Author: Official Release

Five-Race Challenge Creates Flexible Class for SCCA Club GT1 Cars

CHARLOTTE (January 16, 2025) — The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli announces the unveiling of a new class for the 2025 season. The GT1 Challenge will provide competitors that race in SCCA Club Racing’s GT1 class with an opportunity to compete for a title in the Trans Am Series with a shorter, more flexible schedule and reduced entry fees.

The GT1 Challenge is a class that focuses on offering vehicles competing in the SCCA Club GT1 class a way to easily cross over to Pro racing in the Trans Am Series. The GT1 Challenge allows drivers to compete in a maximum of nine races per season, with their five highest points-scoring races making up their championship points total. The driver with the most points accumulated in their five best races will be recognized and awarded a championship trophy at the year-end Trans Am Awards Gala in November.

Additionally, the GT1 Challenge will allow teams to use older equipment that is no longer eligible for the TA National Championship, providing car owners with more opportunities to utilize their current equipment. The GT1 Challenge will have more flexible vehicle eligibility, with fewer changes from their SCCA Club GT1 setups. Tube-frame vehicles with a silhouette body from 1982 or later that are legal for the SCCA Club Racing GT1 class will be eligible for this class. Drivers with current TA class cars that are unable to do the full National Championship schedule may also compete in this championship if their cars are prepared per the SCCA Club Racing GT1 class rules.

As an additional benefit to newcomers to the Trans Am Series, a rookie driver entered in the GT1 Challenge will have their TA class rookie status preserved throughout their first season, allowing them to move up to the TA class in the National or Western Championships and compete for Rookie of the Year honors.

“Due to the roots of the Trans Am Series being tied so closely to SCCA, we have always tried to foster crossover between our TA class and the SCCA GT1 class, and many of the TA teams do run in both the TA and GT1 classes throughout a season,” said TA Technical Director Aaron Coalwell. “As the current TA cars have developed, a performance gap between the current TA cars and the older cars competing in the GT1 class has developed. SCCA has balanced that performance difference through various weight adjustments. The new GT1 Challenge championship will utilize the same rules and weights as the SCCA GT1 class so that no setup changes need to be made to bring a GT1 car over to the Trans Am Series. Now that we have a separate championship for the GT1 cars, they will not be competing at a disadvantage with the cars currently in the TA class.

“It is said that the best way to improve your skills is to compete against better drivers,” Coalwell continued. “This makes it very easy for teams with GT1 cars to come out to the Trans Am races in their area, enjoy competing in a professionally-run series with longer races, and see how they stack up against the TA drivers.”

“I think this is an awesome chance to give GT1 competitors a chance to come together with Trans Am for an amazing combination of big V8-car racing that I know our fans will love,” said Trans Am President Andy Lally. “This is also a way for an older generation Trans Am car to compete on a more level playing field.”

Any parties interested competing in GT1 can reach out to Lally with any questions at ALally@GoTransAm.com.

The Trans Am Series will kick off the 2025 season with the Sebring SpeedTour at Sebring International Raceway, February 20-23.

About the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli: The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli is the longest-running professional road racing series in North America. The Trans Am Series was founded in 1966 for racing factory pony cars on iconic road courses. More than 55 years after the series’ launch, Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers continue to be sold today, with Trans Am racing credited as playing a major role in their success and longevity. With several diverse and competitive classes of racecars and both National and Western Championships, Trans Am offers something for every fan and every competitor. The series will host 15 events nationwide in 2025. For more information, visit GoTransAm.com.

• 110 Laps of Race of Champions Modified Series Action to Open 70th Season at Spencer –

Williamson, N.Y. – (January 16, 2025) – Race of Champions management along with the Druar and Jankowiak families have agreed to run the “35th Annual Tribute to Tommy Druar and Tony Jankowiak 110” on the 70th annual opening night at Spencer Speedway in Williamson, NY, on Friday, May 23rd.

