Ric Team Racing arrived at Indianapolis needing to finish the job rather than reinvent the season that had put it in control. A third-place finish in Saturday's Battle at the Brickyard was enough, securing the 2026 VSCA Sprint Cup LMP2 championship by 45 points in the team's rookie season.
The No. 87 Dallara P217 ended the five-race LMP2 Sprint Cup campaign with 2230 points, ahead of the No. 757 Flight Level Racing entry and the No. 14 Grow Racing Team car. For Ric Team Racing, it is a first VSCA championship at the first attempt.
Laguna Seca and VIR Wins Build Early Lead
The championship was built largely during an opening pair of victories that gave Ric Team Racing control before the season became considerably more difficult.
Afonso Reis and Francisco Silva qualified second in class at Laguna Seca and converted it into victory in the JRT Course De Monterey, finishing ninth overall and setting the second-fastest LMP2 race lap. The result immediately put the No. 87 at the head of the Sprint Cup standings.
Four weeks later at VIR, the same pairing started third and won again. This time the result was not only a class victory: Reis and Silva brought the Dallara home first overall. Again, the No. 87 recorded the second-fastest lap in class and left the weekend still leading the championship.
José Barbosa said the strength of that opening stretch proved decisive. “We started the Sprint Cup incredibly strongly with two wins, and that put us in a really good position. But the second half of the season definitely made us work for it.”
Homestead Storm Tests the Championship Lead
The first major setback arrived at Homestead-Miami. In a race run through a massive thunderstorm and heavy rain, the No. 87 started fifth in LMP2 but finished tenth in class and 48th overall, nine laps behind the winner, after a a couple of incidents resulting in two hefty post-race penalties. It was the low point for the #87 team in an otherwise stellar championship campaign.
Despite the setback, Ric Team Racing and the #87 Dallara team was able to retain the championship lead. The result would stand as its worst Sprint Cup finish of the year, with the fifth-fastest LMP2 lap under difficult conditions.
The contrast with the opening two rounds was substantial. Ric Team Racing had gone from consecutive victories to the bottom end of the class top ten, but importantly had avoided a retirement and kept its championship intact.
CTMP Keeps Ric Team Racing in Control
At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Roberto Artur joined Francisco Silva in the No. 87. Starting seventh in class, their lowest qualifying position of the Sprint Cup campaign, the pair recovered to fifth.
The No. 87's ninth-fastest race lap suggested this was not another weekend built around outright speed. Instead, fifth place provided another useful points haul and ensured Ric Team Racing remained first in the standings heading toward Indianapolis.
By that stage the picture had changed considerably from the opening rounds. Ric Team Racing had not won since VIR, but consecutive classified finishes of tenth and fifth meant its rivals still had to take the championship away from it.
Indianapolis Pole and Third Place Seal the Title
The 2026 Sprint Cup finale began with renewed speed. Duarte Mota, making his VSCA debut, put the No. 87 on LMP2 pole - the entry's first of the season - and led the class to the green flag, with team-mate Roberto Artur taking over for the mid-part of the race after 53 minutes.
The race itself proved less straightforward. Early full-course yellows, traffic, restarts and differing strategies complicated the picture, while mistakes toward the end prevented Ric Team Racing from converting its pace into a third Sprint Cup victory.
Artur acknowledged the missed opportunity afterward. “We had the pace and determination to win the race, but unfortunately we made a few mistakes toward the end and that left us in third place. We have to take responsibility for that because we know we were capable of a better result.”
But the larger objective had already shaped how Ric Team Racing approached the Sprint Cup finale. Barbosa said the team knew exactly what was required before the start. “It wasn't about taking unnecessary risks or trying to win the race at all costs. The priority was bringing the car home and securing the championship. In some ways that made it more stressful, because every incident or small mistake could have changed everything.”
Third place and 8.905 seconds behind the LMP2 winner proved sufficient. The No. 87 also recorded the second-fastest race lap and completed every lap necessary to turn a season-long championship lead into the title.
“Third place was enough to get the job done and win the Sprint Cup by 45 points,” Barbosa added. “After all the work everyone in the team has put in throughout the season, it feels great to finally say that we are 2026 LMP2 Sprint Cup champions.”
Consistency Completes Ric Team Racing's Rookie Campaign
Across its five LMP2 Sprint Cup starts, Ric Team Racing recorded two victories, three podium finishes, four top-fives and five top-tens. The No. 87 reached the finish in every race, with no DNFs or disqualifications during the championship campaign.
Its average class starting position was 3.6 and its average class finishing position was fourth. The individual results — first at Laguna Seca, first at VIR, tenth at Homestead-Miami, fifth at CTMP and third at Indianapolis — also meant the No. 87 never surrendered the championship lead after establishing it at the opening LMP2 Sprint Cup round.
The title also makes Ric Team Racing the successor to 2025 Sprint Cup champion Twin Turn Simracing, whose title defense ended when the team exited the series after VIR. But wins from Vision Motorsports, Grow Racing Team, Flight Level Racing kept the championship competitive.
Artur said the increased pressure from Ric Team Racing's rivals made the championship particularly rewarding. “We knew the competition would get stronger as the season went on, and our rivals raised the bar and pushed us hard right until the end. Despite the disappointment of not winning the finale, we're extremely proud to finish the season as Sprint Cup champions.”
He also thanked those around the program for getting Ric Team Racing through its first VSCA season. “I want to thank all our supporters and fans, because without them this wouldn't have been possible. Thanks as well to everyone in the team and to our chief, Ric Fazeres, for creating this opportunity for all of us. It's been quite a ride, and we're very happy and thankful.”
SportsCar Championship Remains Unfinished Business
Celebrations at Indianapolis come with another championship still unresolved. Ric Team Racing leaves the Brickyard holding a 110-point advantage over the No. 757 in the overall SportsCar Championship with one round remaining.
Barbosa said the finale reinforced the importance of looking beyond individual battles when a championship is at stake. “Between the traffic, restarts and different strategies, there were plenty of moments where it would have been easy to take unnecessary risks. The biggest lesson is to focus on ourselves. We don't need to force anything or get involved in battles that aren't necessary.”
Artur offered a similar assessment. “Today reinforced the importance of staying calm in traffic, managing restarts carefully, making the right strategic decisions and avoiding unnecessary incidents. We'll approach the final round exactly as we've approached the season: with hard work, complete focus and the aim of racing as cleanly as possible.”
The Sprint Cup trophy, however, is already theirs. From consecutive wins to open the campaign, through the Homestead deluge and a more measured second half of the season, Ric Team Racing never lost control of the standings. At Indianapolis, third place was all it needed to complete its first VSCA championship.
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