The final race of the 2026 Mustang Challenge North America season, Race No. 2 at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), saw Dark Horse (DH) championship contender Devin Anderson, aboard the TechSport Racing No. 22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, sweep the weekend with two flawless victories.
Meanwhile, Cole Loftsgard secured the Dark Horse season championship in the Round 3 Racing No. 42 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.
In Dark Horse Legends (DHL), Tom Tait finished the season in dramatic fashion, dropping to third following an incident involving Chris Clarke, but ultimately securing the season-long Dark Horse Legends championship aboard the Wheelhouse Motorsports No. 8 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.
On the opening lap, Anderson capitalized on his strong start over championship rival Loftsgard, securing the overall and Dark Horse class leads ahead of the Round 3 Racing driver. Further down the grid, Chris Clarke, aboard the Paley Motorsports with AAG Racing No. 9 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, moved past Paolo Salvatorre in his self-owned Torre Racing No. 84 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R to take the early lead in Dark Horse Legends.
With Dan McKeever not starting the race in his self-owned Wheelhouse Motorsports No. 77 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, Tait provisionally clinched the Dark Horse Legends championship at that point, needing only to finish fifth or better with five cars starting Sunday’s event.
Ultimately, Clarke and Anderson maintained control at the front of their respective classes, while the remaining podium positions continued to shuffle.
Minutes into the race, Ethan Low dropped to fourth in the No. 25 Flying Lion Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse R, allowing Will Lucas to move into the final podium position in the No. 34 Wheelhouse Motorsports Ford Mustang Dark Horse R. Shortly after the change in position in the Dark Horse class, Tait moved past Salvatorre for second in Dark Horse Legends, inching closer to championship rival Clarke.
With just over 30 minutes remaining, Salvatorre dropped to fourth in Dark Horse Legends after Round 3 Racing team owner Brad McCall made the pass for third, claiming the final spot on the podium in his No. 7 Ford Mustang Dark Horse R.
From there, the podium positions remained firmly in place until the final lap of the season, when Tait got onto Clarke’s bumper as the pair approached the finish. Ultimately, the provisionally crowned class champion made the pass on Clarke for the race lead.
Unfortunately for Clarke, the weekend would not end with the result he had hoped for. As Tait and Clarke battled for the lead, Clarke was sent into the wall near Turn 11, with his No. 9 Dark Horse R sustaining significant contact and ending his race.
The incident prompted a post-race review from race control, with Tait receiving a 30-second post-race time penalty. The penalty dropped the DHL champion from the race win to third, handing the victory to Brad McCall — his first win in his first race weekend driving in the series.
Joining Anderson on the podium was Loftsgard in second, concluding his strong Dark Horse championship campaign with a smooth weekend, while Will Lucas earned the final spot on the podium in third.
As mentioned, Brad McCall, the team owner of Round 3 Racing, found success in Dark Horse Legends following Tait’s penalty, claiming the race win. Salvatorre finished second, while 2026 Dark Horse Legends champion Tom Tait rounded out the podium in third to close the season.
“Coming into this season, we wanted to show that we could be competitive and compete for race wins,” Loftsgard, the 2026 Dark Horse champion, stated. “I never really allowed myself to think about what it would be like to be champion; I didn’t want to think about it until the last checkered flag flew. It’s still soaking in for sure, but it’s incredible. I can’t thank everyone at Round 3 Racing enough, they gave me a great Ford Mustang Dark Horse R all season.”
“We had a great result today and it was enough to bring home the championship,” Tait, the 2026 Dark Horse Legends champion, stated. “[Chris] Clarke and I have had some great battles this season, and I really enjoy racing him. Thanks to the Wheelhouse Motorsports crew for all their hard work this season and for helping me come back stronger today after a tough race yesterday.”
