along the way. To finally have everything come together and finish the season on such a high note is an incredible feeling.”

In the championship standings, Sam Craven and Kenton Koch secured the 2026 Pro-Am title, capping off their campaign as class champions.

The Am class championship fight provided some of the most intense moments of the season finale, with multiple contenders battling for crucial points throughout the race.

James Clay controlled the opening stages in the No. 36 BimmerWorld BMW M4 GT4 EVO, ahead of Kenny Schmied in the No. 72 RAFA Racing Team Toyota Gazoo Racing GR Supra GT4 EVO2 and John Dean in the No. 71 Copeland Motorsports Toyota.

Meanwhile, championship contenders Tyler Stone and Michael Garcia found themselves further down the running order, in eighth and tenth respectively, adding another layer of uncertainty to the title fight.

As the field settled into its rhythm, Dean made his move to take the Am class lead away from Clay, while the approaching pit stop window promised to shake up the running order once again.

Strategy played a key role as teams began completing their mandatory driver changes. TechSport Racing emerged from pit lane ahead of the No. 21 ACI Motorsports entry, gaining a valuable advantage in the championship battle. BimmerWorld opted to extend its opening stint, with Clay finally making his stop with 29 minutes remaining.

Following the driver changes, James Walker Jr. found himself leading the Am class, with Anthony Geraci running second in the No. 72 RAFA Racing Team Toyota. Frankie Muniz, meanwhile, was fourth in the No. 30 TechSport Racing Ford Mustang GT4.

At that stage, the championship contenders were separated by just two points in the provisional standings, leaving everything to play for.

What followed was a fierce battle throughout the Am field, with several position changes reshuffling both the race order and the championship picture.

Muniz capitalized on the fighting ahead, making his way past Walker and moving into the provisional championship lead in the process.

Meanwhile, Laura Hayes had established herself at the front of the Am class, building a comfortable advantage over the chasing pack as the battle for the remaining positions intensified.

The No. 21 ACI Motorsports entry was then handed a drive-through penalty, dealing a major blow to its championship aspirations and effectively taking the team out of title contention.

Muniz continued his charge, climbing into second place in class and further strengthening TechSport Racing's position in the championship standings.

That late-race performance proved decisive, as Frankie Muniz and Tyler Stone were crowned the 2026 Pirelli GT4 America Am class champions, completing an impressive championship campaign with TechSport Racing.

“You couldn't have scripted this any better,” said race winner Laura Hayes. “A huge thank you to Eddie for putting us in a position to end the year this way. It was so much fun!”

“We started the season on the podium with a second-place finish at Sonoma, and that's when we realized we had the potential to fight for the championship,” said Tyler Stone, who cliched the Am 2026 Championship title. “We faced some challenges early on, but eventually found our stride. Ford Racing and TechSport Racing gave us an incredible car all season, and we just kept our heads down and continued fighting. The competition in the Am class and throughout GT4 America has been outstanding, so congratulations to everyone who made this such a competitive season. I'm genuinely at a loss for words right now. It's hard to believe we've won the championship.”

“Coming into this season, I had never raced sports cars,” explained Franzie Muniz. “ My first time behind the wheel of a GT4 car was during the opening practice session at Sonoma, so I'm incredibly grateful to Ford Racing for giving me this opportunity. Halfway through the season, everything started to click. We won a few races and put ourselves in a position to fight for the championship. We finished second yesterday and took the points lead, but starting tenth in class today meant we had our work cut out for us. Tyler drove an incredible stint, handed the car over, and we executed a clean pit stop. Now we're champions. It's the best feeling in the world!”

GT America

GT America powered by AWS wrapped up its season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with another action-packed race, as Peter Dempsey completed a weekend sweep in the SRO3 class during his debut with Maserati. Memo Gidley capped off a dominant championship campaign, while Damir Hot also swept the weekend in GT4. David Lecko and Craig Lumsden celebrated their respective 2026 Cup and GT4 class championships as the series brought its season to a close.

Dempsey wasted no time establishing control of the SRO3 field, building a substantial gap on the opening lap in his No. 100 Risi Competizione Maserati MC20 GT2. However, a wide moment sent the Maserati driver onto the grass, briefly raising the possibility of a shake-up at the front. Dempsey recovered without surrendering his position and continued to lead, with championship winner Memo Gidley running in second in the No. 56 SKI Autosports Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVOII.

