Fred Emich (Touring Car) took his first win of the 2014 season while Ernie Francis Jr. (Touring Car A) and Johan Schwartz (Touring Car B-Spec) doubled up in Sunday's Brainerd International Raceway brought to you by Kia Round 12 of the Pirelli World Challenge season.                      

Scott Hargrove, Marco Cirone, Tim Sanderson and Chuck Harris clinched Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin season championships Sunday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. 

Hargrove, Cirone and Harris only needed to start the 45-minute race to wear the crown in Platinum Cup (2014 car models), Platinum Masters (drivers 45 and older) and Silver Cup (2005½-09 car models), respectively. But they instead won season championships in style, winning the race in their respective classes.

Sanderson entered Round 10 Sunday with a four-point lead over Jerimy Daniel and finished second in the class in the race, all he needed to win the title by two points.

"It's a phenomenal feeling," Hargrove said. "I can't thank the guys enough. Michelin tires, IMSA, Porsche, everybody that helps put this series together. I'm proud to be the champion in only my rookie year. I can't wait to see where this goes."

Platinum Cup podium finishers (from left): Chris Green, Scott Hargrove, Spencer Pigot

Hargrove, from Surrey, British Columbia, led from start to finish for the second consecutive day for his sixth victory of the season in the No. 69 OpenRoad Racing Porsche. He won by 14.541 seconds over Spencer Pigot in the No. 21 Alegra Motorsports entry, his largest margin of victory this season and the second-biggest winning gap of the season by any driver.

Pigot, from Orlando, Florida, passed Chris Green for second place on the first lap and held that position for the rest of the race. Green, from Montreal, ended up third in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche, 20.106 seconds behind Hargrove on the 10-turn, 2.459-mile (3.957 km) circuit.

Cirone, from Toronto, finished fourth overall and first in Platinum Masters in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. He dueled with fellow Platinum competitor Etienne Borgeat early in the race before passing Borgeat's No. 2 GT Racing Porsche with an inside move in Turn 10 with 29 minutes remaining and then pulling away.

Borgeat, from Montreal, ended up fifth overall.

Hargrove ended the season winning the championship by 22 points over Green, 192-170. It was title of equal parts surprise and assuredness.

OpenRoad Racing team principal Christian Chia entered junior open-wheel standout Hargrove, 19, into the season opener in mid-May on Victoria Day weekend at CTMP as a one-off experiment. Hargrove rewarded that faith with two victories that weekend.

So Chia continued to put young star Hargrove into his car at every event until the ultimate finish line - a championship - was reached. Hargrove never finished lower than second all season.

"Going into the beginning of the year, I never would have expected this as the outcome," Hargrove said. "When I got the deal with OpenRoad Racing, the team owner (Chia) was like: 'If we could get on the podium, that would be great. I want a trophy for my new Porsche dealership.' And now here we are, we've got the championship trophy that will be able to go there."

The victory also helped ease the sting of disappointment from a week ago. Hargrove lost the Pro Mazda Championship to Pigot when the gearbox failed in his car with three laps remaining while leading the championship and the season-ending race.

"I put that behind me," Hargrove said. "This is a different championship, and now this is the highlight of my year. I've just got to move on from what happened last weekend and just cherish what we did this year in both series. I'm just excited to be here and the champion."

OpenRoad Racing won the Team Championship.

Platinum Masters

Platinum Masters podium finishers (from left): Carlos de Quesada, Marco Cirone, Perry Bortolotti

Cirone also swept the season-ending weekend, earning his sixth Platinum Masters victory and his second consecutive title in the class.

He was a steamroller for the second straight day, winning by 28.012 seconds over his closest competitor in the class, Carlos de Quesada of Odessa, Florida.

Cirone started the season with four Platinum Masters victories in the first five races. But then de Quesada ignited in his No. 22 Alegra Motorsports Porsche, winning three consecutive races and pulling to within eight points of Cirone entering this weekend.

But Cirone left no question marks about his intent to win a second straight championship since joining Mark Motors in 2013. He ended up with 188-176 gap over de Quesada in the standings.

"I am so happy, and the team just did an incredible job," Cirone said. "I am so grateful to Mark Motors and my driving partner, Perry Bortolotti. If it wasn't for him, he put all this thing together, and I am grateful to him and Mark Motors, and I am looking forward to another season!"

Perry Bortolotti, from Kanata, Ontario, finished third Sunday in the No. 84 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. 2011 Platinum Cup champion Bortolotti rallied from a heavy, race-ending crash Saturday to earn his eighth podium finish of the season after his crew worked deep into the night to repair his 911 GT3 Cup car.

Gold Cup

Gold Cup podium finishers (from left): Tim Sanderson, Jerimy Daniel, Ilker Starck

Sanderson, from Pickering, Ontario, closed the deal on his first Gold Cup championship by finishing .531 of a second behind Daniel.

That was enough to secure a two-point advantage, 178-176, in the final standings. Sanderson finished second in the Gold Cup standings last season, just four points behind de Quesada. So this title provided sweet satisfaction.

