WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (June 30, 2026) – Magnus Racing came into the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen confident and prepared but was thrown several curveballs at Watkins Glen International. Ultimately, the team’s race ended two and a half hours early, when the No. 44 Virtual Energy Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO got trapped in someone else’s crash.
After two productive practice sessions, John Potter was ready to qualify on Saturday. Track repairs delayed the session by several hours and then, just when it got started, a car crashed in the Bus Stop and the session was red flagged. GTD qualifying did not resume, which meant the GTD starting grid would be determined by championship points. Magnus Racing is last in points, because it’s only race Daytona so far this season, so the No. 44 would be gridded last, only ahead of cars that incurred penalties.
Unfazed, Potter started from the back but quickly picked up several positions in the opening laps. After his second pit stop, Potter returned to the circuit, which was under a full-course yellow. As he re-entered, race control called for the Prototype class to move past any GT cars. Confusion among a group of Prototype cars caused them to run into the back of each other, nearly taking out Potter in the process. The car had a few new dents but was able to continue.
“It was hard starting from the back, but I think we were going the right direction,” Potter said. “I was pretty okay with my stint, and Spencer was doing great until something not his fault happened in front of him.”
Potter handed the car over to Spencer Pumpelly, who was making his 250th top-level IMSA race start. Pumpelly ran as high as fifth before his second pit stop, just after the halfway point of the race. On the following restart, Pumpelly was already in a three-wide pack when the cars ahead of them made contact, spinning across the track in the Esses. Pumpelly had nowhere to escape and clipped one of the spinning cars.
Pumpelly was okay, but the Aston Martin could not continue, and the team’s race came to an end.
It was a massively disappointing result to a race that had been playing into the team’s hand.
“Thanks to everyone at Magnus, because I felt like our effort, our preparation, our car, everything was really first class this weekend,” Pumpelly said. “Everyone did an awesome job and we were in position to have a good day. I was really excited about my 250th top-level start and was really hoping for a better finish. Coming to the Esses on the restart, cars were two wide ahead of me and the cars ahead of them crashed, and everyone checked up. I went left and straight into a car that already crashed. That ended our day, and it’s just really disappointing, because I think we could have had decent results today.”
Driver Mario Farnbacher was making his 100th top-level IMSA start but didn’t even get a chance to drive the car in the race.
“We had a great test here, which was looking very promising, and had a really good car out of the box,” Farnbacher said. “I would say it started good in the first free practice. The team, we were quite a new group together, so we needed to learn from each other, and I think we did a lot of work and improved a lot throughout the weekend, which was very positive. Unlucky qualifying, I would say, with the red flag, which basically forced us to start from the back. A lot of chaotic yellows in the beginning and then unfortunately, the pile up in the Esses where Spencer couldn’t avoid the carnage. It’s just a shame, because we had a good car strategy and it was coming to us at the end.”