Category: Other Series Racing

TF Sport’s No. 81 Corvette second, No. 82 Z06 GT3.R third in LMGT3

SAKHIR, Bahrain (Nov. 2, 2024) – TF Sport and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R climbed on the class podium to close the FIA World Endurance Championship with second- and third-place finishes after the Eight Hours of Bahrain.

The No. 81 Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Tom Van Rompuy and Rui Andrade were runners-up in the LMGT3 class, just ahead of the No. 82 Z06 GT3.R trio of Daniel Juncadella, Hiroshi Koizumi and Sebastien Baud. Not only was it the first podium result for the Corvette GT3 program in this season’s championship, but it also is the first double-podium finish for the Corvette brand in FIA World Endurance Championship competition.

“Congratulations to TF Sport, team owner Tom Ferrier, the drivers and all the members of the team on today’s double-podium to close the FIA WEC season in Bahrain – the first in this championship for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R,” said Mark Stielow, Director, GM Motorsports Competition Engineering. “It has been exciting to watch the team continually work and extract more and more from their Corvettes at each event this year. This is a great way not just to end 2024 but also use this as a springboard to bigger and better things in 2025.”

After having potential podium finishes taken away in the previous two races, fortune finally went the way of the TF Sport squad in Bahrain. Both Corvettes led at one point, and the No. 81 ran in front six times for a race-high 121 laps.

The runner-up Corvette raced its way from eighth to first twice in the race – once in the opening hour and again following the race’s second safety-car period with less than two hours. Van Rompuy charged and passed six cars to go from eighth at the start to second by the end of his first stint. Eastwood emerged from the pitlane in the lead following the class pitstop cycle.

Both Eastwood and Andrade drove single stints to firmly establish the No. 81 Corvette by as much as 30 seconds at the end of the first driver rotation. Van Rompuy and Andrade drove double-stints in the middle of the race, but the first of two safety cars sent the race way from the No. 81 as it went from first down to eighth due to competitors behind the Corvette being on fresher tires.

Andrade survived and handed over to Eastwood with an hour, 45 minutes to go and the No. 81 Corvette in eighth place to set the stage for Eastwood’s charge.

The No. 82 Corvette had a thrilling drive-back of its own from early in the race. Koizumi picked up a spot from 10th at the start but was assessed a five-second, stop-and-go penalty for avoidable contact in the opening 20 minutes. That dropped Koizumi down to 16th but he, Juncadella and Baud clawed their way back toward the front over the next four hours.

While the safety cars hurt the chances for the No. 81, the opposite was true for the sister Corvette. Juncadella found himself in 10th with about 90 minutes to go. He worked his way forward just as rapidly as his factory teammate Eastwood and gained two spots coming out of a full-course yellow period to fourth just ahead of the seven-hour mark.

Juncadella made his final stop two laps after Eastwood and emerged from the pitlane just ahead of the sister Corvette with 40 minutes to go but ceded the position on colder and newer tires than the No. 81.

The 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship starts February 28 in Qatar.

TF SPORT POST-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The race was great from start to finish from us. We got super-unlucky with the first VSC and the timing of it. We weren’t able to change tires and most of the class were. We dropped down the order by the time of my last double-stint. Our pace on the first set of tires was really strong, and the same with the second set as well. I just came out close to the No. 60 Lamborghini who ended up passing me on the outlap then we got to the back of the 54 who hadn’t boxed and had a drive-through. So maybe a little bit of team owners to slow us down. We didn’t give up until the very end. We got it down to three seconds but it wasn’t enough. But ultimately for the team to finish with a double-podium is a fantastic result.”

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We started the season on a high with pole position at Qatar. In between we had some dips but we have finished on another high – two podiums today. I’m a very happy man. There has been great progression that we have made with the team. It was a great effort by everyone, my co-drivers and the team.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It kind of sums up our season again – a story of what could have been without the safety car. We were ahead by about 40 seconds and the race for us was in a good place. We were in a good rhythm and good pace. Tom, myself and Charlie did a really good job and I’m proud of what we did. I was kind of in no-man’s land because we didn’t take tires on my second stint. We were hoping the strategy would pay off, and Charlie got new tires and back into the lead. I’m really happy to finish the season with such strong races back-to-back-to-back. Since COTA, the car has been super-strong and the team has done a great job making it faster and faster. It’s good to end the season on a high.”

DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s great to finish the season on a high like this – second and third for the team. This is incredible and I’m happy for TF Sport and Corvette Racing. This is the best way to finish the season with two cars on the podium and third for myself, Hiroshi and Seb. This has been a long time coming and I think we deserve it. It was a hard race at the end. The Lamborghini behind me was flying and I had good duel with him for 25 to 30 minutes. It was a tough one but we made it and I’m really, really happy and proud about that.”

HIROSHI KOIZUMI, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This is a great finish and great way to finish the season. I’m really happy with my race throughout. It was my first time at this track, and during practices I feel I did very well. So I’m very happy with the result and weekend.”

TOM FERRIER, TF SPORT OWNER: “I feel like this has been a long time coming. I think at COTA we could have had a podium and at Fuji we could have had a win were it not for some contact. So it’s really nice to finish in this way. To get both cars on the podium is a massive team effort. I’m incredibly happy for all the guys and girls who have worked so hard. It’s been a dry year for podiums but we’ve been getting better and better. Everyone at GM and Corvette Racing have been working tirelessly in the background. It’s a lovely result for everyone involved. It sets us up for next year with a good starting point. We should come out of the blocks firing on all cylinders.”

About General Motors
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.

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R climbs six positions from qualifying spot in WEC finale

MANAMA, Bahrain (Nov. 2, 2024) – Cadillac Racing concluded its second season of FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar competition with a spirited drive to seventh place in the Bapco Energies Eight Hours of Bahrain.

Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Sebastien Bourdais co-drove the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, which qualified 13th and started 12th in the 18-car field after a qualification infraction was levied on a competitor, in the race that transitioned from 89 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temperature at the mid-afternoon green flag to not considerably cooler at the checkered flag under the lights.

The result was the fourth top 10 of the season for the Chip Ganassi Racing-run team and 10th in its two-year run covering 15 races.

Energy and tire management on the abrasive 3.36-mile (5.412km), 15-turn racing surface that is original to the Bahrain International Circuit that opened in 2004 was significant throughout the 235-lap race to keep the hybrid Cadillac in points-scoring position.

Bamber climbed the ladder by overtaking the No. 83 AF Corse Porsche 963 with 24 minutes left and No. 38 Hertz Team JOTA with six minutes left to finish 55 seconds behind the winning No. 8 Toyota GR010.

The pole-sitting No. 8 Toyota GR010 won the race to clinch the Hypercar manufacturer title for Toyota Gazoo Racing. The No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 (Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor) won the drivers season championship. Hertz Team JOTA, which will become the Cadillac factory team in 2025, registered its second successive FIA Hypercar Team World Cup Championship for privateers.

Through the eight races totaling 72 hours and 1,859 laps, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R displayed remarkable durability and speed. The Hypercar entry earned its maiden WEC pole position last month at Fuji Speedway and had a string of five races in which it qualified fourth or higher in Hyperpole.

Fourth place at Cadillac Racing’s home race at Circuit of The Americas in early September is the team’s best finish of the season.

The 2025 WEC season begins Feb. 28 with the Qatar1812Km at the Lusail International Circuit, preceded Feb. 21-22 by the annual Prologue.

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

The Cadillac V-Series.R marks the third-generation Cadillac prototype and the brand’s first hybrid electrified racecar. Codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, the racecar incorporates key Cadillac V-Series production car design elements such as vertical lighting and floating blades.

What they’re saying

Earl Bamber: “It was a good race for us at the end. I think we maximized what we could today. I don’t think we had the best car, but we definitely maximized as a team and to come away with points is a great result. It’s definitely building and building each time out. I think if you told we’d get seventh when we started the race I think we’d take it, so I think it’s a good one.”

Sebastien Bourdais: “Given the circumstances because we struggled pretty much all week with rear grip for the most part and weren’t super confident going into the race and starting P13 was certainly a challenge because it’s so hard to pass around here. Earl (Bamber) did a heckuva job, particularly at the end on the medium (tires), and got us back to a very respectable P7 for a tough week. Not super happy with myself. I made a mistake on the full-course yellow and got a (drive-thru) penalty for it. I got the time back, but we still got the penalty. Overall, pretty satisfied with the result from where we started.”

Alex Lynn: “It’s been a tough weekend, but I think scoring points is a positive from where we started. We put on a strong performance and scored some good points. A good way to end the season.”

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.

AUSTIN, Texas (November 1, 2024) – Alex Popow has two race starts and two race wins in Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) after taking the victory in Race 2 at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on Friday afternoon. Leading from flag to flag, Popow crossed the line with a 1.373 advantage to claim his second checkered flag of the weekend.

Notes of Interest:

• Alex Popow has only made two F4 U.S. starts, but he already has two wins in the series.
• Championship contender Daniel Quimby finished second in today’s race. Closing the gap on points leader Nicolas Stati, Quimby will enter the final round just three and a half points out of the lead.
• Connor Roberts finished third, marking his sixth consecutive podium result.
• Three teams were represented on today’s podium with MLT Motorsports winning the race, Atlantic Racing finishing second and Team Roberts Racing in third.

From the wave of the green flag there was no stopping Alex Popow (No. 55 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422). The 18-year-old Venezuelan American secured the pole for Race 2 after setting the fastest lap—and a new track record—during Thursday’s Race 1, and immediately pulled to the point position. Points leader Nicolas Stati (No. 15 AGI Sport Ligier JS F422) started in second, but found himself under immediate pressure from championship rival Daniel Quimby (No. 24 Cruise America / MIR Raceline / FIJI Airways / GalvanizeIns Ligier JS F422), who had started the race in the fourth position. By the time they exited Turn 1, Quimby had worked his way up to second, staying close to Popow’s rear wing. Another driver with a great start was fifth-place starter Connor Roberts (No. 46 ApexSpeed.com / Entropy Cellars Ligier JS F422), who pulled into third by the time the field completed the first lap.

With the front three pulling away, Stati slotted into fourth while some of the most exciting racing took place behind him as Alex Crosbie (No. 41 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) and Lincoln Day (No. 54 MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) fought for the fifth position. Crosbie took the spot just in time, as a full-course caution brought out the safety car.

When the race restarted, Popow once again jumped to the point position. Right on Quimby’s gearbox, Stati was able to make a move into Turn 1 to claim the runner-up spot, but Quimby made his way back around his rival before the field reached the esses. With nearly nine minutes left on the clock, the front three drivers settled in nose to tail, while Crosbie looked for a way around Roberts. Within two laps, the New Zealander had made his way around Roberts to claim fourth, and the field raced toward the checkered flag.

Popow was first to take the checkered flag, followed by Quimby in second and Stati in third.

After the race, a series of Stewards’ Decisions resulted in penalties that adjusted the finishing order. Drivers receiving a penalty, included:

• Nicolas Stati: two five-second time penalties, moving him to sixth on the official results
• Alex Crosbie: five-second time penalty, moving him to fifth on the official results
• Lincoln Day: five-second time penalty
• Seth Gilmore: five-second time penalty

“It’s just been incredible,” said Popow. “I’m so happy to be here once again—thank you to all the guys at MLT and everyone who’s helped me get into this position. It’s just incredible the amount of work we’ve put in over the last couple weeks coming from [Carolina Motorsports Park], where we did our first testing. It’s great. I have to thank my dad—without him, I wouldn’t be here. He’s the one that got me into racing, and showed me what I love to do.”