"Last year we were just a couple of points short of the championship, and I will honestly say this feels a little better," Sanderson said with a wry smile. "I'm just happy to get over the finish line in one piece, and my hat's off to everybody else in the Gold class. It was a great season. The competition was amazing. Our Joanne's House car ran awesome, and I'm just happy."

Sanderson passed Daniel early in the race for the Gold class lead, building a margin of 1.523 seconds in his No. 07 Alegra Motorsports/Northwest Atlantic Motorsports Porsche after four laps. But Daniel, from Candiac, Quebec, rallied within a few laps to pull to within two car lengths of Sanderson.

The two title protagonists then locked in a taut duel for the next five minutes, with the gap never more than two-tenths of a second. Finally, Daniel thrust his No. 75 TRC Porsche under Sanderson in the fast, fearsome Turn 1 at CTMP for the Gold lead with 28 minutes left.

Daniel then stretched his lead to 1.583 seconds after just one lap, and Ilker Starck became Sanderson's main concern. Starck was only 1.667 seconds behind Sanderson in the No. 48 SCB Racing/Downtown Porsche entry. If he passed Sanderson and ended up second behind Daniel, Sanderson and Daniel would have ended up tied in the final points, with Daniel claiming the tiebreaker on more victories.

So Sanderson managed his tires, kept his cool and gradually eased away from Starck's threat. He also managed to close the gap to Daniel over the closing laps, guaranteeing his championship.

"Ilker was in my mirrors the whole way," Sanderson said. "Jerimy got past me, had problems with his car late in the race, and we got the points we needed today. It was a great race."

Starck, from Toronto, earned his second third-place finish of the weekend and his fifth podium finish of the season.

Alegra Motorsports/Northwest Atlantic Motorsports won the Team Championship.

Silver Cup

Silver Cup podium finishers (from left): Keith Bass, Chuck Harris

Chuck Harris cruised to his ninth victory in 10 rounds this season in the No. 50 Alegra Motorsports Porsche.

Harris, from Tampa, Florida, won the Silver Cup championship by 16 points over Tampa neighbor and good friend Keith Bass.

"It was a great year," Harris said. "I had a great time, learned a lot and ran a lot faster this outing here than I did the last one. The car got better and better, and I got better and better with it. So I was really happy with the season, the race today and everything that Porsche, Michelin and IMSA do to put on this series."

Bass finished second Sunday in the No. 49 Alegra Motorsports Porsche.

For more information on the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin, visit www.imsa.com and @IMSA on Twitter with the hashtag #GT3CAN. Live commentary for races is provided on Twitter at @IMSALive.

ROUND 10 POST-RACE QUOTES:

SCOTT HARGROVE (No. 69 OpenRoad Racing, winner, 2014 Platinum Cup champion): "Going into the beginning of the year, I never would have expected this as the outcome. When I got the deal with OpenRoad Racing, the team owner (Christian Chia) was like: 'If we could get on the podium, that would be great. I want a trophy for my new Porsche dealership.' And now here we are, we've got the championship trophy that will be able to go there. It's a phenomenal feeling. I can't thank the guys enough. Michelin tires, IMSA, Porsche, everybody that helps put this series together. I'm proud to be the champion in only my rookie year. I can't wait to see where this goes." (About winning title one week after losing Pro Mazda Championship due to mechanical failure with three laps remaining): "I put that behind me. This is a different championship, and now this is the highlight of my year. I've just got to move on from what happened last weekend and just cherish what we did this year in both series. I'm just excited to be here and the champion."

SPENCER PIGOT (No. 21 Alegra Motorsports, second): "I had a lot of fun. First of all, Alegra Motorsports, the guys have been great to me all year, and big thanks to them. Scott (Hargrove) and Chris (Green) are really quick drivers. We had some good battles this year, and it was a lot of fun. I'm sure we'll be racing against each other in the future." (About today's race): "The car felt OK. We just struggled after the first few laps with grip but definitely made some improvements from yesterday and one spot further up the podium."

CHRIS GREEN (No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports, third): "Very, very steep learning curve this year, and I'm so proud of the Pfaff Motorsports guys for putting together the program on such short notice and taking everything on for our own team. It was a first-year effort, and I think the results showed. We're still trying to find the sweet spot with the car. Today definitely wasn't the day. It definitely was one of the hairier cars I've ever driven in my career. Definitely just kind of holding on for my life more than anything, quite literally. But definitely a huge shout-out to the Pfaff Motorsports guys, the Pfaff Automotive partners, Castrol Canada for their support, BASF. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them this year. My competitors have been fantastic. Between Spencer and the other kid, Scott, they definitely got me pushing harder this year than ever before. I think it's been the most competitive series we've had so far. Good job to them. The top three among everybody else who has competed this year."

