Ford Outlasts Corvette to Claim GTD Pro Victory in Last-Lap Indianapolis Showdown

In a fiercely contested, wheel-banging battle between two iconic American automakers, Dennis Olsen and Ben Barker secured Ford Racing’s first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Pro victory of the season at the Battle on the Bricks.

The result was decided on the final lap of the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Olsen, piloting the #64 Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3, successfully repelled a late challenge from Nicky Catsburg in the #4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

The situation shifted when newly crowned Indy NXT champion Nikita Johnson brought the #59 RLL Team McLaren 720S GT3 EVO into the pits following an extended fuel-and-energy run. This handed the lead back to Olsen, who had already been navigating faster traffic after getting sandwiched between two Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) leaders.

On the final lap, Catsburg attempted an outside pass into Turn 7. At the same time, another GTP car dived down the inside of both GTD Pro contenders. Trapped in between, Olsen went wide, making contact with Catsburg’s Corvette and sending it onto the grass. Both drivers recovered their vehicles, with Olsen crossing the checkered flag 0.993 seconds ahead of Catsburg and co-driver Tommy Milner.

“Fortunately, we had a strong Ford Mustang GT3 that held up together,” Olsen said. “I had a lot of intense battles in that final stint. Nicky is a formidable attacker, and I knew what he was trying to do, but a GTP car was also coming up the inside, making the apex incredibly tight. We had some contact, but we came out on the good side of it, which was great.”

“It feels amazing to pull off this win. We’ve been chasing it for a long time with Ben this season, for the team, and for Ford Racing. I’m incredibly proud.”

Despite the off-track incident on the final lap, Catsburg offered no complaints regarding the hard-fought battle.

“On the last lap, the team told me to be smart about this,” Catsburg said. “I was only going to go for it when there was a clear opportunity, and I think there was. It was a good, fair battle. That was pretty cool—we let each other live. He pushed me wide into Turn 7, but he had to because there was a car on his inside.”

Barker’s pit strategy also proved pivotal to the victory. The crew pitted the #64 Mustang just ahead of a full-course caution with 65 minutes remaining in the two-hour, 40-minute event.

“It was pretty much everything,” the Brit said. “It’s part of the game when you box and you’re always taking a bit of a punt. My early pit stop set the trend for the rest of the race, and the final stop was obviously perfectly timed. It shuffled us to the front. I don’t think we had the quickest car today, but we maximized our pace and came away with the win.”

The win marks Olsen’s third career IMSA victory, Barker’s first, and the second consecutive year Ford Racing has claimed the GTD Pro class title at Indianapolis.

With their runner-up finish, Catsburg, Milner, and the #4 Corvette team seized the unofficial GTD Pro championship lead. They hold a 47-point advantage over Neil Verhagen, Connor De Phillippi, and the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, which finished sixth, heading into the October 3 season finale, the Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

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