SAVAGE, Minn. (August 2, 2026). The JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Racing No. 5 Porsche 963 finished 2nd at the Motul SportsCar Endurance Grand Prix in front of a huge crowd on the 4.048 miles of Road America. Road America is the team’s home track, so it was especially rewarding to bring home the strong result in front of all the JDC-Miller MotorSports and Mustang Sampling Racing fans. The race this year changed to the endurance format and ran for 6 hours. The change proved to be very popular with both the competitors and the fans. It was an exciting race for all 6 hours.
Kaylen Frederick started the Mustang Sampling Porsche from 11th position with the goal of running clean and staying near the leaders without risking the car. The race was full of yellows and many penalties, which kept the crew on the pit box constantly evolving the Mustang Sampling Porsche’s strategy. It was a day of good fortune for the Mustang Sampling Porsche. The most noteworthy incident was late in the race when Laurin Heinrich had some minor contact when two cars in front of him got together, which put a hole in the nose. The hole allowed air pressure to build up in the cockpit and eventually blew the right-side door open. The car was black-flagged for the open door just as the final pit-stop window opened, and the crew was able to change the nose and close the door during a normal pit-stop, losing seconds instead of a lap if they had made a separate stop for the door.
The race featured 9 full-course yellows, with the final one coming with 10 minutes remaining and the Mustang Sampling Porsche running 5th. Two competitors ahead of the Mustang Sampling Porsche took each other out in turn 1 and could not continue. The car running 4th received an avoidable contact drive-through penalty, and the Mustang Sampling Porsche moved up to 2nd while circling behind the safety car. Safety teams could not complete the cleanup before the clock ticked over the 6-hour mark, and the race was checkered. It was an exciting finish for the JDC-Miller MotorSports team and their fans, even though the final passes for position were under yellow.
The JDC-Miller MotorSports No. 79 Oreca 07 finished an impressive 8th in the LMP2 class and 15th overall. Gerry Kraut, Josh Burdon, and Sennan Fielding, did the driving. 54 cars started the race.
Laurin Heinrich further improved his 2nd position in his pursuit of the IMSA WeatherTech Championship GTP driver’s championship. Two races remain.
Quotes:
John Church, Managing Partner
No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Racing Porsche 963
“What a great day. Early in the race we had the pace we wanted and were following an energy save strategy, which was working well for us. Then we picked up a couple of penalties. We went down a lap a couple of times, but with all the yellows, we worked through those pretty easily and were never very far from the leaders. Things went well for us and later in the race we were in good position to push to the finish. Our focus was on getting P4 when everything happened in front of us and we moved up to 2nd. While we had some luck, we had the pace and executed well throughout the race. That allowed us to be in position to take advantage of the breaks when they presented themselves. P2 is especially gratifying because we did what we needed to do to earn the position.
This is exactly why we love the 6 hour format. You can get a bad break and have time to work your way out of it. Our podium today is a perfect example of how if you keep working, you can get a great result. Great points day for Laurin and the team. This is our third podium in four races, so I couldn’t be prouder of the team.”
Tijmen van der Helm, Driver
No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Racing Porsche 963
“I’ve been with the team for four years now, since the beginning, and know how hard everyone has worked. It’s great to see all the effort turn into some results. This is our third podium in the last four races, which is incredible. We got our first win under our belts, and now we know we can fight for the win every weekend.”
Kaylen Frederick, Driver
No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Racing Porsche 963
“Very happy with this result. It is a bit unexpected as we didn’t have a lot of pace early on and then picked up some penalties, as well. We thought Watkins Glen was a roller coaster, this was much more. Everyone worked really hard to overcome the adversities. The crew and the guys on the pit box kept us in position to take advantage of some luck which came our way, and here we are.
Second podium in a row for me and I couldn’t be happier.”
Laurin Heinrich, Driver
No. 5 JDC-Miller MotorSports Mustang Sampling Racing Porsche 963
“It was quite a turnaround in the race. It initially looked like it was going to be a difficult day. I’ve learned in racing, however, that sometimes the race has to come to you. There are times you have to just do your best and let things happen. Today was one of those days. Less exciting in the cockpit making up positions, but working to be there to take advantage of opportunities as they come around.
I think the team did a great job to bounce back from the penalties we had and also the mechanical black flag for the open door. I had some contact which put a hole in the nose. So I got a lot of air coming in the cockpit, and about 10 minutes later, there was so much pressure in the cockpit that the passenger door popped open. It felt like a submarine exploding!. Fortunately, this happened just as the pit window opened, so the crew fixed it without losing much time. Then I had some good restarts and kept a cool head to bring home a good position, which is good for the championship.”