MARCO CIRONE (No. 88 Mark Motors Racing, first, Platinum Masters, 2014 Platinum Masters champion): "I am so happy, and the team just did an incredible job. This is our second (Platinum) Masters championship, and I couldn't be happier. The team did an incredible job, and I am so grateful to Mark Motors and my driving partner, Perry Bortolotti. If it wasn't for him, he put all this thing together, and I am grateful to him and Mark Motors, and I am looking forward to another season!" 

CARLOS DE QUESADA (No. 22 Alegra Motorsports, second, Platinum Masters): "It was great. We had no incidents. Yesterday I got hit twice, where Perry (Bortolotti) got into me. Fortunately, we weren't held up by any of the Gold class cars. So we just took off, and I was separated from everyone else. So it was a good race."

PERRY BORTOLOTTI (No. 84 Mark Motors Racing, third, Platinum Masters): "Considering the guys worked all night to put the car back together, and I don't know how many other teams could have done that - these guys are amazing! All things considered, with the severe damage we had, the car ran well."

JERIMY DANIEL (No. 75 TRC, first, Gold Cup): "Overall, I think I did great. For sure, my goal was to win the championship. It didn't happen because of a little incident. Overall, I'm pretty happy. Six wins and a second place (in championship), two points from first, is OK for me. I knew I had this championship yesterday, and something happened with another driver. He took me out. I don't know what else to say." (About his rookie season): "I learned a lot, for sure. It was my first season in a sports car. It's a great series, a great car. It's really fun to drive. It's like a video game. Lots of good battles."

TIM SANDERSON (No. 07 Alegra Motorsports/Northwest Atlantic Motorsports, second, Gold Cup, 2014 Gold Cup champion): "Last year we were just a couple of points short of the championship, and I will honestly say this feels a little better. We had a great race. Ilker was in my mirrors the whole way. Jerimy got past me, had problems with his car late in the race, and we got the points we needed today. It was a great race. I'm just happy to get over the finish line in one piece, and my hat's off to everybody else in the Gold class. It was a great season. The competition was amazing. Our Joanne's House car ran awesome, and I'm just happy."

ILKER STARCK (No. 48 SCB Racing/Downtown Porsche, third, Gold Cup): "It's good. We finished on the podium. I tried so hard to gain positions. It's just how it is, right? I'm happy I brought the car home in one piece. We did a great job all season long with limited resources. I'm really happy. Thanks again to my team. They did a fantastic job ... and all the support I got from my wife and family and friends."

CHUCK HARRIS (No. 50 Alegra Motorsports, first, Silver Cup, 2014 Silver Cup champion): "It was a great year. I had a great time, learned a lot and ran a lot faster this outing here than I did the last one. The car got better and better, and I got better and better with it. A great run today. The track was much better than it was yesterday. So I was really happy with the season, the race today and everything that Porsche, Michelin and IMSA do to put on this series."

KEITH BASS (No. 49 Alegra Motorsports, second, Silver Cup): "I had a great season. I really enjoyed my time, and hopefully we will come back next year with a little more competitive game. I learned car a lot and certainly all the tracks. It was my first time in the Porsche, and I really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to having a great party with all my competitors tonight."

Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin

The IMSA Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin produces intense, exciting competition for semi-professional and aspiring professional drivers in one of the world's most successful and iconic race cars, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The series is one of Porsche's global single-make Cup Challenge series and is the perfect platform for aspiring drivers to ascend to the highest levels of GT competition, such as the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The 10-round series races in 2014 at four classic Canadian road and street courses, providing thrills for drivers and fans.

IMSA

The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) is the sanctioning body of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the road-racing series resulting from the merger of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. IMSA also sanctions the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, as well as four single-make series: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama; Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin; Ferrari Challenge North America; and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. IMSA is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected TUDOR United SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.

(IMSA PR)

Alexis DeJoria raced past 16-time Funny Car world champ John Force Monday to win the 60th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, the world’s most prestigious drag race. 

Richie Crampton (Top Fuel), Shane Gray (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also were first time winners at the tradition-rich NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, the last race of the regular season. 

DeJoria crossed the finish line in 4.038 seconds at 310.34 mph in the Patron XO Cafe Toyota Camry to defeat the current Funny Car points leader, who won the Traxxas Nitro Shootout Sunday. It was the third win of DeJoria’s season and her first at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. With the victory, DeJoria became the fourth female winner of the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals and the first female driver to win three Funny Car races in a single season. 

DeJoria, who also outran Cruz Pedregon, Blake Alexander and Courtney Force en route to the victory, earned a record 10th season victory for female racers in the NHRA Mello Yello Series. 

“It’s huge [to win the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals],” said DeJoria, wife of noted TV personality Jesse James and daughter of famed entrepreneur John Paul DeJoria. “I was just happy to make it to another semifinal; that was four in a row. To make it past the semifinals, that was huge, but to win this race just builds our confidence even more and in me especially.”

 DeJoria will be the fourth seed in Funny Car when the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs begins at the NHRA Carolina Nationals in two weeks.