The race was postponed twice in 2024 at Lancaster (NY) Motorplex and will now take place on Friday, May 23 at Spencer Speedway. The 36th annual Tribute to Tommy Druar and Tony Jankowiak 110 will take place later in the Summer at Lancaster on Saturday, August 16.

“This race is very important to the families associated with it,” stated Joe Skotnicki, Race of Champions. “The families wanted to make sure it was run and we came to an agreement to make it possible as a highlighted event and part of the Spencer Speedway schedule. It is an honor to host this event. We are looking forward to a great night to celebrate two of the greatest competitors in our region as well celebrate the sport they loved.”

This event completes the scheduling process for the Race of Champions Modified Series in 2025.

Six (6) events will highlight the 2025 schedule at Spencer Speedway along with an open practice early in the season.

The “Food Truck Frenzy” featuring local food trucks and tastes from the area will also make its return with some unique additions.

Advanced discount tickets will be available online at MyRacePass on the Race of Champions website; www.rocmodifiedseries.com. Skip the lines by purchasing tickets online and the Series management will be creating a “Season Ticket” which will be announced and eligible for purchase in the New Year.

All Race of Champions “Family of Series” events will be streamed on RoCModifiedSeries.TV powered by Racing America. For more information in regard to the Racing America streaming platform visit; offer.racingamerica.com/race-of-champions/. Subscribing provides fans who “tuned in” to every Race of Champions Modified Series event in 2024 the entire year featuring all Race of Champions Series races, plus access to 200+ live short track races from tracks across North America as well as expanded media coverage including NASCAR and more than 10 years of short track racing archives. (www.racingamerica.tv)

The Race of Champions is a sanctioning body presenting Modified and Stock Car racing on asphalt and dirt surfaces throughout the Northeast, with events in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey with primary marketing partners Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Racing America, Airport Collision, Rocket Performance, Waddell Communications, Image X Design, Sherwood Racing Wheels, DirtTrackDigest.com and Speed Sport. The 72nd and 75th annual Race of Champions weekend will take place in 2025 and is the second longest consecutive auto-racing event in North America, second only to the Indianapolis 500.

Follow us on Twitter; Instagram and Facebook; @RoCModSeries or visit our website: www.rocmodifiedseries.com

2025 Race of Champions Modified Series Schedule

Day Month Date Track
Saturday April 12 Lake Erie Speedway
Saturday April 19 Mahoning Valley Speedway
Saturday May 10 Chemung Speedrome
Friday May 23 Spencer Speedway
Thursday June 26 Lancaster Motorplex
Saturday July 5 Evans Mills Raceway Park
Friday July 11 Spencer Speedway
Saturday July 26 Holland Speedway
Saturday August 9 Chemung Speedrome
Saturday August 16 Lancaster Motorplex
Friday August 29 Spencer Speedway
Saturday September 13 Lake Erie Speedway
Saturday October 11 Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (January 16, 2025) – Spire Motorsports has signed pavement late-model standout Tristan McKee to a driver development agreement prior to this weekend’s Protect Your Melon Buckle Up Speedfest at Cordele (Ga.) Motor Speedway.

The 14-year-old will test his mettle against some of the country’s most skilled racers at the three-eighths mile south-central Georgia oval in the JEGS/CRA All-Star Pro Late Model tour season opener.

McKee began turning heads two seasons ago when, at just 12-years-old, he won a 100-lap CARS Pro Late Model feature race at Dillon (S.C.) Motor Speedway to become the youngest winner in CARS Tour history.

Since then, the Williamsburg, Va., native has gone on to collect CARS Tours wins at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway and Caraway (N.C.) Speedway. McKee has also been identified as a rising star by Chevrolet and is mentored by Josh Wise through his driver development program ‘Wise Optimization’.

