On a warm and humid afternoon at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car points leader Michael Cooper added another victory to his total in Saturday's first half of the Mid-Ohio Grand Prix Doubleheader.

Michael Cooper, of Syosset, N.Y., was second on the track, but inherited the Touring Car class victory when Tristan Herbert was disqualified. Post-race tech inspection revealed that the boost on Herbert's Volkswagen Jetta GLI was out of compliance.

Cooper started his No. 3 MAZDASPEED3 from the Touring Car pole position and led the first 12 laps before Herbert found his way past on the back straight. Herbert's move earned him the Invisible Glass Clean Pass of the Race Award.

Herbert went on to lead the rest of the way, but his disqualification gave Cooper his fifth victory of the season and extended his lead in the championship over Todd Lamb with four races remaining on the Touring Car schedule.

“The car seems to be really hooked up here more so than anywhere else we've been so far, so that's a really positive thing,” said Cooper following the race. “That really helped us in the manufacturers' and the championship points today.

“It's definitely very important to keep ahead of our championship rivals. Points are starting to ease into the back of your mind. You try to keep them out of the front of your mind, but you've got to have it back there and remember that there's a bigger deal going on than just this one race.”