 Force was appearing in his sixth consecutive final and ran a 4.039 at 319.67 in the Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang. Following his Traxxas Nitro Shootout victory on Sunday, Force was strong on Monday, defeating Robert Hight, Matt Hagan and Ron Capps in the first three rounds. Force was appearing in his eighth Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals final and was seeking his fifth victory. He finished the regular season as the points leader and will open the Countdown playoffs with a 30 point advantage over teammate Hight.

 Rookie Top Fuel driver Crampton, appearing in his first Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, powered past Steve Torrence with a 3.766 at 327.98 in the GEICO/Lucas Oil dragster to claim his second Wally trophy of the season. He was close to sweeping the weekend, as he posted a runner-up finish in the $100,000 Traxxas Nitro Shootout bonus event on Saturday.

 “Steve-O (Torrence) is one of my great friends out here and he beat me at the Brainerd race,” said Crampton, who will be seeded eighth in the Countdown. “We said to each other before the run that we were going to go out there and have some fun. It’s pretty awesome that he and I got to share a final round here at the 60th Indy. If I would have been runner-up, I probably would have been almost as happy, because it’s been a fantastic weekend for our team.”

 Torrence was appearing in his second consecutive Indianapolis final in his Capco Contractors dragster, posting a 3.799 at 327.82 during the final. The result broke a one year drought from final round appearances for the Kilgore, Texas native. Torrence will be seeded fifth in the Countdown.

 Doug Kalitta claimed the Top Fuel Countdown No. 1 seed and will open the playoffs with a 30 point advantage over Antron Brown.

 In Pro Stock, Gray drove his Gray Manufacturing Chevy Camaro to his first U.S. Nationals victory, defeating teammate Dave Connolly in the final with a 6.641 at 208.42. It was the fourth career victory for Gray, who finished the regular season sixth in points, and his first win since the Las Vegas race last October.

 “I really can’t describe this in words,” said Gray, who beat Shane Tucker, Allen Johnson and brother Jonathan Gray before the final. “If I've learned anything this year, I've learned that it's a lot different to go out and qualify [well] than it is to race on Sunday."

 Connolly was appearing in his fifth final round at the Big Go, having collected victories three times. He was also runner-up at the event in 2006. Connolly defeated V Gaines, Erica Enders-Stevens and ended Jason Line’s three-race winning streak on his way to the final round matchup with his Gray Motorsports teammate.

 Line’s late season performance earned him the top seed for the Pro Stock Countdown playoffs.

 Krawiec took home his first Indy win and third victory of the season with a 6.941 at 192.63 on the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson, beating Jerry Savoie. The win was the 25th career victory for Krawiec, a three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champ.

 “I’ve been fortunate to win three championships and 25 races now and I’ve finally got an Indy win,” said Krawiec, who finished second in regular season points behind teammate Andrew Hines. “I was joking that I could just step off the bike now, announce my retirement, and not run the Countdown [to the Championship]. I think I’ll stick around, though.”

 Savoie was appearing in his second consecutive final on his Savoie’s Alligator Farm Suzuki. He beat Chaz Kennedy, John Hall and reigning world champ Matt Smith before posting a 6.987 at 192.58 in the final.

 The NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series will head to North Carolina for the seventh annual NHRA Carolina Nationals, Sept. 12- 14, at zMAX Dragway. The race will be the opening event of the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, a six-race championship playoff.

 Reigning NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series world champion Rickie Smith raced to the NHRA Pro Mod Series victory Monday at the 60th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, the world’s most prestigious race. Pro Mod racing was presented by JEGS at the event. 

Smith ran his ’68 IDG Camaro to a 5.901-second pass at 245.72 mph, defeating Pete Farber in the final. It was Smith’s second win of the season and sixth of his career. Smith, the runner-up at Indianapolis last season, defeated Danny Rowe, Jeff Naiser and Troy Coughlin on the way to the final. 

Farber drove his CRC Brakeleen Dodge Daytona to the final round with victories over Steven Whiteley, Steve Matusek and Billy Glidden. It was his second final round appearance of the season, following a victory in Bristol. Farber was appearing in his first Indianapolis final. 

The NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series will head to Charlotte, N.C. for the Pro Mod portion of the NHRA Carolina Nationals, Sept. 12-14. The event is the seventh of 10 races on the 2014 schedule.

The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) announced today the addition of Road Atlanta to its 2015 East Coast schedule.  This event will be the opening race of the season and will take place February 19-22, 2015 at the world renowned Braselton Georgia race course. 

“Since 2012, our members have consistently reiterated that Road Atlanta was a must-do track for our East Coast schedule, “ commented SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella.  “With this race falling the weekend before our Sebring date competitors have the chance to run two races in ten days while only making one trip.  In addition, we are offering a special promotion for all racers to get a third event free.  Any racer who enters both Road Atlanta and Sebring will get their base entry fee waived at Road America, Mid-Ohio, Pocono, Watkins Glen or VIR. This promotion is our first major step in lowering the cost for entries at SVRA events.”