F4 U.S. will contest their final race of the 2024 season tomorrow at 8:50 a.m. CT. After the race, find the drivers of JS F4 and F4 U.S. at the SpeedTour Town Center where they’ll be participating in an autograph session from 11:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Tickets for the event are available at the gate or online at SpeedTour.net/Austin. Fans at home can stream the race live on SpeedTour.TV, or follow live timing and scoring on the Race Monitor app. Additional news and updates will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

AUSTIN, Texas (November 1, 2024) – Winning Race 2 at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), Teddy Musella clinched the Ligier JS F4 Series (JS F4) 2024 Championship. The Scuderia Buell driver has been the one to beat all weekend, topping the speed chart in every session, and now winning both races en route to locking in the title.

Notes of Interest:

• Teddy Musella leads the Ligier JS F4 Series drivers with five wins and 11 podiums this season.
• Leonardo Escorpioni earned his second podium of the weekend with another runner-up finish. The Champagne Racing driver also finished second in yesterday’s Race 1.
• After three fourth-place finishes this season, Drew Szuch finally broke through to earn his first-career podium with a third-place result in Friday’s event.
• Three teams were represented on the podium with Scuderia Buell earning their fifth win of the season, Champagne Racing finishing second, and family-owned Szuch Racing taking third.

Setting the fastest lap in Race 1, Sacha van’t Pad Bosch (No. 27 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F4) led the field toward the waving green flag to start the race. Teddy Musella (No. 25 Scuderia Buell Ligier JS F4) started second, but going a bit too wide into Turn 1, he settled into fourth place for the first lap. Up front, van’t Pad Bosch was challenged by third-place starter Leonardo Escorpioni (No. 26 Champagne Racing Ligier JS F4). The two ran side by side while Musella and Maite Cáceres (No. 6 Abitab / Supermatch Ligier JS F4) battled for third behind them. Musella eventually won the battle against Cáceres as they raced through Turn 1 and then turned his focus to the front of the field as van’t Pad Bosch and Escorpioni continued to race wheel to wheel. A few turns later, Musella reached Escorpioni’s gearbox. Easily completing the pass, he pulled up to van’t Pad Bosch’s gearbox seconds later, making his way around his teammate to take the race lead.

Once in control of the event, Musella was unstoppable. A safety car period briefly slowed his pace as contact further back in the field sent Brad Majman (No. 95 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F4) into the tire barrier. With cleanup work complete, the race resumed with approximately nine minutes left on the clock. Musella once again jumped ahead of the pack and kept his sights forward. Behind him, Escorpioni settled into second and van’t Pad Bosch in third. Championship contender Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N.E.Where Transportation / New’T Racing Ligier JS F4) had to start the race from pit lane after a penalty was assessed following Race 1. The Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport driver took advantage of the restart to jump up to sixth, and made his way around Cáceres to overtake fifth during the closing minutes. Racing three wide into Turn 12 on the final lap, van’t Pad Bosch and Drew Szuch (No. 28 Szuch Racing Ligier JS F4) both pulled wheel to wheel with Escorpioni. Szuch initially pulled ahead, but van’t Pad Bosch and Escorpioni pulled off an over-under move for both to overtake Szuch.

As they crossed the finish line, Musella led the field, followed by van’t Pad Bosch in second and Escorpioni in third. Szuch crossed the line in fourth, followed by Hauanio in fifth.

During post-race inspection, officials found a technical infraction on the No. 27 driven by van’t Pad Bosch, which the Stewards determined was in breach of the sporting regulations. As a result, van’t Pad Bosch was dropped to last place in the classification and lost all lap times.

“We had quite an unlucky start falling back to fourth, but I knew to just focus on the championship—take your positions when you can and don’t make any risky moves,” said Musella. “I ended up taking P1 at the end of it, so it was just a great result for our entire team. What a high it’s been—to come back from [a tough weekend at] Road America to win a championship is just an amazing feeling. Honestly, I’m at a loss for words with the amount of emotion I’m feeling. I want to thank my dad, my team at Scuderia Buell and everyone else that’s helped me throughout this journey.”

JS F4 will contest their final race of the 2024 season tomorrow at 8:50 a.m. CT. After the race, find the drivers of JS F4 and F4 U.S. at the SpeedTour Town Center where they’ll be participating in an autograph session from 11:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Tickets for the event are available at the gate or online at SpeedTour.net/Austin. Fans at home can stream the race live on SpeedTour.TV, or follow live timing and scoring on the Race Monitor app. Additional news and updates will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

AUSTIN, Texas (November 1, 2024) – Titus Sherlock returned to Victory Lane for the fourth time this season in Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) competition. In the opening race of the COTA SpeedTour at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), Sherlock led from lights to flag to take the victory in dominating fashion.

Notes of Interest:

• Titus Sherlock earned his fourth win of the 2024 season when he took the checkered flag in Round 18 at COTA on Friday afternoon.
• Jett Bowling tied his career-best finish with a second-place result on Friday afternoon. The finish marked his eighth podium in 18 races this season.
• Cole Kleck returned to FR Americas for the first time since the opening race weekend at NOLA. In four starts this season, Kleck has finished on the podium in each one, including today’s third-place result.
• It was an all-Texan podium with Prospect, Texas native, Titus Sherlock, taking the win, Dallas’ Jett Bowling finishing second and San Antonian Cole Kleck finishing third.
• In his FR Americas debut, Bruno Ribeiro finished fourth at Circuit of The Americas.
• Competing in her first open-wheel race, Hailie Deegan finished 10th in FR Americas on Friday afternoon. The former NASCAR and off-road star will be racing in INDY NXT during the 2025 season.
• For the eighth time this season, Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport swept the podium with Sherlock, Bowling and Kleck all racing under their banner.

