Spike Kohlbecker earned his fourth career Continental Tire Pole Award, and first since Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2024. Kohlbecker and Jeremy Fletcher came into the weekend tied atop the point standings, as the two drivers led the field to green for Race 1 at Sonoma Raceway. The two front-runners made contact shortly after the start, allowing Kohlbecker to pull ahead and take control of the race.
Fletcher’s day came to an early end on Lap 2 after locking up into Turn 1 and going off track, forcing the No. 22 Copeland Motorsports machine to retire. That opened the door for Will Robusto to move into the second position as Kohlbecker built a commanding lead with battles unfolding behind them.
Ethan Goulart and Max Schweid traded positions in a fight for the final podium spot, with Ethan Ayars, Malbec Ramos, Parker DeLong, and Garrett Manes all in contention for a top five. The field ultimately reset with a full course yellow with 17 minutes remaining.
Racing resumed with eight minutes to go, but Kohlbecker maintained control up front, holding off Robusto and Schweid to secure his 10th career GR Cup victory.
Goulart and Manes completed the top five, followed by Ayars, Ramos, Michael Edwards, Joseph Maley, and Jenson Sofronas rounding out the top 10.
Podium
With his 10th career win, Kohlbecker moves into a tie for second all-time in GR Cup podiums with 22. Robusto captured his seventh career podium, while Schweid notched his third.
WWEX Group Legends Cup
Patrick Brunson secured his third consecutive WWEX Group Legends Cup victory after making a late-race pass on Livio Galanti, who went off course in the final minutes. Galanti recovered to finish second in the Legends Cup, while Alcyr Araujo rounded out the podium.
Race Awards
- Fastest Lap: Spike Kohlbecker laid down the fastest lap of the race on Lap 14 with a time of 1:51.871.
- Hard Charger: BSI Racing’s Massimo Sunseri earned Hard Charger honors, advancing from 25th to 16th.
- Endava Highest Finishing Female: Maite Caceres notched her third Endava Highest Finishing Female honors of the season with a 17th place finish.
- WWEX Group Highest Finishing Legend: With the Legends Cup victory, Brunson earned the WWEX Group Highest Finishing Legend with a 19th place finish.
What’s Next
The GR Cup Series will wrap up the weekend at Sonoma Raceway with Round 4 of the 2026 season on Sunday, March 29. Qualifying is set for 8:15 a.m. PT, followed by the green flag at 12:00 p.m. PT.
Catch all the action on grcupseries.com and the GT World YouTube channel.
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