Road Atlanta President and General Manager, Geoff said, “Tony and I have been working for more than a year to put a date together and we’re very pleased to welcome SVRA back to Road Atlanta. In his two years at the helm of the organization Tony’s vision and drive have transformed Vintage racing in the United States and we’re honored to host the opening event of the 2015 SVRA East Coast schedule.”

The 12 turn, 2.54 Road Atlanta circuit is located on 750 acres of rolling, park like land 35 miles north of downtown Atlanta. The fast, sweeping turns and dramatic elevation changes have been challenging amateur and professional racers since its opening in 1970. The course has hosted virtually every major amateur and professional road racing series in the United States, including the Tudor United Sports Car series, the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)  National Championships, the American Le Mans series (ALMS) and the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), to name a few.  The facility attracts more than 320,000 visitors each year and was recently name one of America’s six best road courses by Car & Driver magazine.  

John Force took home the Traxxas Nitro Shootout victory Sunday, concluding an action packed day of racing at the 60th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, the world’s most prestigious drag race. 

Force, a 16-time Funny Car world champ, pocketed $100,000 and bragging rights when he beat teammate Robert Hight with a 4.061-second run at 317.19 mph in the Castrol GTX High Mileage Ford Mustang. He defeated fan vote/lottery winner Tim Wilkerson and two-time season winner Alexis DeJoria to reach the final. It was Force’s second Traxxas Shootout win and seventh career victory in an NHRA all-star race. Force will look to conclude the weekend tomorrow with his fifth Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals victory. 

“It was a win-win situation,” Force said of running against his teammate in the final. “We couldn’t lose. All of the sponsors were on all of the cars. We just couldn’t lose it.” 

Hight, driver of the Auto Club Ford Mustang, was appearing in his first Traxxas Shootout final round. He is a three-time and defending Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals winner and will be going for a fourth tomorrow. 

In other racing on Sunday, Jason Line claimed the rain-delayed Brainerd victory and the No. 1 qualifying position in Pro Stock. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Matt Hagan (Funny Car) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) joined Line as No. 1 qualifiers and will lead their categories into Monday’s 11 a.m. eliminations at the final NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series event of the regular season. Following this event the top 10 fields in each class will be set for the six-race Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship playoffs, which starts Sept. 12-14 at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, N.C. 

In the Brainerd final, Line raced to a 6.596 at 207.40 in the Summit Racing Chevy Camaro to defeat reigning world champ Jeg Coughlin in the JEGS.com/Mopar Dodge Dart. It was Line’s third win in a row and the first time he has achieved that feat.  It was Line’s 35th career victory and the win propelled him into the top spot in Pro Stock points. Line’s 6.589 at 210.01 from Saturday qualifying was good enough to also secure the No. 1 starting position. He will face Rodger Brogdon in the opener as he goes for his first U.S. Nationals victory. 

“It was very Brainerd-ish,” Line said of the cloudy and rainy weather conditions that delayed racing for a bit on Sunday morning at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. “Our car ran very good. Our Camaro was very fast this weekend. It was a little bit weird to win Brainerd at Indy. But it’s the first thing I’ve ever done well at in Indy.” 

In Pro Stock qualifying, Vincent Nobile was second with a 6.601 at 208.49 in the Mountain View Tire Camaro. He will race Matt Hartford in the first round. Shane Gray’s Gray Manufacturing  Camaro qualified third with a 6.603 at 209.17 and will face Aussie rookie driver Shane Tucker. 

With their results in qualifying, V Gaines and Chris McGaha clinched their spots in the Countdown to the Championship. Greg Anderson and Jonathan Gray will face off tomorrow in the first round, a matchup that will be critical in deciding the final transfer spot for the Pro Stock top 10. 

In Top Fuel, Schumacher ran a 3.748 at a track record speed of 328.54 in his U.S. Army dragster during the Traxxas Nitro Shootout final, which was quick enough to earn the No. 1 qualifying position. It was the third top starting spot of the season for Schumacher and 75th of his career. He will go for a record-breaking 10th Indianapolis victory when he meets 2012 world champ and 2011 event winner Antron Brown in the first round. 

“You think you’re going to run an easier car when you’re No. 1,” said Schumacher of his matchup with his Don Schumacher Racing teammate. “Before he even ran, the bump was .84. You were running a bad to the bone car no matter what. As a teammate, I’m happier he got in and I have to race him than had he gotten bumped.” 

Steve Torrence qualified second with a 3.753 at 326.16 in the Capco Contractors dragster. He will race J.R. Todd in the first round. Brainerd winner Morgan Lucas was third in the Lucas Oil dragster with a 3.757 at 322.81, good enough for a matchup with No. 14 seed Khalid alBalooshi. 

With his qualifying result, Todd secured the final Top Fuel spot in the Countdown to the Championship. 

In Funny Car, Hagan sped to a track record time of 3.998 at 316.01 in the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger during the fourth session to claim the No. 1 qualifying position. It is the first time a Funny Car has completed a run quicker than four seconds at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. It was the first No. 1 qualifier of the season for Hagan and 16th of his career. He will face Bob Bode to open eliminations. 