Winning the pole during yesterday’s qualifying session, Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) led the field down the grid to start Race 1. As the lights went out, Sherlock immediately jumped ahead of the field, while they spread out two and three wide behind him. Jett Bowling (No. 02 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Bruno Ribeiro (No. 3 IGY6 Motorsports / Save22 Ligier JS F3) started second and third, but by the time they reached Turn 1, both were under pressure from Cole Kleck (No. 11 Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) and Brady Golan (No. 80 Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3), who had started in fourth and fifth. Bowling was forced wide through Turn 1, relegating him to fifth as the field raced toward the esses. Golan initially fell in line behind Sherlock, but Kleck continued to apply pressure, overtaking second as they entered Turn 1 on the second lap.

Opening up a 1.408-second gap during the first 10 minutes, Sherlock’s advantage was erased by a full-course caution as Jake Pollack (No. 1 JENSEN Ligier JS F3) came to a rest in Turn 1 after suffering a mechanical issue. Just before the caution flag waved, Golan ducked behind the wall as he suffered a mechanical failure racing through the esses. As safety crews worked to clear the circuit, Sherlock continued to circle around behind the safety car with his mirrors filled with Kleck, Ribeiro, Bowling and Hayden Bowlsbey (No. 22 IGY6 Motorsports / Save22 Ligier JS F3), who completed the top five.

When the race resumed, Sherlock was under intense pressure, with Kleck pulling side by side as they entered Turn 1. Sherlock locked the brakes, which should have given Kleck the advantage, but the NOLA winner went wide on exit, instead allowing Bowling to sneak by for second. The pressure didn’t stop there as Bowling and Kleck swapped the runner up position at least two more times.

As the checkered flag waved, Sherlock was the first one across the finish line with a 3.442-second advantage. Bowling followed in second, and Kleck crossed the line in third.

“The safety car made it a little tough with that close restart, but I still got it done in the end,” said Sherlock after climbing from the car. “We had a good restart, and I had a fun battle with Cole—it was pretty intense. I was able to get away and get the win, so I’m super happy with that. I just want to thank the team at Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport, Oscar, my engineer, my mechanic, Frenchie, and my whole family watching at home.”

FR Americas will contest their final race of the 2024 season tomorrow at 1:15 p.m. CT. The race will be preceded by a fan walk, where fans are invited to join the cars and stars of FR Americas on COTA’s Pit Lane at 12:40 p.m. CT. Fans at home can stream the race live on SpeedTour.TV, or follow live timing and scoring on the Race Monitor app. Additional news and updates will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

SascoSports to Continue as HSR Tire Supplier and At-Track Service and Support Partner

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (November 1, 2024) – SascoSports, Inc. and Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) have executed a multi-year partnership agreement that will see the longtime vintage and historic racing company continue as HSR’s Tire Supplier and At-Track Service and Support Partner.

Already a fixture in the HSR paddock as the go-to source for HSR competitor racing tire needs and solutions, the new long-term agreement supports the ongoing and multi-tiered relationship between SascoSports and HSR. In addition to bringing its more than three decades of racing tire experience and expertise to HSR members and competitors, the VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) based organization is also the title sponsor of the popular HSR SascoSports International/American Challenge racing series.

Staying true to the proven practice of “we race what we sell,” SascoSports is also a race and championship winning prep-shop and racing team. Company principal Dave Handy most recently co-drove to a Run Group B victory in this past June’s HSR Watkins Glen Classic 6 Hour Presented by Mission Foods with teammate Peter McLaughlin in a 1982 No. 05 March 822 Can-Am entered and prepared by SascoSports and riding on SascoSports mounted and supplied tires.

It is indeed, however, the tire supplier and service support operations of SascoSports that are at the foundation of partnership with HSR. Among the available brands SascoSports sells and supports are Avon, Dunlop, Goodyear, Hoosier, Michelin, Pirelli and Toyo racing tires.

Dave Handy, SascoSports President: “We are excited to be part of this winning team of amazing competitors and talented professionals in vintage and historic sports car racing and continuing to service our long time HSR tire customers. We also welcome and are ready to assist new HSR competitors into our growing sport, and look forward to what the future holds for HSR in the new IMSA era.”

Chris Ward, HSR President: “To say that SascoSports and Dave Handy and his wife Robyn Handy are fixtures in the HSR paddock and family is an understatement. It is people like Robyn and David with SascoSports that truly makeup the foundation on which HSR was established and how our organization operates on a daily basis. We are delighted to be able to announce this exciting new partnership on the eve of one of the biggest races in HSR’s history with the 10th running of this weekend’s HSR Daytona Classic 24 Hour Presented by Mission Foods.”

About HSR: An International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) property, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the racing cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Daytona International Speedway, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/, on Twitter X @HSR_race and on Instagram @HistoricSportscarRacing.

Jake Drew Looks To Lock Down Rookie, Young Guns Championships Joined by Boris Said Jr., TA2 Series Newcomer Vincent Apple

HIGH POINT, N.C. (Oct. 31, 2024) – A pair of season-long championships are on the line in the Silver Hare Racing camp as it heads to the 2024 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series finale Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.

First-year TA2 competitor Jake Drew, the 24-year-old from Fullerton, California, heads to the 3.4-mile, 20-turn circuit that just two weekends ago hosted Round 19 of the 2024 Formula One World Championship hoping to emerge with both Rookie of the Year honors and first place in the Young Guns standings for drivers under 25. Drew will be joined in the three-car Silver Hare camp by season-long teammate Boris Said Jr., as well as series newcomer Vincent Apple, for Sunday’s 30-lap, 75-minute race.

