An 18-car field heads to Watkins Glen International this weekend for the fourth round of the 2026 season. The series returns after racing around this 5.43-kilometre track in 2024, looking to crown new Watkins Glen winners on Friday and Saturday.
In Dark Horse, championship contenders Cole Loftsgard and Devin Anderson split the last round’s races at Mid-Ohio, taking a win each. Race 1 was an intense battle between the top four cars, with Nolan Allaer and Sandy Satullo right in the mix as well. Anderson dominated Race 2, leading from start to finish and showcasing the consistency we saw in his first victory at Laguna Seca.
Loftsgard and Anderson return this weekend, alongside six other Dark Horse entries, including Ryan Persing in the Paley Motorsport with AAG Racing car, who missed Mid-Ohio but showed competitive pace in Monterey, and Will Lucas for Wheelhouse Racing, Mustang Cup Champion and podium-finisher last time out.
Meanwhile, Dark Horse Legends racer Paolo Salvatore (featured) took his first victory in the series in his first weekend racing at the Mid-Ohio track, showcasing a strong display of his and Torre Racing’s pace in their third year as a fixture in the series. Salvatore also finished first on track in Race 2, but would later lose the win due to a post-race penalty for incident responsibility.
Elsewhere in the DHL class, points leader Tom Tait will look forward to returning to a track he was successful at in 2024, taking a podium and a top-five finish. Tait’s Wheelhouse Motorsports teammate Joseph Dederichs also returns, as well as Laguna victor Nicholas Smither with Nick Smither Racing.
Stephen Vajda in the NV Autosport returns to the series for the first time this season, looking to repeat the successful P3 finish he earned here in 2024.
The Ford Mustang Dark Horse Rs look to take on the fast-paced 11-corner track this weekend, with a strong field of contenders and all to play for at the halfway point in the season.
Qualifying will take place at 8:00 am ET on Friday morning, with Race 1 to follow at 1:55 pm track time. Race 2 will begin at 8:00 am ET on Saturday morning. Keep tabs on DSC across the weekend for news and feature coverage of Mustang Challenge, as well as race streams and reports.
Image courtesy of Ford Racing