“It was just a phenomenal run,” said Hagan, who is looking for his first career Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals victory. “Especially after those guys (The Mopar Express Lane crew) having such a late last night when we banged the blower off of it and they had to pull another body out and another motor out.” 

Jack Beckman, the 2012 Funny Car world champ, had a much needed qualifying effort, securing the No. 2 position with a performance of 4.004 at 312.13 in his Valvoline Max Life Dodge Charger. Beckman trimmed six points off 10th place Tim Wilkerson’s lead, which is now 10 points (less than one round) for the final transfer spot for the Countdown to the Championship. He will pair against Blake Alexander in the first round. Wilkerson will race Tommy Johnson Jr. in the first round. 

Courtney Force qualified third with a 4.005 at a track record speed of 322.73 in the Traxxas Ford Mustang. The run occurred during the first round of the Traxxas Nitro Shootout when she defeated Brainerd winner Ron Capps. 

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Krawiec posted a 6.829 at 196.56 on the Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson to earn his sixth No. 1 qualifying position of the season and 20th of his career. He faces Shawn Gann in the first round as he seeks his first Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals victory. 

“That’s definitely one I’d look to put a check next to,” said Krawiec. “We learned some stuff today. That was the key to moving onto Monday here. It’s not often you get five qualifying sessions, but when you do you need to take advantage of it.” 

Jerry Savoie was second on the Savoie’s Alligator Farm Suzuki with a 6.878 at 194.18. He will open eliminations with Chaz Kennedy. Reigning world champ Matt Smith qualified third on his Matt Smith Racing/Stockseth Racing Buell with a 6.888 at 193.54 and will face Adam Arana in the first round. 

Following qualifying, John Hall, Michael Ray and Smith claimed their spots in the Countdown to the Championship. Three spots remain in Pro Stock Motorcycle, with six riders still mathematically in contention. Steve Johnson holds down the 10th spot, and is followed by No. 2 qualifier Savoie in 11th, 63 points back.

After a well-deserved pause the time has come for the next, and penultimate, round of the 2014 season which will feature 10 cars in the LMP2 class, 13 in LMGTE and 15 for GTC. The large number of national teams and drivers is no doubt be a major highlight for the French round of the ELMS, with more than 10 cars and around  30 drivers representing the Tricolore at the Varois track.

Don Walsh raced to the qualifying lead Saturday during the NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series portion of the 60th annual Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. This weekend’s Pro Mod racing is presented by JEGS. 

Walsh ran his late model Chevy Camaro to a top performance of 5.863 seconds at 252.61 mph to move around Friday top qualifier Troy Coughlin. If Walsh’s run holds during the final qualifying session on Sunday, it will be the fifth career No. 1 qualifying position for Walsh and first since 2012. 

Coughlin, the 2012 NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series world champ, is currently No. 2 with a 5.866 at 248.52 in a late model Corvette. Jeff Naiser also ran a 5.892 in his Naiser Racing ’69 Camaro to sit third in the qualifying order. 

Pro Mod qualifying will conclude Sunday morning and eliminations will begin later that afternoon.

The ultimate finish line is in sight for Scott Hargrove after he earned his fifth victory of the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin season Saturday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. 

Hargrove, from Surrey, British Columbia, only needs to start the season-ending Round 10 at 4:15 p.m. (ET) Sunday to clinch the Platinum Cup (2014 car models) season championship in the No. 69 OpenRoad Racing Porsche. 

"It was kind of a perfect race from a driver's standpoint," Hargrove said. "I started on pole, got the lead on the start and was able to pull a gap early on and then just kind of maintain the gap for the rest of the race. Phenomenal result for these guys. I am thrilled to be here and can't wait to finish off the championship tomorrow." 

Hargrove led the 45-minute race from the pole to the checkered flag, as he has finished first or second in all nine events this season. The race ended under caution due to contact between Platinum Masters competitors Perry Bortolotti and Carlos de Quesada with six minutes remaining in the race. 

Chris Green, from Montreal, finished second in the No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports Porsche to sustain his slim championship hopes. Green trails Hargrove by 18 points. The winner of each race earns 20 points. 

Spencer Pigot, from Orlando, Florida, finished third in the No. 21 Alegra Motorsportsentry. Marco Cirone, from Toronto, placed fourth and was the first Platinum Masters (drivers age 45 and older) finisher in the No. 88 Mark Motors Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car. De Quesada, from Odessa, Florida, continued after the late incident with Bortolotti to round out the top five in the No. 22 Alegra Motorsports Porsche.

 Hargrove eased away from Pigot and Green early in the race, maintaining a gap of around one second. Pigot passed Green for second in Turn 1 on the first lap, and Green needed to regain the spot to keep his title hopes alive.

 Green pulled off that crucial pass with 25 minutes remaining on the 10-turn, 2.459-mile (3.957 km) circuit. But he never got a chance to threaten Hargrove, who led by 1.899 seconds at the halfway point of the race

 Hargrove extended that lead to 3.202 seconds with 17 minutes remaining. Green sliced the gap to 2.350 seconds with 13 minutes left but never approached Hargrove until the field was bunched under the race-ending caution period with six minutes remaining.