Drew will contest the 12th and final round of the 2024 TA2 Series season behind the wheel of the No. 57 Silver Hare Racing/Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro. He didn’t make his TA2 debut until the season’s second round in March at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, where he finished just one position short of the podium, but has been a model of consistency ever since with three podium finishes and seven top-fives in 10 races. He arrives for COTA SpeedTour weekend atop the Rookie of the Year standings by a hefty, 76-point margin over second-place Josh Hurley, and is within striking distance in the Young Guns race, trailing leader Thomas Annunziata by 21 points. Drew sits fourth in the overall TA2 standings despite missing the season opener at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway by the same 21-point margin behind third-place Annunziata, who’s contested all 11 rounds thus far. Drew’s most recent podium finish of third came in the Oct. 6 round at Virginia International Raceway, High Point, North Carolina-based Silver Hare Racing’s home track. Drew came to Silver Hare after running a half-dozen NASCAR Truck Series events in 2023 and a 23-race slate of ARCA Menards Series outings from 2021 to 2023 that featured three road-course victories in 2022.

Said, the 20-year-old first-year driver of the No. 75 HendrickCars.com/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro, returns to the scene of his 2023 season-best finish of seventh a year ago this weekend. He, too, has been a model of consistency in his second fulltime TA2 season, having scored back-to-back career-best finishes of sixth May 25 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, and June 22 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington during a string of five top-eight finishes. The son of NASCAR and sportscar racing veteran Boris Said arrives at COTA eighth in the TA2 standings and fourth among the Young Guns despite also missing a round this season, the June 9 race at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.

Making his TA2 Series debut this weekend in the No. 5 Silver Hare Racing/Hope for the City Chevrolet Camaro will be the 43-year-old Apple, an open-wheel racing veteran who hails from Las Vegas who made his mark driving Formula Fords in the U.S. and on the European Formula Renault circuit as a teenager in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He began racing go-karts against the likes of Patrick Long and Danica Patrick at the age of 12, and competed against name drivers, including Kimi Räikkönen, during his three-year Formula Renault run in Europe. As his schedule running the family mining company has allowed in recent years, Apple has dabbled in sportscar endurance races in the West. Last November, he co-drove to a class victory in the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California. He was behind the wheel for eight of the race’s 25 hours for his five-driver team, which was victorious by a 12-lap margin.

This weekend’s COTA SpeedTour kicks off with a pair of TA2 test sessions at 10:55 and 4:55 p.m. EDT Friday. Official practice is set for 11:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by qualifying at 4:45 p.m. Race time is 10:35 a.m. EST Sunday with live television provided by series partner MAVTV, augmented by live-streaming video on the Trans Am and SpeedTour channels on YouTube. MAVTV will air a 60-minute race show at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 7.

Silver Hare Racing leverages its Trans Am effort to promote its arrive-and-drive program, where aspiring racers and even tenured professionals hone their road-racing skills on some of the most revered tracks in North America. NASCAR Cup Series drivers Daniel Suárez, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Harrison Burton have all wheeled Silver Hare Racing-prepared cars to burnish their road-racing abilities in top-flight equipment.

The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing for both competition and private testing. Silver Hare Racing has a dedicated, fulltime crew and operates out of a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. At the track, two 53-foot Featherlite transporters serve as the team’s base, each outfitted with a lounge and smart TVs for data and video review, as well as for hospitality.

“With NASCAR having so many more road-course races, it’s our goal for Silver Hare Racing to be the preferred team for drivers to get that road-course experience,” said Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing co-owner and team manager. “We want to be that important step in the ladder for the young, up-and-coming drivers. We want people to know we have an arrive-and-drive program, where for people who want to run this track or another, we provide the opportunity to do that and be successful.”

Jake Drew, driver, No. 57 Silver Hare Racing/Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro:

You’re down to the last race of your first career season in TA2. How are you planning to approach the weekend at COTA?

“We’ll try and win this thing. I mean, it’s the last race of the year, and of course everybody wants to win, but that’s one of the last things on our list of things to achieve. We have a couple of poles, some podiums, we’ve brought the car back clean every race, looking good for Rookie of the Year. You can’t ask for much more other than let’s go and end the year with a win, give everybody something to stay pumped over the offseason. I haven’t really gotten much advice about how to get around the track at COTA, but I’ve definitely watched a lot of race broadcasts from the last couple of years and it definitely looks like it gets pretty racy and pretty wild at times. So I’ll just have to keep my head on a swivel and try to be ahead of the game on that. I think just keeping everything clean for the whole 100 miles is the biggest part of it. It looks like tempers get going pretty high and there are definitely a lot of danger zones with curves and stuff that can tear up the car. So we’ll try to take care of the car throughout the weekend and throughout the race, and I think we can be in the hunt for a win at the end if we can do that.”

In recent years, while your career centered around stock cars, most notably the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, did you ever think you’d be racing in a road racing series like Trans Am?

“Not really, to be honest with you. I mean, as I started my racing career, I guess I kind of always wondered what it would be like if I got the opportunity to run primarily road courses because it was my whole background, so it’s been really cool to run this whole year with Silver Hare, with the support of Cube 3 and Franklin Road to help finish this year. It’s been humbling, really. It’s been a really tough year, but in a good way, and I appreciate that. I’ve had to push myself really hard to do well and pushing to keep getting better, and we’ve had pretty consistent results. It seems like we’re just looking for that last couple of percent and looking to try and extract that this weekend with our first win together.”

Do you feel a particular cool factor being able to race on a track that just two weeks ago hosted the Formula One World Championship?

“I mean, I think the track’s cool, for sure. I’ve been watching races on it for years and it’s pretty much like a lot of the places we’ve been to this year, and places I got to go to last year and stuff. As I keep progressing in my professional career, it’s cool to visit a lot of these well-known and famous racetracks and look forward to checking one of the bigger ones off the list this weekend. Hopefully we can go out and make it a really memorable one.”

Boris Said Jr., driver, No. 75 HendrickCars.com/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:

Your overall thoughts about heading to COTA this weekend in your HendrickCars.com/Silver Hare Camaro, particularly in light of your 2023 season-best finish of seventh there a year ago this weekend?

