Daytona Beach, Florida - Elliott Skeer is only 21 years old, but he commands an impressive, passionate knowledge of Porsche racing history and machinery.

So it's only fitting Skeer is just 90 minutes of racing away from clinching the Platinum Cup Drivers Championship in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama on a special weekend for Porsche racing enthusiasts worldwide.

Skeer, from Carlsbad, California, needs to finish eighth or better in class in the season-ending Rounds 15 and 16 during Porsche Rennsport Reunion V on Sept. 25-27 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. He leads second place Jesse Lazare by 25 points, 241-216, in the standings.

Series rookie Skeer has finished no lower than seventh in the Platinum Cup class during any of the first 14 rounds this season in the No. 14 Wright Motorsports Porsche. He stood on the podium as one of the top-three finishers 12 times this season, including four victories.

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama season ends at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca during the Porsche Rennsport Reunion V, the world's largest gathering of Porsche race cars and drivers. More than 1,000 Porsche vintage and current race cars will gather on the Monterey Peninsula to celebrate the manufacturer in a high-profile event that last took place in 2011.

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama will be one of the featured classes of competition at the Porsche Cars North America event, which draws tens of thousands of spectators and also features a Concours d'Elegance and other special activities.

Round 15 will start at 2:20 p.m. (PT) Saturday, Sept. 26. Round 16 will begin at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 27. Both races are 45 minutes each.

Practice sessions are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25. Qualifying will start at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama championship produces intense, exciting racing for semi-professional and aspiring professional drivers in the world's most produced and iconic race car, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The series finishes its 11th season at this event.

Racing is divided into two classes - Platinum Cup, featuring the 2014 and 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, which is based on the seventh, and current, generation of the street car, and Gold Cup, which is comprised of the previous iteration (model years 2010-2013) of the race car. A Masters Championship, for drivers 45 and older, also is conducted in Platinum and Gold classes. Each class is awarded with its own podium at the end of every race and individual champion at the end of every season. Points are awarded by finish in class.

The multi-class structure of the IMSA-sanctioned series teaches drivers essential skills for an eventual career in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship or professional GT races worldwide.

Skeer and Lazare are the only drivers still mathematically eligible for the Platinum Cup championship this season. It's fitting, considering they have combined to win nine of the 14 rounds this season, with Lazare capturing five victories in the No. 21 Kelly-Moss Motorsports Porsche.

Angel Benitez Jr., from Miami, also has won five rounds this season in the No. 05 JDX Racing entry, including a sweep of Rounds 13 and 14 on Sept. 17-18 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Benitez is third in the Platinum Cup standings with 189 points. A late start to the season - he missed the first three rounds - is all that separates Benitez from the Platinum title fight.

A tense duel for the Platinum Cup Team Championship also will be resolved between powerhouses Wright Motorsports and Kelly-Moss Motorsports at Porsche Rennsport Reunion V.

Wright Motorsports leads Kelly-Moss, 248-238, in a contest between the two most dominant teams in the series for the last four seasons. Ohio-based Wright won Platinum Cup Team Championships in 2012 and 2013, while Wisconsin-based Kelly-Moss captured the team crown last season.

This race will be the last chance this season for a Platinum Cup driver to break the grip of Lazare, Benitez and Skeer on the top step of the podium and become the fourth winner in 2015.

Candidates to become a new face this season atop the podium include Andrew Longe, Kasey Kuhlman and Michael Schein.

Longe, from Naples, Florida, has been a model of consistency in his first season in the series. He has produced eight top-five finishes in the No. 47 Fall-Line Motorsports Porsche, including a runner-up result in Round 3 at NOLA Motorsports Park.

Kuhlman, from Cincinnati, clinched his second consecutive Platinum Masters championship in Round 14 at COTA in the No. 15 Wright Motorsports Porsche. He has three overall third-place finishes this season and may go for broke for victory without points considerations.

Schein, from New York, has reached top gear in the No. 16 Wright Motorsports Porsche in the stretch run of the season. He has finished in the top four three times in his last four starts, including second in Round 11 at VIRginia Motorsports Park and third in Round 14 at COTA.

