Dickinson, Yardley Set for Texas Title Standoff at COTA

Photo: Jessica Johnk/Porsche

Riley Dickinson and Ryan Yardley are set for a Texas-style standoff for the Porsche Carrera Cup North America title in this weekend’s pair of season-ending rounds at Circuit of The Americas, in front of a capacity Formula 1 crowd.

Dickinson re-took the Pro class points lead with his fifth win of the season in Race 2 last weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and heads to Austin with a scant two-point advantage over Topp Racing’s Ryan Yardley for the final showdown of the year.

The Texan is seeking his second Carrera Cup title and what would mark Kellymoss’ third consecutive drivers’ crown after Loek Hartog’s championship last year.

JDX Racing’s Zachary Vanier sits third in the driver standings, 44 points behind Dickinson, and is still mathematically eligible for the title, with a maximum of 56 points up for grabs at COTA.

Despite Kellymoss’ historic dominance in the single-make series, Topp currently leads the Entrant standings, courtesy of a late-season charge from Yardley’s teammate Tyler Maxson, who has earned two wins of his own this year.

Topp is ahead by nine points over Kellymoss heading into the final two races of the season.

Dickinson’s teammate Aaron Jeansonne, meanwhile, is battling with Maxson for the Rookie of the Year honors, with Jeansonne leading Maxson by 11 points.

With Scott Blind of Ruckus Racing having already wrapped up the Masters’ title, the Pro-Am class is the only other title that will go down to the wire this weekend.

JP Martinez of ACI Racing has led the class for the entire season but Kellymoss driver Alan Metni is still in the hunt.

With six wins, Martinez holds a 19-point advantage. Metni managed to narrow the gap with his performance at Road Atlanta but would have to repeat that effort in Austin for a chance at the crown.

The event begins with a single 30-minute practice session on Friday, followed by qualifying on Saturday morning. Race 1 takes the green flag later that day at 2:30 p.m. CST, with the season-ending race set for Sunday at 11 a.m. Both races will be streamed live on Peacock, PorscheCarreraCup.us as well as IMSA’s YouTube channel.

Pre-Event News & Notes

***A total of 26 cars are set for the pair of season-ending races, which will run to 35 minutes in length, instead of the typical 40-minute format, due to being on a F1 weekend. As was the case with the other F1 events at the Miami International Autodrome and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, the clock counts down from 40 minutes once the cars roll off the grid.

***Carrera Cup teams have a quick turnaround, having only competed at Road Atlanta last weekend. It marks the second back-to-back events of the season, following the rounds at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and Watkins Glen International that were held on consecutive weekends in June.

***Dickinson won the ANDIAL Cup in its season finale at Road Atlanta, finishing three points ahead of Yardley in Pro, with Metini and Blind taking the Pro-Am ad Masters class titles, respectively. The Cup encompassed all races in support of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship this year.

***Cole Kleck is set for his second Carrera Cup weekend after finishing third and seventh in his maiden outings at Road Atlanta. The Topp Racing driver, who took 11 wins in the 992 Pro-Am class of Porsche Sprint Challenge North America on his way to a championship, is racing on home soil this weeked.

***In addition to Kleck, who calls San Antonio home, two Kellymoss drivers and native Texans are home this weekend. Both Dickinson and Alan Metni, championship contenders in their respective classes, call the Austin area home. Metni is from Austin, while Dickinson resides just 50 miles southwest of the track in New Braunfels, Tex.

***Alex Pratt is set for his second Carrera Cup weekend of the year in the No. 6 ACI Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car after contesting the Road America event in August. Pro-Am class driver Javier Ripoll Jr., of Citmarine Motorsports, is also back in action after contesting the races at Road America and Miami.

***Matheus Leist, who has contested the full season in a Nolasport Porsche in Pro up until now, is missing the season finale due to a clash with SRO America’s season finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where the ex-IndyCar driver is lining up in a Nolasport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in Pirelli GT4 America competition with the return of two-time Pro-Am class champion Matt Travis.

***Also notably absent at COTA is ACI’s Marco Cirone, who sits fifth in the Pro-Am championship. John Jodoin (ACI), Peter Atwater (JTR Motorsports Engineering) and Richard Edge (ACI) are also not present this weekend, having been entered only for the ANDIAL Cup rounds this year.

***Porsche Motorsport North America will recognize all of the Carrera Cup North America title winners during the Celebration of Champions on Sunday night at Porsche Austin. Driver, team and rookie winners are among the celebrations.

***Sportscar365 understands the 2026 Carrera Cup schedule, which has yet to be released, will likely have several changes, with a reduced slate of F1 support races as well as a return to the streets of Long Beach in April after two years away.

Source: Sports Car 365