“The first thing I’m looking forward to is it’s a good field this week with 45 cars out there. There will be a lot of fast cars and it’s going to be really competitive, which is always a good thing. It’s a cool track for TA2 cars and it’s fun, and I like it a lot, so I’m excited. Last year was pretty good. It was very chaotic, but it was a fun and it ended up well. There were quite a few yellows but luckily we ended up missing them all. I’m looking forward to going there this time in my HendrickCars.com Camaro.”

How would you describe what it’s like to race at COTA?

“I think it’s a tighter track than people might think. It has the most slow corners of any track we go to, a lot of hard braking into slow corners, so that’s an element of fun in its own way. I like turn 19 the best, the second-to-last corner, a left-hand sweeper that leads you to the last turn that puts you onto the front straight. I think our Silver Hare cars should be really good there like they have been the last few years.”

Looking back on your first season with Silver Hare Racing, what stands about working with the team?

“It’s been a good year. I’m happy to have done some good racing with Silver Hare this season and I’m looking forward to whatever the future holds. The team has such a tight-knit, family feel to it and everyone really cares a lot about each other and about doing everything the right way. It’s a good place to be, and it’s been a really good experience. Right now, we’re just focused on getting a good, strong finish this weekend, for sure.”

Vincent Apple, driver, No. 5 Silver Hare Racing/Hope for the City Chevrolet Camaro:

With your extensive open-wheel racing background, how did you end up in the Trans Am Series and with Silver Hare Racing?

“I’ve been interested in the Trans Am Series for probably a year and a half now. I’ll be one of the older guys out there, so when I was growing up racing, we didn’t have all the electronics and paddle shifts and ABS and traction control that they have in so many forms of racing today. So I was looking at the Trans Am Series because they call it a driver’s car, there’s not all the computers and aids, it’s up to the driver, which really interested in me. My search for a team led me to Silver Hare and everything kind of came to fruition, which has been really nice. I flew to the shop to do a seat fitting just because I know how important it is to fit in the car properly, so that’s all I’ve had a chance to do. It’ll be out of the pan and into the fire when we get to COTA.”

This will be not only your first time in a TA2 car, but your first outing at COTA. What have you been doing to prepare, and how are you going to approach the weekend?

“COTA’s a track that always kind of stood out to me, one that I know I would love to drive. So here we are, it’s COTA, it’s a TA2 car, I can’t wait to see what I’m capable of. I’ve been telling a lot of people this weekend is going to show me if I’m delusional or not, do I really have what I think, and how this will test me? And that’s what I really want is to see what I’m capable of, see if I’m really as fast as I think I am. I’ve raced against some big names and done fairly well against them, so hopefully some of that will come back and I’ll be good. I’ve been watching a lot of in-car on YouTube to get an idea of shift points, breaking points, and stuff like that so at least I have some kind of an idea. And a lot of it for the weekend for me is just keeping the car in the right direction and just building up slowly, just get used to the car, go out and make sure to get the laps in. I’ll need to be in the upper half of the field in qualifying so that way I can race on Sunday, and of course the biggest thing that I could see is getting through turn one because that seems like a crazy turn with everybody going five- and six-wide and crazy stuff like that.”

About Hendrick Automotive Group:

Representing 131 franchises and 25 manufacturer nameplates from the Carolinas to California, Hendrick Automotive Group is the largest privately held automotive retail organization in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company employs more than 10,000 people in its 94 dealership locations, 21 collision centers and four accessories distributor installers in 13 states. For more information, please visit HendrickCars.com.

About HendrickCars.com:

HendrickCars.com is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop thousands of new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protection programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.

About Silver Hare Racing:

Silver Hare Racing is a fulltime competitor in the TA2 division of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. The multicar team has won the TA2 masters class championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2020) with driver and team co-owner Maurice Hull. Under the leadership of Hull’s wife, co-owner and team manager Laura Hull, Silver Hare Racing provides a variety of services that includes private testing and arrive-and-drive programs. The team offers six, professionally built and maintained TA2 chassis from Howe Racing and operates from a state-of-the-art facility in High Point, North Carolina. For more information, please call 336-870-5151 or visit SilverHareRacing.com.

With Pro-Am Title Clinched, Barry Boes Eyes Top Overall Result Joined by Teens Tristan McKee and Evan Slater, 21-Year-Old Carson Kvapil, for TA2 Season Finale

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Oct. 31, 2024) – With one title already in the bag, a quartet of TeamSLR M1 Racecars competitors are ready to hit the majestic Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin, Texas, to close out the 2024 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series season during Sunday’s COTA SpeedTour event.

First-year TeamSLR driver Barry Boes and his No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang arrive at the 3.4-mile, 20-turn circuit having clinched the 2024 Pro-Am Challenge championship within a championship by virtue of his seventh class win in 11 races this season Oct. 5 at Virginia International Raceway in Alton. Boes will be joined for Sunday’s 30-lap, 75-minute season finale by three young, part-time TA2 drivers all returning to the TeamSLR lineup after posting solid results in previous stints in M1 Racecars equipment this season – 21-year-old Carson Kvapil, 18-year-old Evan Slater, and 14-year-old Tristan McKee.

With Pro-Am title in hand, the pressure is off for Boes, the sixth-year TA2 Series competitor who from 1995 to 2023 called Austin, Texas, home before his offseason move to Ooltewah, Tennessee. He relishes the opportunity to go all out for a top overall finish Sunday against a packed field of 45 entries. It will be the sixth career TA2 appearance at COTA for Boes and first with TeamSLR. His first three resulted in finishes of ninth, seventh and 10th in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively. In July, Boes scored his first career Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series Western Championship victory at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway in M1 Racecars equipment. He also scored a fourth-place finish in his No. 27 Ford with co-driver Greg Biffle in the non-points SpeedTour All-Star Race July 20 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut.