Jeff Mosing, from Austin, Texas, clinched his first Gold Cup and second consecutive Gold Masters championship at home in COTA by sweeping Rounds 13 and 14 in the No. 01 TOPP Racing Porsche. Mosing will look to finish the season with his eighth and ninth Gold Cup wins and 11th and 12th Gold Masters victories.

Mark Llano and Joe Catania will conclude their intra-team race for second place in the Gold Cup and Gold Masters championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars fielded by NGT Motorsport.

Llano leads Catania, 182-175, in Gold Cup and 202-190 in Gold Masters. Series veteran Llano, from Wellington, Florida, seeks his first victory in both classes this year in the No. 22 NGT Motorsport Porsche. Series rookie Catania, from Cazenovia, New York, won Round 10 at Road America in both classes in the No. 24 NGT Motorsport Porsche.

All drivers in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama compete in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car based on the street version of the current Porsche 911. The 3.8-liter power unit featured in the 911 GT3 Cup car produces 460 horsepower and a maximum engine speed of 8,500 rpm. The 911 GT3 Cup also includes a Porsche six-speed sequential gearbox with a mechanical slip differential, with an electropneumatic paddle shift system creating faster, more efficient gear changes.

The engines and transmissions of all the cars in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge by Yokohama are prepared and sealed by Porsche Motorsports North America, creating a level playing field on which driving talent and team setup skill prevail.

IMSA sanctions an eight-venue, 16-round schedule for the 2015 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama. The series runs 12 of its 16 rounds during TUDOR Championship events.

Tight competition on great circuits in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama has launched many drivers and teams to success in higher levels of professional sports car racing over the last decade. Among those talented drivers are 2012 Platinum Cup champion Johnston, a full-time competitor in 2013-14 in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, 2013 Platinum Cup champion Madison Snow, who completed a successful first GT Daytona season in the TUDOR Championship in 2014, SportsCar Challenge standout Ashley Freiberg and current TUDOR Championship GT Daytona points leader Christina Nielsen.

Schedule
Practice: 11:30 a.m.-noon (PT) and 4:50-5:20 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25
Qualifying: 11:30-11:50 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26
Round 15 (45 minutes): 2:20-3:10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26
Round 16 (45 minutes): 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27
Season Awards Program: 1-2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, Porsche Park Stage

Race Coverage

Live timing: All on-track sessions at scoring.imsa.com or on new IMSA mobile app for iOS, Android or Windows

TV: Delayed television coverage will be provided Oct. 31-Nov. 1 on major network affiliates in numerous U.S. markets by Sinclair Broadcast Group. Visit http://www.imsa.com/porsche-gt3-cup-usa-channel-finder and enter your ZIP code into the box at the bottom of page to check availability in your area.

Twitter: Live text commentary from all sessions at @IMSALive

Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama is in its 11th season in 2015 as one of Porsche's 20 single-make Cup Challenge series in the world. The series produces intense, exciting competition for semi-professional and aspiring professional drivers in the world's most produced and iconic race car, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Racing is divided into two classes - Platinum Cup, featuring the 2014 and 2015 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, which is based on the current seventh, and current, generation of the street car, and Gold Cup, which is comprised of the previous iteration (model years 2010-2013) of the race car. A Masters Championship also is conducted in Platinum and Gold classes. Each class is awarded with its own podium at the end of every race and individual champion at the end of every season. Points are awarded by finish in class.

For more information about Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama, visit www.imsa.com, follow @IMSA on Twitter or IMSA on Facebook.

About IMSA

The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 with a long and rich history in sports car racing. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America, which will become the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2016. IMSA also sanctions the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, as well as four single-make series: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama; Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin; Ferrari Challenge North America; and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. IMSA - a company within the NASCAR Holdings group - is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected TUDOR Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. For more information, visit www.IMSA.com, www.twitter.com/UnitedSportsCar or www.facebook.com/UnitedSportsCar.