The first leg of the Mustang Challenge North America season finale weekend concluded in dramatic fashion Saturday night at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), with Devin Anderson claiming the overall and Dark Horse (DH) class victory aboard the No. 22 TechSport Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R. Meanwhile, Chris Clarke inherited the win in the Dark Horse Legends (DHL) category aboard the No. 9 Paley Motorsport with AAG Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.
The first half of the race remained relatively quiet across the field, with the top three starters remaining inside the podium positions in both classes. The first domino to fall came in the form of Flying Lion Motorsports’ No. 25 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, as Ethan Low fell from third place with just over 20 minutes remaining due to car issues, resulting in an early exit for the Florida-based team. Low’s unfortunate departure allowed No. 98 Automatic Racing Dark Horse R driver Tate Pritt to inherit third place and hold position for a podium finish.
Shortly afterward, DHL championship leader Tom Tait, driving the No. 8 Wheelhouse Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, was hit with a title-changing issue, resulting in a mechanical black flag being shown to Tait and ultimately ending the day for the championship leader.
Tait’s early exit opened the door for Chris Clarke to gain ground in the championship with under 20 minutes remaining in the race, with Clarke entering the event second in the DHL championship standings.
With Anderson and polesitter Dan McKeever, aboard the No. 77 Wheelhouse Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, leading the respective fields into the final half of the race, the battle for the remaining podium positions began to intensify in both classes.
Pritt engaged in a battle with Will Lucas, driving the No. 34 Wheelhouse Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, to hold onto third place with 19 minutes remaining. Ultimately, Pritt fended off Lucas for the moment, while minutes later, team owner and driver Brad McCall, competing aboard the No. 70 Round 3 Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R for the weekend, pressured third-place driver Paolo Salvatorre in his self-owned Torre Racing No. 84 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.
Ultimately, McCall, who made his series debut Saturday, was able to get past Salvatorre with under 10 minutes remaining, while Lucas was also able to get past Pritt to claim third place and secure the final spot on the DH podium.
The battles for the podium and race victory would come to a halt when DHL race leader McKeever went off course at Turn 1, sending his Wheelhouse Motorsports Dark Horse R into the tire barrier and allowing championship contender Chris Clarke to inherit the win. The result cut Tait’s DHL championship lead heading into Sunday’s finale, while Anderson took home the checkered flag to cap a flawless performance at the front of the DH field.
Joining Anderson on the DH podium was championship leader entering the weekend, Cole Loftsgard, aboard the No. 42 Round 3 Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R. While Anderson cut into Loftsgard’s lead in the Dark Horse championship battle, Loftsgard’s podium finish still provides him with a cushion heading into tomorrow’s final race of the 2026 season. Will Lucas rounded out the DH podium in third.
Clarke was joined by Brad McCall in second on the DHL podium following the incident involving race leader, Dan McKeever, while Paolo Salvatorre rounded out the podium in third.
“We just had an amazing Dark Horse R,” Devin Anderson, Dark Horse & overall winner, stated. “I spent most of the race focused on managing my tires, and it definitely paid off in the long run. We came here wanting to make a statement and end the year strong, and I think we did exactly that. I’m looking forward to hopefully doing more of the same tomorrow.”
“For me, the race was about managing the tires and keeping myself in the championship fight,” Chris Clarke, Dark Horse Legends winner, stated. “Tomorrow I will just do the best I can to finish on top of the podium again and hopefully bring home the championship.”
Tomorrow’s final race of the weekend and the 2026 Mustang Challenge North America season gets underway at 10:50 a.m. ET, live on IMSA’s official YouTube channel.