 "Those guys were definitely quick, and I had to push for the whole race," Hargrove said. "The OpenRoad Porsche was so good. I was able to run consistent lap times all race long, matching my best lap of the race even at the end."

 Platinum Masters

Platinum Masters podium finishers (from left): Carlos de Quesada, Marco Cirone, Andre Belzile

Cirone earned his fifth Platinum Masters win of the season and only needs to start the race Sunday to clinch his second consecutive championship in the class for drivers age 45 and older. 

He dominated the class during the race, leading by a margin of 18 seconds over teammate Bortolotti with nine minutes remaining. Cirone leads de Quesada, 168-158, in the Platinum Masters standings. 

"The race was, I guess, very lonely," Cirone said. "I had no one around me for 45 minutes. So I just concentrated on my line and tried to get good lap times. 

"I couldn't catch those three fast cars, kids. Although I tried the first couple of laps and I thought: 'If I continue to do this, I am going to kill myself! So I better back off and save the car for tomorrow.' But we got the win, and that's what's important for the championship." 

The race for second place in the class was fraught with drama between Bortolotti and de Quesada. 

De Quesada pulled to within two-tenths of a second of Bortolotti 10 minutes into the race, and the two drivers sailed around the track in lockstep for nearly the next half-hour. 

With six minutes remaining, the pair approached the Gold Cup car of Martin Harvey. Bortolotti and de Quesada made contact between Turns 3 and 4 while trying to pass Harvey, with Bortolotti and de Quesada hitting the tire wall in Turn 4.

 De Quesada was able to continue under caution in his Porsche to finish second in the class, but Bortolotti's race ended with a heavily damaged No. 84 Mark Motors Racing Porsche. Bortolotti, from Kanata, Ontario, was unhurt.

 Race officials assessed de Quesada with a 44-second penalty after the race for incident responsibility with Gold Cup competitor Jerimy Daniel earlier in the race, but de Quesada still kept second place in Platinum Masters despite the time penalty.

 Bortolotti's exit allowed Andre Belzile to inherit third in the No. 93 GT Racing entry. Belzile, from Drummondville, Quebec, earned his third podium finish of the season.

 Gold Cup

Gold Cup podium finishers (from left): Jerimy Daniel, Tim Sanderson, Ilker Starck

Tim Sanderson, from Pickering, Ontario, edged closer to his first Gold Cup championship with his third victory of the season in the No. 07 Alegra Motorsports/Northwest Atlantic Motorsports Porsche. 

He will clinch the title by finishing second or better Sunday in the class for 2010-13 model cars. Sanderson leads Daniel by four points entering the finale. 

Consistency has been the blueprint for success this season for Sanderson, and that smooth, steady approach played a key role in his victory Saturday. 

Daniel, from Candiac, Quebec, led Sanderson by 2.2 seconds eight minutes into the race and appeared to have the speed in his No. 75 TRC car to earn victory. But he slid and spun out of the lead in Turn 5 with 30 minutes remaining after contact from de Quesada, handing the top spot to Sanderson. 

But Daniel didn't quit. He charged through the field, braking late and smoking his Michelin tires, in a furious effort to catch Sanderson. 

Daniel pulled to within .489 seconds of Sanderson with 15 minutes remaining in the race, and the duel for the title and race victory was on. Sanderson led Daniel by just two points entering this event.

 But Sanderson maintained that gap for the next nine minutes, until the race-ending caution.

 "We just tried to drive our race," Sanderson said. "Unfortunately, Jerimy had a little spin, but you know we had a spin in Trois-Rivières. The racing gods were with us today, I guess! He (Daniel) was pushing me, Ilker (Starck) was pushing me, and that's what it's all about, the good competition."

 Ilker Starck finished third in the No. 48 SCB Racing/Downtown Porsche entry. Starck, from Toronto, earned his fourth podium finish of the season.

 Silver Cup

Silver Cup podium finishers (from left): Keith Bass, Chuck Harris

Chuck Harris cruised to his eighth victory in nine rounds this season in Silver Cup (2005½-2009 car models) in the No. 50 Alegra Motorsports Porsche. 

Harris, from Tampa, Florida, needs to start the race Sunday to clinch his first championship. He leads the Silver Cup championship standings by 14 points. 

"It was a little slippery out there, but it was clean all the way to the end," Harris said. "I had a good time out there. The guys that were going for it were going for it hard to protect their position in the points. It was a good race." 

Keith Bass, from Tampa, Florida, finished second in the No. 49 Alegra Motorsports Porsche. 

Up Next

 Round 10 of the 2014 Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin - the final race of the season - is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. (ET) Sunday. The race is 45 minutes. 

For more information on the Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin, visit www.imsa.com and @IMSA on Twitter with the hashtag #GT3CAN. Live commentary for both races will be provided on Twitter at @IMSALive. 