Behind the leading pair, the fight for the remaining podium positions intensified, with Ross Chouest in the No. 50 Chouest Povoledo Racing Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R, Scott Blind in the No. 45 Ruckus Racing Porsche 911 GT3-R (992) EVO, and Marc Muzzo in the No. 013 R. Ferri Motorsport Ferrari 296 GT3 battling for position. Further back, Joel Cortes and Kyle Washington went wheel-to-wheel in an entertaining contest between the No. 19 RS1 and No. 32 GMG Racing Porsches, adding to the action in the season’s final race following the previous night’s DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour, where Washington had celebrated winning the 2026 Pro-Am GT World Challenge America championship.

At the front, Dempsey remained in control to complete a clean sweep of the Indianapolis weekend, taking back-to-back GT America victories in Maserati’s debut in the championship.

For Gidley, the race marked the conclusion of a remarkable 2026 campaign. Already crowned SRO3 champion, Gidley finished the season tied for the record for the most victories in a single GT America season, with 10 wins to his name.

Dempsey was pleased to finish the weekend on top after a busy schedule that included competing in the DESDER Indianapolis 8 Hour.

“It was a great day. Busy weekend for me, doing the 8 Hour and GT America,” Dempsey said. “It was a pleasure to drive for Maserati here this weekend in our debut in GT America Championship. A huge congratulations to Memo on a phenomenal year he’s had, with his 10 wins and a championship. Hopefully I can come back someday and race with these guys again.”

Damir Hot delivered another commanding performance in the GT4 class, sweeping the Indianapolis weekend with a second consecutive victory. Finishing 10th overall, Hot capped off a strong weekend that saw him claim another pole position and convert it into a race win.

Fresh from his participation in the GT4 portion of the Indianapolis 8 Hour weekend, Hot credited the team’s work and the opportunity to continue developing his driving for the successful result.

“Another pole, another win in GT America. It was a lot of fun,” Hot said. “I worked on my driving, worked on a few things. The car was awesome again, the team was awesome again. It was straight off the back of my stint in GT4 America, so, yeah, I got my cardio in today. It was a great way to end the year.”

Meanwhile, Craig Lumsden secured the 2026 GT4 class championship, completing his title-winning campaign at Indianapolis.

In the Cup class, David Lecko took an uncontested victory to close out the season, adding another win to his résumé as the 2026 Cup class champion.

TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing School

Rain added an extra challenge to the championship-deciding Race 2 at Indianapolis. With just five points separating title contenders Braydon Arthur and André Castro heading into the finale, the championship remained up for grabs. However, Arthur delivered another commanding performance, sweeping the weekend at the Brickyard to secure the race victory and the 2026 championship title.

Dean Lambros started from pole position in the No. 7 Skip Barber Racing Acura, but fellow front-row starter Braydon Arthur wasted no time moving into the lead aboard his No. 4 JMF Motorsports Toyota GR Corolla TC. Having reclaimed the championship lead with his Race 1 victory on Saturday, Arthur was looking to capitalize on his narrow advantage over Castro.

Arthur maintained control through the opening exchanges, with Castro running closely behind in second place in the No. 77 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC Evo. Further back, the field went four-wide as Jeff Ricca, S. Mills, Eric Kunz, and others fought for position.

Michai Stephens soon made his way past Castro to take over second place, but was subsequently handed a drive-through penalty for a start procedure violation, dropping him out of contention at the front.

Meanwhile, Matan Rosenberg was making moves in the No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC Evo, overtaking teammate Castro to move into second place as the battle for the podium continued.

With a clear track ahead, Arthur began extending his advantage, building a five-second gap over Rosenberg and an eight-second margin over championship rival Castro. The JMF Motorsports driver also set the fastest lap of the race, further demonstrating his pace at the front of the field.

Arthur remained unchallenged in the closing stages, crossing the finish line to claim his second victory of the weekend and clinch the TC America championship. Rosenberg secured the runner-up position, while Castro completed the podium in third place, sealing the Vice-Champion title in the championship standings.

With two victories at Indy, Arthur concluded his championship-winning campaign in dominant fashion, bringing an exciting 2026 TC America season to a close. It additionally secured the TC manufacturers' championship for Toyota. 

“ We're the 2026 TC America champions,” exclaimed Arthur. “It feels so good. This season was really tough mentally, physically, all of the above. It really brought out a different driver in me, and I learned a lot, and I really had to dig deep for this one. The team really had to dig deep, and it just feels amazing, not just for myself, but for the team as a whole. Toyota put in a bunch of work this year. Thank you to everyone back home, they've been cheering me on all year. I have a whole racing club behind me back home, and it feels so good to have so many people. It's not just for me, it's for everyone I'm involved with. Thank you, everyone. Thank you for all the support this year, and hopefully we'll see you next year.”