Blackdog Racing will look to pucker up for the final two rounds of the Pirelli GT4 America championship this weekend with the goal of kissing the bricks at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Michael Cooper and Tony Gaples will close the season together in Blackdog Racing’s No. 9 Nissan Z NISMO GT4. The goal is to score the season’s second victory of the season – or third in the event of a weekend sweep – and make the team a winner at the Brickyard for the first time… and kiss the bricks in the process.
Doing so will help Blackdog Racing solidify its position in GT4 America Pro-Am points, where it sits fifth in the Teams standings while Gaples is fourth in the Drivers Championship. A year ago, Gaples posted a fifth-place finish in the GT America finale to set the stage for this season’s campaign.
Cooper also will make his second consecutive start at Indianapolis, having driven in GT4 America a year ago. He also has the benefit of a recent round of the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course in GT4 machinery during the IMSA weekend two weeks ago. He also was part of the Indianapolis Eight Hours at the end of the 2021 season.
Blackdog Racing and the No. 9 Nissan Z NISMO GT4 will race in the first of two Pirelli GT4 America races around the Indianapolis Road Course at 8:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, followed by Sunday’s second race at 10:35 a.m. ET. Live coverage of both races plus timing & scoring will be available at gt4-america.com and SRO’s GT World YouTube channel.
MICHAEL COOPER, NO. 9 BLACKDOG RACING NISSAN Z NISMO GT4: “There is always something special about getting to Indy and racing at such an historic place. It would be nice if we could end our first year in Pirelli GT4 America with a podium and even a win for our Blackdog Racing Nissan. The track may not be exactly suited to our car, but Indianapolis is a track where you can race hard and capitalize on mistakes. I’ve seen already this year how tough some of the racing can be around this place. Hopefully Tony and I can come out on the right of things to close the season.”
TONY GAPLES, NO. 9 BLACKDOG RACING NISSAN Z NISMO GT4: “I’m looking forward to getting back to Indianapolis and seeing how we can wrap up our season. We’ve learned a lot in our first year in this series and also running the Nissan GT4. We have one more chance to put that experience into practice at one of the great tracks in all of racing. I enjoyed my time racing at Indianapolis last year and getting to know the track again. Hopefully we can find ourselves up front and close the season how we want – with another win.”