ROUND 9 POST-RACE QUOTES:

SCOTT HARGROVE (No. 69 OpenRoad Racing, winner): "It was kind of a perfect race from a driver's standpoint. I started on pole, got the lead on the start and was able to pull a gap early on and then just kind of maintain the gap for the rest of the race. Those guys were definitely quick, and I had to push for the whole race. The OpenRoad Porsche was so good. I was able to run consistent lap times all race long, matching my best lap of the race even at the end. Phenomenal result for these guys. I am thrilled to be here and can't wait to finish off the championship tomorrow."

CHRIS GREEN (No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports, second): "I'll leave that start to the officials. They are trying to be consistent, so we'll see how consistent they are with that one. At the end of the day, though, I got behind Spencer (Pigot) and followed him. He was fast for a while, so I figured I wouldn't fight it out with him. I knew I had a better car. Spencer made a couple of mistakes, and it gave me the opportunity to get by him. I started creeping up on Scott (Hargrove). Traffic didn't play out in my favor, and once again Scott wins under yellow. Another second place. What can I tell you? One more tomorrow."

SPENCER PIGOT (No. 21 Alegra Motorsports, third): "It started off well. We got second at the start but started falling off struggling with grip in the car and gradually dropped back. But we're on the podium again, so a big thanks to Alegra and everyone that helped prepare the car."

MARCO CIRONE (No. 88 Mark Motors Racing, first, Platinum Masters): "The race was, I guess, very lonely. I had no one around me for 45 minutes. I had a terrible start and then I got by Jerimy (Daniel). Etienne (Borgeat) spun in front of me. So, yeah, I was just all by myself. So I just concentrated on my line and tried to get good lap times. It was like a practice run out there because there was nobody to race against. I couldn't catch those three fast cars, kids. Although I tried the first couple of laps and I thought: 'If I continue to do this, I am going to kill myself! So I better back off and save the car for tomorrow.' But we got the win, and that's what's important for the championship."

CARLOS DE QUESADA (No. 22 Alegra Motorsports, second, Platinum Masters): "It was a crazy race. We had (Jerimy) Daniel in front of us. He kept locking it up everywhere. Perry got by him, and I was able to get by him. He locked up really bad in Turn 5A and got sideways there. When we came out of there, I tried just basically catching up with Perry and caught up with him. I came around Turn 3 and we had caught up to the McDonald's car (Martin Harvey). We got down there, and Perry tried making the pass on him and the guy moved over. Unfortunately he (Bortolotti) got the worst end of that. My car was just hobbling along at that point. Not the way I like to finish a race."

ANDRE BELZILE (No. 93 GT Racing, third, Platinum Masters): "I had such a bad start, so I had to recover from there so I could catch up to Shaun. That was it. Ilker (Starck) was in front of me, and he was fast today. So he had a great race. I am on the podium, obviously, because I saw Perry (Bortolotti) crashing. I hope he's OK. He would have deserved to be here on the podium. The car looked bad, but I saw him standing, so I hope he's OK."

TIM SANDERSON (No. 07 Alegra Motorsports/Northwest Atlantic Motorsports, first, Gold Cup): "We've enjoyed this track for many years. I've been coming here since I was a very young boy. We've done a lot of laps here. We just tried to drive our race. Unfortunately, Jerimy (Daniel) had a little spin, but you know we had a spin in Trois-Rivières. The racing gods were with us today, I guess! He (Daniel) was pushing me, Ilker (Starck) was pushing me, and that's what it's all about, the good competition."

ILKER STARCK (No. 48 SCB Racing/Downtown Porsche, third, Gold Cup): "The race was great. The guys did a good job getting the car in a good position for us to at least finish on the podium. I guess with the weather change, it was cooler this morning, and we thought we'd be really competitive and maybe win this race. But either way, the car started falling off toward the end, so I made the best out of it and brought the car home in third place. Thanks again to my team and Downtown Porsche."

CHUCK HARRIS (No. 50 Alegra Motorsports, first, Silver Cup): "It was a little slippery out there, but it was clean all the way to the end. I had a good time out there. The guys that were going for it were going for it hard to protect their position in the points. It was a good race."

KEITH BASS (No. 49 Alegra Motorsports, second, Silver Cup): "It started well, and we kept up quite a bit, but just didn't have the pace as it went on and on. So I came in second and had a great day."

Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin

The IMSA Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin produces intense, exciting competition for semi-professional and aspiring professional drivers in one of the world's most successful and iconic race cars, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The series is one of Porsche's global single-make Cup Challenge series and is the perfect platform for aspiring drivers to ascend to the highest levels of GT competition, such as the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The 10-round series races in 2014 at four classic Canadian road and street courses, providing thrills for drivers and fans.

IMSA

The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) is the sanctioning body of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the road-racing series resulting from the merger of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. IMSA also sanctions the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, as well as four single-make series: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama; Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin; Ferrari Challenge North America; and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. IMSA is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected TUDOR United SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

(IMSA PR)