Michai Stephens and Mikaël Grenier won Sunday’s GT World Challenge America Race No. 2 at Road America after a wild finish that came down to one final lap. The JMF Motorsports Mercedes-AMG GT3 pair grabbed the lead when Stephens got around DXDT Racing’s Blake McDonald during pit stops, but the real battle happened when a late caution bunched up the field and set up a restart with just one lap to go.
The Canadian team beat Random Vandals Racing’s Connor De Phillippi and Kenton Koch by 1.328 seconds after De Phillippi made a late charge. Rennsport One’s Jan Heylen and Alex Sedgwick claimed the final podium position, followed by Bill Auberlen and Varun Choksey in the second Random Vandals BMW, with McDonald and Bell rounding out the top five in Pro class.
Grenier had established JMF’s early advantage by maintaining second overall position during his opening stint, keeping pace with the leaders while building a foundation for the team’s strategic pit sequence. The timing proved critical when Stephens emerged from the pit lane with track position over McDonald, who struggled with cold tires after his own driver change.
Stephens admitted the final restart had him worried, and he joked that team owner John Farrow probably needed a drink after watching the finish. JMF got the lead through their pit stops and then had to keep several fast cars behind them for the win.
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Saturday’s opening race had already given everyone plenty to talk about when Scott Dollahite crashed hard in the Kink section of the track and had to call it a weekend. His teammate Eric Powell ended up borrowing a spare BMW from Turner Motorsport just to get some points on the board, which shows how much every single point counts when teams are fighting for the championship.
The Pro-Am class race was just as competitive during the hour and a half of racing. McDonald and Bell of DXDT Racing traded strategic moves with their rivals, ultimately prevailing by a narrow 0.439 seconds despite late-race pressure that compressed the field. Their triumph came after Turner Motorsport’s Justin Rothberg received a penalty during pit stops, shifting the competitive balance but unable to prevent McDonald and Bell from securing the class victory.
Race No. 2 served as a masterclass in tactical execution across all categories. JMF’s flawless pit sequence and composure during the climactic final lap demonstrated both raw speed and mental strength under pressure. DXDT showcased consistency and reliability, translating smart racecraft into podium results across multiple categories. When that late caution came out, it basically reset everything and gave everyone behind Stephens a shot at the win. The JMF team had to be perfect on that final restart, and they pulled it off.
This win puts JMF Motorsports at two overall victories for 2025 and gives them three Pro class wins. Stephens and Grenier have been building something together this season, and this result proves they can run with the best teams that have been doing this for years.
Road America also shook up the championship standings. Several teams picked up or lost valuable points, and with Barber Motorsports Park coming up next, crew chiefs are already thinking about how to approach that track. Barber rewards teams that can stay out of trouble and make good decisions more than it rewards raw speed.
After watching how things played out on Sunday, it looks like this championship could come down to which teams can avoid mistakes and keep their cars running up front week after week. JMF proved they can win when the pressure is on, but there are still plenty of races left where anything can happen.