“We are really excited to have Tristan on board with us at Spire,” said Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson. “We’ve taken a lot of pride through the years in identifying young talent and bringing them to NASCAR, however this wasn’t one of those cases. Josh Wise and Lorin Ranier from General Motors called and, based on my long history with both, it was one of those ‘if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me’ kind of things. Frankly, everyone around Tristan has nothing but good things to say about his speed, work ethic and versatility. He obviously comes from a great family so we can’t take too much credit. Tristan will be making noise in this sport in the short and long term, so we’re excited to be on this journey with him.”

“I think it’s pretty cool, so I’m really grateful for the opportunity that Jeff Dickerson and everyone at Spire Motorsports has given me,” said McKee. “I think 2025 is going to be a really good year. We’re going to have plenty of races on the schedule, so I’m just looking forward to the opportunity and I can’t thank the people from Spire enough.”

McKee will compete across multiple different series and disciplines in 45-plus events in 2025, including the zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car and Pro Late Model tours, ARCA Menards Series and the Trans Am CUBE3 Architecture TA2 Series where he is expected to race for the series title. The upstart teenager will also see action at select NASCAR Weekly Racing Series events and holds high hopes for the coming season.

“I’m definitely looking forward to running the whole Trans Am schedule,” said McKee. “I’ve never really raced road courses like that before, so I’m going to be learning every time I’m on the track. I’m working as hard as I can for all those races, you know, that’s a big deal. I’m really excited about a few of the CARS Tour races, especially (North) Wilkesboro. All those big late model stock races at the end of the year are important. They are pretty long races and you have to be really good at the end, so we’re going to focus our attention on those, as well. Martinsville at the end of the year is a big one.”

Despite his youth, McKee has a resume dotted with wins that would afford even the most seasoned veteran with justifiable bragging rights. In addition to his historic 2023 win, he recorded multiple late model stock car victories in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. McKee also collected the checkered flag in the limited late model feature at the 2023 Fall Brawl at Hickory (N.C) Motor Speedway.

The season prior, McKee claimed both Rookie of the Year and championship honors at Orange County (N.C.) Speedway as an 11-year-old.

Prior to his ascent up the late-model ranks, McKee cut his teeth racing Bandoleros where he won the 2020 national championship, a Charlotte Motor Speedway Summer Shootout championship and a Thursday Night Thunder championship at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He began his four-wheel journey in karting where he collected 44 wins and six class championships.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on April 12, 2024, when Kyle Busch took the checkered flag in the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

In 2025, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team will also field the Nos. 07, 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and the No. 77 Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series in select events.

Cadillac Racing heads to the Roar with expanded, championship-winning lineup

DETROIT (Jan. 16, 2025) – Cadillac Racing, in conjunction with Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing and Cadillac Whelen, revealed the liveries of its three Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) racecars that will contest the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.

The nine-race calendar begins this week with the Roar Before the 24 leading into the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 25-26.

Cadillac Racing, which has won North America’s premier endurance race four times since 2017, welcomes the return of Wayne Taylor Racing to the program with the Nos. 10 and 40 racecars and welcomes back for another season Action Express Racing to campaign the No. 31 prototype. The championship-winning teams have aligned with major primary sponsors for the GTP entries.

“I am so looking forward to kicking off the season with Cadillac and our corporate partner at DEX (DEX Imaging),” team owner Wayne Taylor said. “I feel so fortunate to have their support and to have pulled together this two-car program in such a short period of time. The No. 10 and No. 40 DEX Cadillac cars look spectacular. I can’t wait for the fans to see them up close this weekend. Daytona sets the tone for the season and we are looking for strong results from our team.”

U.S.-based Whelen Engineering has extended through 2027 its collaboration with Action Express Racing, which enters its 14th year running a GM prototype in IMSA.

Since 1952, Whelen Engineering has been a proud ally and supporter of our nation’s first responders. Whelen provides the high-quality, reliable products, and technology needed to aid them in their critical missions — from warning lights to white illumination, sirens, controllers and software.