McKee, who turned 14 on Aug. 3, returns to the cockpit of the No. 28 SLR-M1Racecars Chevrolet Camaro after a stellar official TA2 debut in the most recent round at VIR. He qualified sixth and held position among the leaders en route to a fourth-place finish, just .7 of a second behind the final podium position. McKee has shown his racing brilliance as a Chevrolet development driver this season. He’s been a regular in the Pro Late Model division of the popular CARS Tour, where in 2023 he became the series’ youngest winner at the age of 12. McKee added a win in the series’ July 3 round at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, North Carolina, and another in the Aug. 4 round at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. He got his first taste of TA2 competition when he co-drove a TeamSLR M1 Racecars entry with his Team Chevrolet mentor Scott speed in July’s All-Star Race at Lime Rock.

Kvapil will be making his fifth career TA2 start this weekend, his third of the season and first since it was announced Oct. 1 that he will drive fulltime in the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports. The son of 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil is also a Team Chevrolet development driver. His first TA2 outing of the year in the No. 17 SLR-M1Racecars Chevrolet Camaro came in the June 3 race at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex, where he drove to a third-place finish from the ninth starting position. He returned Aug. 25 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, where he qualified third and was running with the leaders before a shredded tire led to an early exit from the race. With zero road-racing experience prior to his TA2 debut in June 2023 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Kvapil qualified second and finished fifth, then qualified third the following weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and moved up to second on the opening lap of the race before getting punted off track and sustaining damage beyond repair. He’s enjoyed success in numerous other racing disciplines already this year, including three top-five Xfinity Series finishes in nine races with JR Motorsports, and top-three finishes for Pinnacle Racing Group in the ARCA Menards Series. Kvapil also has a pair of wins in six races on the zMAX CARS Tour in the Late Model Stock class.

Slater, the native of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who’ll be behind the wheel of the No. 8 Cube 3 Architecture/Willis & Smith Capital/Paul Racing SLR-M1Racecars Chevrolet Camaro, returns to the team for the second time this season and first since qualifying and finishing second Memorial Day weekend at Lime Rock, where he chased race-winner and two-time TA2 champion Rafa Matos across the finish line. Slater competed in six TA2 races in 2023 for Ken Thwaits’ Showtime Motorsports M1 Racecars team, scoring top-five finishes at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, and another pair of top-10s at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana, and Lime Rock. Slater has one previous TA2 appearance at COTA, qualifying fourth but having to start at the back of the 42-car field, from where he drove to a 14th-place finish.

Another pair of M1 Racecars entries fielded by Peterson Racing return to the TA2 Series for the fourth time this season. Last year’s TA2 Series Rookie of the Year Austin Green returns to the cockpit of the No. 89 Ford Mustang that he drove to a runner-up finish at Watkins Glen in August, qualified on the pole at Mid-Ohio in June, and drove to a fifth-place finish at the season-opening race at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway in February. Meanwhile, team owner and Masters-class competitor Doug Peterson is back behind the wheel of the No. 87 Ford Mustang.

Riding along with this weekend’s TeamSLR drivers and their M1 Racecars, as it has all season long, is Nashville, Tennessee-based Franklin Road Apparel Company, which has been a longtime team supporter and serves as associate partner on all four TeamSLR entries this weekend. Also supporting the overall TeamSLR effort is Cube 3 Architecture. TeamSLR is also supporting part-time TA2 driver Julian DaCosta’s Powered by Hixson-backed SVRA vintage car effort this weekend at COTA.

M1 Racecars was represented on the podium at 12 of the 13 TA2 rounds in 2023, highlighted by a pair of victories by Rafa Matos for Peterson Racing. Team SLR’s Dillon Machavern and Thad Moffitt both scored podium finishes, as did Connor Mosack at the season-opening event at Sebring, when he qualified on the pole and led the first 19 laps of the race before finishing third.

This weekend’s COTA SpeedTour kicks off with a pair of TA2 test sessions at 10:55 and 4:55 p.m. EDT Friday. Official practice is set for 11:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by qualifying at 4:45 p.m. Race time is 10:35 a.m. EST Sunday with live television provided by series partner MAVTV, augmented by live-streaming video on the Trans Am and SpeedTour channels on YouTube. MAVTV will air a 60-minute race show at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 7.

Barry Boes, Driver, No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang:

What are your thoughts about the track, considering you lived fulltime in the Austin area from 1995 until last year?

“COTA is one of those racetracks where, if you’ve never been on a racetrack and you get on it in a racecar, it feels like you’re on a Formula One track, because you are. You’ve got all the great big, huge curbing and the big, painted runoff areas, and the gantries going over the racetrack and all that sort of stuff. It looks larger than life. But as a competitor, especially in TA2, it’s a track where there’s not a ton of risk. You go straight, you brake hard, you go straight, you brake hard, there’s a little bit of fiddly stuff, and you start all over again. Turn 13 is a challenge to get right, and then really nailing 18 and 19 is way harder than it looks. To be really fast, it’s really tough to get that one right and a lot of fun to work on perfecting, same with 13 and 14. I lived there since well before the racetrack was ever there, and the track was there for years before I started racing, so I’ve raced at a lot of other tracks a lot more than I have at COTA. Still, I’m looking forward to having a good run there this weekend.”

You arrive at this weekend’s season finale at COTA with an insurmountable 125-point lead in the Pro-Am Challenge standings. How does that affect the way you approach this race compared to a typical weekend?

“With Pro-Am in the bag, I’m just going to go flat out as opposed to having to be as careful as I can be if it wasn’t in the bag. I’m going to just see how far up there I can run among the ‘national series’ guys and just give it everything I’ve got.”

You’re wrapping up your first season driving for TeamSLR. How would you describe the experience?

“Yeah, I mean, this has been both my most successful and most rewarding year of racing. And, obviously, the people and the equipment that have been standing behind me are a very big part of that.”

