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Preview: Porsche Carrera Cup Championship Rivalry Intensifies at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta

September 28, 2026

Braselton, Ga. Porsche Carrera Cup North America returns to Road Atlanta for round seven of the eight round season. Road Atlanta is a regular on the championship schedule, having made an appearance each season except for 2023. The finale takes place at Circuit of the Americas in support of the United States Grand Prix.

At Indianapolis, Aaron Jeansonne of Kellymoss earned his first victory since the same track a year ago to close the championship gap. Jeansonne trails leader Tyler Maxson (TOPP Racing) by just 11 points overall and in the Mobil Pro Class. Maxson won the first race at Road Atlanta a year ago, but Jeansonne earned a pole and finished second twice, making the match-up essentially even heading into the Petit Le Mans weekend.

Marco Cirone (ACI Motorsports) has a 52-point lead over defending champion Scott Blind (Ruckus Racing) in the Solairus Aviation Masters class. Cirone has 10 class wins in his Carrera Cup career, including one at Indianapolis the last time out, but is trying to secure his first Championship. Patrick Mulcahy (ACI Motorsports) clinched the Solairus Aviation Pro-Am title at Indianapolis.

Two new faces are on the entry list for Road Atlanta. Dan Drohan and Charlie Hayes Racing make their Carrera Cup North America debuts after a full season in a 992.1 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America and Porsche Endurance Challenge. Joel Johnson (JDX Racing) is a Sprint Challenge competitor and the inaugural Porsche Sprint Trophy Porsche Club of America champion. Both will compete in the Masters class at Road Atlanta.

  • Field. 22 Porsche 911 Cup race cars are entered for competition at Indianapolis.
    • Pro Class. 11
    • Pro-Am. 1
    • Masters. 10
    • Teams. Eight race teams across all three classes
  • Track Record. 1:20.089, 2022, Laurin Heinrich, 311RS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
  • Point Leaders.

                 Pro. Tyler Maxson, No. 77 TOPP Racing

                 Pro-Am. Patrick Mulcahy, No. 54 ACI Motorsports

                 Masters. Marco Cirone, No. 88 ACI Motorsports

                 Entrants. TOPP Racing

 

  • Road Atlanta flashback. In 2022, a relatively unknown young German arrived for his first race in the United States and, in his Porsche Carrera Cup North America debut, captured a track record and a race two win for 311RS Motorsport. Since then, Laurin Heinrich has earned a GTD Pro title for AO Racing in a Porsche 911 GT3 R and is currently alive for the GTP driver championship this weekend for Porsche Penske Motorsport in a Porsche 963.Then 21-years-old, Heinrich finished 8.855 seconds ahead of the field – a precursor of things to come.
  • Iron Man. Alan Metni continues to set career marks in Porsche Carrera Cup North America. The career leader in starts, Metni will take his 84th and 85th career green flag at Road Atlanta. Despite being eligible for the Masters class, Metni is racing in the Pro class this season and is currently eighth in points with Kellymoss.
  • Podium Power. Two podium finishes at Indianapolis gave Aaron Jeansonne 15 in his Porsche Carrera Cup North America career. One more will move him to a tie with Zachary Vanier for fifth all time, and a pair moves him to fifth alone. Everyone is chasing Riley Dickinson, who has 43 career podiums in the top class and overall.
  • Class Descriptions.

Mobil Pro. The highest level of competition in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America. The class is recognized through its orange color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in orange on the doors, the windshield, rear glass and splitter. Headlight covers will be clear with orange cross-marks, while the splitter of each car features the orange as well.

Solairus Aviation Pro-Am. Restricted to drivers who are 35 years old or older as of January 1, 2026. The class is recognized through its green color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in green on the doors, the windshield, rear glass and splitter. Headlight covers will be clear with green cross-marks, while the splitter of each car features the green as well.

Solairus Aviation Masters. This class is open to drivers who are 50 years old or older as of January 1, 2026. The class is recognized through its yellow color scheme. The car entry number will be delineated in yellow on the doors, the windshield and rear glass. Headlight covers will be clear with yellow cross-marks, while the splitter of each car features the yellow as well.

  • Entry List. The full Porsche Carrera Cup North America entry list can be found here.

Schedule. All times Eastern.

Wednesday, September 30.

10:55 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. – Practice 1

3:30 p.m. – 4:10 p.m. – Practice 2

Thursday, October 1.

9:50 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. – Qualifying (all classes)

5:25 p.m. – 6:05 p.m. – Race 1 (40 minutes)

Friday, October 2.

3:55 p.m. – 4:35 p.m. – Race 2 (40 minutes)