Shift Up Now Athlete Sabré Cook had a season-best weekend with back-to-back seventh-place finishes in the finale weekend of Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by PenFed Credit Union at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on October 17-19, 2025.
Cook, a Hagerty-supported racer, piloted the No. 37 PenFed / privé 992 Porsche Cup Car for JDX Racing in the Pro Class.
Formula 1 headlined the weekend, which allowed just one practice session for the Porsche Carrera Cup drivers on Friday, before going straight into qualifying on Saturday. Cook ran in the top 15 for practice on the 3.426-mile, 20-turn race track.
Qualifying began at 9:45am CST on Saturday under sunny skies. Cooler temperatures provided optimal track conditions for the 30-minute session. When nearly the entire field set personal- best lap times, Cook rose to the challenge and posted the ninth-fastest time on her Yokohama tires, putting her on the inside of row five for race one.
Despite a short red flag for a car off track, Cook’s second-fastest lap was eighth-quickest of the session, so she would start race two on the outside of row four.
Later that afternoon, the Porsche Carrera Cup field was lined up for the first 35-minute race under bright blue skies with hot track temperatures. After one pace lap, they rolled two-by-two to the start.
Cook held her ninth-place spot on the inside through the notoriously-tight pinch point at turn one, and the field came through cleanly.
For the first 30 minutes of the race, green-flag racing ensued. Then, with just five minutes remaining, a single-car incident brought out the full-course yellow. Despite race officials’ best efforts, the competition ended under yellow, with Cook crossing the line in ninth. Post-race penalties were assessed to two of her competitors, advancing her to seventh.
On Sunday morning, race two brought gusty wind conditions, and drivers anticipated a challenging tail wind down the front straight and into turn one.
Cook was lined up on the outside of row four for the 35-minute race. After one pace lap, the field ran side-by-side to the green flag. The expected tail wind caused higher top speeds and an earlier brake point for turn one, but Cook had a strong start and advanced around the outside.
In the melee of the first few corners, she dropped back to ninth but stayed focused on making the pass for eighth. In a bold, side-by-side move that put her on the inside for several corners, she was able to complete the pass.
By just the second lap, she had made another pass to run in seventh. From that point forward, she defended her position, swapping places several times with the car behind. She crossed the finish line in eighth but was once again awarded a position after post-race penalties were assessed. This gave Cook her second consecutive seventh-place finish to cap off her best weekend of the season.
“I’m really pleased to end the Porsche Carrera Cup North America season on a high note,” said Cook. “Having our best qualifying yet really set us up for success, and it paid off with two solid results. The close racing was so much fun - I only wish we had more coming up!
“I’m so grateful for everyone that has supported my program this year. I couldn’t have done it without so many incredible people and companies behind me.”
The 2026 Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by PenFed Credit Union schedule has not yet been announced. More information will be released soon at www.PorscheCarreraCup.us.