“We’re thrilled to continue our long-standing relationship with Cadillac and Action Express Racing in the IMSA GTP class,” said Sonny Whelen, Executive Vice President of Whelen Engineering. “For eight years, this partnership has been built on shared innovation, passion, and excellence. After an incredible championship season in 2023, we are eager to return to championship form in 2025 and showcase the teamwork and cutting-edge performance that define this exceptional venture. As always, we’re grateful to Cadillac and AXR for their continued collaboration and can’t wait to see what the next three years have in store.”

For more than a century, racing has provided a testbed for Cadillac to transfer knowledge and technology between racecars and production vehicles, as well as a way to build a fanbase for the brand around the world.

The Cadillac V-Series.R, powered by the purpose-built 5.5-liter DPOHC V8 engine, marks the third-generation Cadillac prototype racecar and the brand’s first hybrid electrified race car. Codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, the racecar represents the fifth generation of the V-Series, incorporating key Cadillac V-Series production car design elements such as vertical lighting and floating blades.

Cadillac Racing has amassed four Manufacturer Championships and five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturer Championships since entering prototype competition in 2017.

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Home Repair Network Limited, PSA Systems Helped Star Spangled Racing Driver To First Professional Endurance Racing Win

DUBAI (January 15, 2025) – Tiger Tari experienced a series of firsts in his maiden attempt at a professional 24-hour race, but a GT4 Class victory at the 24 Hours of Dubai was the most rewarding.

Co-driving with Ramez Azzam, William Tewiah, Timothy Docker and Tudor Tudurachi in the AGMC Racing by Simpson Motorsport BMW M4 GT4, Tari completed two difficult double stints at night to help boost the team to victory.

A 24-hour race is all about endurance for the driver, the team, and the car, and victory often goes to those with a combination of pace and avoiding trouble. Tari learned that firsthand with a pair of night driving stints, all in a BMW GT4 platform for the first time in his first visit to the Dubai Autodrome, after just an hour of practice.

“I said before the race if I was going to come here, I was coming here to win,” Tari said. “But I can’t believe we won Dubai! We kept it very clean. There wasn’t a whole lot of dings on the car, just regular race scars. I felt like I was being dive bombed in every corner and all I could see was headlights.”

In total, Tari and his teammates completed 523 laps (1,751.5 miles) and won by five laps over its closest GT4 class competition. Tari took over after the sun had gone down, driving a double stint late in the evening, followed by yet another shift in the early morning hours on no sleep before the sun came up.

“Those were probably the hardest stints I’ve ever had to drive,” Tari said. “The team asked me to drive those shifts, which was unexpected as I was probably the least experienced driver in the field. I had to be on my toes because the faster classes were coming through any chance they had. I didn’t even see the daylight during the race, but at the end it all worked out for us.”

Tari and his AGMC teammates finished 37th overall in the 70-car race that featured a significant number of faster-class GT3 cars.

The race was the first in the BMW M4 GT4 for Tari and his partners at PSA Systems and Home Repair Network Limited but won’t be the last. Tari and his Star Spangled Racing operation are waiting to take possession of a BMW M4 GT4 stateside, which is eligible for IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge GSX class and the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge GS class, among others. Tari and Star Spangled Racing will also work stateside with BMW of Ridgefield in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

“Unlike some other GT4 platforms, this car really fits my body as a taller driver and keeps my head away from the roll bar and the roof if I were to have an incident, and that’s important. Though we’ll miss the season opener at Daytona, I have to thank PSA Systems and Home Repair Network Limited for their help in putting together a robust program for this season, which we will be announcing soon.”

More information on the Michelin 24 Hours of Dubai can be found at 24HSeries.com.

About Star Spangled Racing:

Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Star Spangled Racing was established in 2020 by first-generation American Tiger Tari. Star Spangled Racing accelerated quickly, moving from club and endurance events into professional racing just two years later with a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo in the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech Championship GT Daytona (GTD) class in a partnership with NTE Sport. Tari extended his driving career by finishing the season in the LB Cup class of Lamborghini Super Trofeo during the 2022 season and 2023 seasons, and competed in the World Racing League in 2024. More information can be found at www.starspangledracing.com.