Carson Kvapil, Driver, No. 17 SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

Since we last saw you at Watkins Glen, it was announced you will drive fulltime next year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports. How does that affect your perspective as you race this weekend at COTA, which is on the Xfinity Series schedule?

“Obviously, I want to go there and treat it as any other race, I want to go out there and try to win. We’ll just try to get really good test and practice sessions in, qualify well and run all the laps in the race to get as much experience as we can. With the Xfinity schedule having pretty limited practice time, it’s good to get as much track time as you can on these road courses, which is kind of not my forte, I guess you’d say. I’m just looking forward to it and I know TeamSLR is going to bring me a good piece, so I’m sure we’ll have a pretty good shot to win the race, or at least have a good shot to run really well.”

You recently had a chance to run some laps at COTA in a stock Camaro. What are your impressions of the track and what it takes to run well there?

“It’s a really huge place, and I think it’s kind of cool. It’s not just 10 or 11 turns, it’s really long and the facility is really, really nice, more so than I’ve witnessed at any other road course. It’ll be pretty cool and super exciting to race on a track like that. Like every other road course, it’s got its little quirks and little tough spots. Hopefully, we can go in this weekend and figure it all out and learn all the turns, which sometimes can be tough on a big track like that.”

How would you describe your experience working with TeamSLR and its contribution to helping you make it to the next level in the Xfinity Series?

“Running a handful of races with TeamSLR these last two seasons, the whole team has been a great experience and I’m going to say it’s going to be a big help going into next year’s Xfinity schedule. Being able to run Watkins Glen earlier this year and now COTA with the Lagasses is going to pay big dividends. Working with a group like TeamSLR makes my job a lot easier. They’re super good about how they look at data and driver training for the road courses, and with their NASCAR experience, we’ve been speaking the same language, so I couldn’t be with a better group, and we’re excited to hit it this weekend.”

Tristan Mckee, Driver, No. 28 SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

You got a sneak peek at the COTA layout driving a stock Camaro a few weeks ago. What are your initial impressions of the track, and how did it help your preparation?

“I’m excited. The elevation change all around the track is cool. I’ve done some sim work with Scott Speed and their preparation has been great, so I think I’m pretty ready. It’ll be good to actually get to run there for real in a TA2 car. F1 was there a couple of weeks ago, that adds to the excitement of being able to drive there. It’s a super huge racetrack and one of the coolest in the country, so I’m really excited.”

Did you identify any key parts of the track that are important to turning fast laps there?

“Yeah, there’s so much to that track. It was just a matter of making sure you get all the proximity right in the corners, cutting everything as close as you can. There are some track limits all around and they’ll be pretty strict on that, especially through the esses, so cutting those as tight as you can will be important. The lap there is so long, there are many different things to think about every lap.”

You came within one spot of a podium finish in your official TA2 debut with TeamSLR at VIR the first weekend in October. How was that experience for you?

“It was great. I’ve been working with TeamSLR since December last year, we’ve been testing a lot. It’s been great to work with Scotty (Scott Lagasse Jr.) and his dad (Scott Lagasse Sr.) and getting to know all the guys, it’s been good. They helped me a lot at VIR. I think I could’ve done a few things a little bit better, but obviously I’m still learning. That was my first real TA2 race, so I’m excited to see what we can do at COTA.”

Evan Slater, Driver, No. 8 Cube 3 Architecture/Willis & Smith Capital SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

You’re back with TeamSLR and the Trans Am Series for the second time this year and the first time since your runner-up finish at Lime Rock in May. How are you approaching this weekend?

“I don’t think it’ll take too long to break the rust off. Lime Rock was my first time back in the car in nine months and we got second in the race, I think we went second the first practice session, so it didn’t take long to knock the rust off there. So, COTA, I haven’t driven the track in two years, and they’ve done some repaving, but I expect to be fast right out of the box. I’ve been driving racecars here and there since Lime Rock, a lot of coaching in TA2 cars – sometimes I hop in for a data lap. Um, and I’ve been driving other forms of cars like Radicals, prototypes, sportscars. I’ve been staying active, so I don’t think it’ll be too much of a learning curve to get back into it.”

You have one previous TA2 outing at COTA, which resulted in a 14th-place finish in 2022. What do you expect to take from that race into this weekend?

“COTA is such an interesting track, a ton of turns, a lot of different types of turns. You’ve got fast-flowing turns, tight turns, turns where you need to get good power down, you have hard braking zones. So, what a great track. There are a lot of different types of turns and options, which makes it really fun. In 2022, I had a good run, but it didn’t look as good on paper. We qualified fourth, but then I missed the driver meeting in my worst move of the season, so I had to start 43rd, but went from 43rd to 14th in the race, which was a great race, I thought. Obviously, we would have liked to have started fourth rather than 43rd, but it showed that you can pass around that track, and I was able to find the gaps, find the opportunities around there. This year, I’m definitely not going to miss the driver meeting, so hopefully we can stay at the front end of the field the whole time. I already have my alarm set for the for the COTA driver meeting in my phone, so I’m not going to miss this one.”

How would you describe your first experience with TeamSLR at Lime Rock in May?

“Lime Rock was my first experience with Scott Sr. and Scott Jr., and I enjoyed it from the start, they know so much. I mean, they built the car, so they know it inside and out. The level of professionalism they brought was unmatched from anything I’ve seen. They were so great at so many things, like figuring out what setup changes that we needed to do starting a practice, laying out the plan – ‘We’re going to do a few laps, pit, make a change, and go out again, then make another change.’ They have a layout and a plan for all the practice sessions, which I think is great. They know what they need to learn to make the cars drive the best they can. And it’s just a super-professional environment, everybody knows what they’re doing, and everybody’s really good at their job.”

About TeamSLR:

TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s newly renamed Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr., The father-and-son duo have combined to win more than 120 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. For more information, please visit us online at www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.