GAZOO Racing officially crowned the 2026 GR Cup Series champions following an exciting weekend of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Spike Kohlbecker of TechSport Racing won the Am class title, and Patrick Brunson of Eagles Canyon with Fast Track took home the WWEX Group Legends Cup championship. Kohlbecker is the fourth different Am class champion in the GR Cup Series’ four-year history, while Brunson is the second Legends Cup champion.
“Congratulations to Spike Kohlbecker on securing the 2026 GR Cup Series championship and to Patrick Brunson for earning his first WWEX Group Legends Cup title,” said Mike Norem, manager, customer racing, Toyota Racing Development (T.R.D. USA). “Spike’s commitment to the GR Cup Series and his ability to consistently contend at the front of the field made him a deserving champion. Patrick demonstrated remarkable consistency and determination throughout the season to claim the Legends Cup title. Both are deserving champions who embody what GR Cup racing is all about.”
Kohlbecker won the title on the strength of six wins and 11 total podium results in 14 races driving the TechSport Racing No. 15 Toyota GR86 this season. The 23-year-old Missouri native was victorious in the season-opening race at the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington, swept both races at Sonoma Raceway, and also earned wins at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and Barber Motorsports Park. Kohlbecker has participated in the GR Cup Series since its inaugural season in 2023 and is the all-time wins leader.
“Winning the GR Cup championship is a dream come true,” said Kohlbecker. Thank you to all who have made this dream possible. This title reflects our relentless hard work all season, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Brunson stood on the top step of the WWEX Group Legends Cup podium in six of the 10 class races, including weekend sweeps at the Grand Prix of Arlington and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta and Legends Cup wins at Sonoma Raceway and Circuit of the Americas. Prior to his racing career, Brunson served in the United States Army for 12 years as a Staff Seargent, Military Police officer and recruiting and retention noncommissioned officer, including an 18-month deployment to Iraq providing security for military convoys.
“People say you have to start young to have a shot at being a professional racing driver. I started at 37 with PTSD and a streetcar,” said Brunson. “To me, this championship is another token of proof that you don’t have to be a young athlete in order to come into professional racing and compete. It's proof that you can get into racing later in life, no matter what your background is, and strive to accomplish something while everyone else is saying ‘you're too old to do that.’ Age is not something that prevents people from being competitive and going after their dreams, it’s a number where people have become accustomed to think that the bigger that number gets, the less they can do physically. This Championship is now visible proof that age is not a barrier, and it’s never too late to go after your dreams.”
The WWEX Group Legends Cup is a class for drivers 40 years or older and featured an expanded schedule this season from six to 10 races.
The GAZOO Racing GR Cup Series returns to action March 20-21, 2027, at the Grand Prix of Arlington 2.73-mile street circuit as part of the INDYCAR race weekend.
