The final pair of races for the 2026 Mustang Challenge North America season takes the series to Circuit of The Americas (COTA) this weekend, September 4-6, in support of the World Endurance Championship’s (WEC) six-hour Lone Star Le Mans.
Fifteen entries are set to take on the Texas circuit as season champions are crowned in both the Dark Horse (DH) and Dark Horse Legends (DHL) classes.
Both categories feature open title fights heading into the season finale. In the DH category, Round 3 Racing’s Cole Loftsgard looks to cap off a strong 2026 campaign aboard the No. 42 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, holding a 170-point advantage over title pursuer Devin Anderson, who pilots his family-owned TechSport Racing No. 22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.
Loftsgard has claimed nine podium finishes across the ten completed races this season, highlighted by seven victories. Anderson has also enjoyed a consistent campaign, regularly fighting for podium finishes while scoring three race wins.
The two have been locked in a season-long battle at the front of the Dark Horse standings, with multiple rounds featuring exciting fights for race leads between the two title contenders, setting up a fitting conclusion to the season at COTA.
Sandy Satullo and Will Lucas, the two Wheelhouse Motorsports entrants in the DH class, also remain mathematically eligible for the title. However, both drivers will need plenty to go their way, sitting more than 500 points behind Loftsgard in the standings.
Among the Dark Horse Legends contenders, three drivers remain in contention for the championship heading into Sunday’s finale. Wheelhouse Motorsports’ Tom Tait enters the weekend leading the title fight behind the wheel of the No. 8 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.
Trailing Tait is Paley Motorsport with AAG Racing’s Chris Clarke, driver of the No. 9 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R. Clarke, who spent much of the season atop the standings, enters the weekend 180 points behind Tait.
Tait has consistently run toward the front throughout the season, collecting two race wins and six additional podium finishes. His most recent race weekend at Virginia International Raceway did not provide the storybook conclusion he would have hoped for, but the DHL championship remains within his grasp heading into COTA.
For Clarke, the early-season championship leader has slipped down the standings following a difficult stretch of races. However, the title remains within reach for the driver who established himself as an early favorite after a strong start to the campaign.
Joining Tait and Clarke in the championship fight is Paolo Salvatorre, who trails Tait by 340 points. While the gap is significantly larger for the driver of his self-owned No. 84 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, Salvatorre has enjoyed a recent stretch worth remembering, highlighted by his first Mustang Challenge North America victory in Round 5 at Mid-Ohio.
Although VIR proved difficult for Salvatorre, the driver-owner remains mathematically in the championship hunt heading into the final two races of the season.
This weekend’s doubleheader at COTA begins Friday, September 4, with a pair of 30-minute practice sessions scheduled for 10:45 a.m. ET and 2:30 p.m. ET. Qualifying will take place Saturday, September 5, at 10:30 a.m. ET, followed by Race 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The season concludes Sunday, September 6, with Race 2 scheduled for 9:50 a.m. ET.
