Event Preview: Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli @ Road America

Trans Am Series by Pirelli @ Road America
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TRACK FACTS:

• Opened in 1955

• Length: 4.048 Miles

• Layout: 14-Turn Road Course

• Location: Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin

BROADCAST: WATCH LIVE

• RacingAmerica.TV

• Racing America 24/7 Channel

• @TheTransAmSeries on YouTube

FORMER ROAD AMERICA WINNERS IN THE FIELD:

1 – Tim Gray, 2013 TA3I
1 – Ken Thwaits, 2020 XGT
1 – Jared Odrick, 2024 TA2 PRO/AM

TRANS AM BY PIRELLI – ALL-TIME CLASS WINNERS AT ROAD AMERICA:

5 – Ernie Francis, Jr.
4 – Cliff Ebben
4 – Tommy Kendall
3 – Chris Dyson
3 – Tony Ave
3 – Peter Gregg
3 – Lee Saunders
3 – Brent Crews
3 – Boris Said

TRANS AM BY PIRELLI STORYLINES

TRANS AM RETURNS TO ITS MOST FREQUENTED RACETRACK:

The Trans Am Series by Pirelli is returning to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin this weekend to take on the 14-corner, 4.048-mile behemoth that is Road America. A total of four different races – the Trans Am by Pirelli, CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, and two TA Sprint events – will mark races No. 68, 69, 70, and 71 for Trans Am at the historic racetrack, by far the most of any facility.

Trans Am’s inaugural race at Road America happened on July 19, 1970, when Mark Donohue, piloting the No. 6 AMC Javelin, drove to victory over Swede Savage in his Plymouth Barracuda AAR-50211 and Sam Posey in his Dodge Challenger.

TA CUP TO CROWN A CHAMPION AT ROAD AMERICA

This weekend at Road America, the inaugural season of the Trans Am by Pirelli TA Cup Championship will be wrapped up, as the division crowns its first-ever champion at the end of Sunday’s 25-lap or 75-minute event.

Cole Moore (No. 99 JM Environmental / Moore Motorsports Ford Mustang) enters the weekend as the TA Cup Championship points leader over Jim Guthrie (No. 62 Guthrie’s Garage Ford Mustang), with an advantage of 14 points heading into the finale. Ken Thwaits (No. 9 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro) sits third in standings, 45 points behind.

Moore, Guthrie, and Thwaits will be joined by two other drivers in the TA Cup Class this weekend at Road America; Ken Sutherland and David Kunicki, who sit eighth and ninth in series point standings after debuting last weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

MATTHEW BRABHAM PULLS BACK AHEAD IN BATTLE FOR TA CLASS TITLE

Following his return to the top step of the podium at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Matthew Brabham has further extended his lead in the battle for the Trans Am by Pirelli TA Class Championship over Paul Menard. The 2011 Brickyard 400 winner had closed the gap to within six points with his victory at Lime Rock Park – while Brabham finished fifth with a mechanical issue – but after finishing a distant third at Indy, the No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints / Menards Ford Mustang drops to 18 points behind Brabham.

PAUL MENARD CONTINUES SEARCH FOR ELUSIVE HOME STATE WIN

The weekend ahead is a pretty important one for Paul Menard, a title contender in the Trans Am by Pirelli TA Class Championship and a native of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, as the driver of the No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints / Menards Ford Mustang looks to finally secure the home state win that has eluded him since joining Trans Am.

Menard has five Trans Am starts at Road America (2002, 2003, 2022, 2024, and 2025) and on two separate occasions has finished runner-up to Poncho Weaver’s No. 2 Dodge Challenger – once driven by Kaz Grala (2022) and later driven by Brent Crews (2024). The 45-year-old driver has won at the 4.048-mile road course twice throughout his career – 2001 in the NASCAR RE/MAX Challenge Series and in 2015 in the NASCAR XFINITY Series.

Could this be the weekend where Menard finally earns that Trans Am win at Road America, and at the same time, asserts his dominance in the championship battle against Matthew Brabham?

HELIO MEZA RETURNS TO WINNERS CIRCLE; CONTINUES DOMINANT SEASON

There is NOTHING that can keep 18-year-old Helio Meza down. After his first less-than-perfect performance at Lime Rock Park, where the driver of the Team SLR No. 28 finished a respectable seventh in the extremely difficult wet conditions, the Spring, Texas-native bounced back immediately. Meza dominated the weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning the pole, leading every lap, and winning the race – his sixth in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series – and extending his points lead to a massive 56-point advantage over Alon Day.

TA SPRINT RETURNS TO ACTION THIS WEEKEND AT ROAD AMERICA

This weekend’s Trans Am by Pirelli festivities at Road America will include a third (and fourth) feature event on Sunday, June 28, as the TA Sprint division returns to action for a doubleheader weekend at the 4.048-mile road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. There are currently four drivers on the entry list for both events, which will last 13 laps or 40 minutes, whichever comes first.

John Atwell (No. 02 XRC / DFW Concrete / A&J Lab Portal Ford Mustang) was the inaugural winner of the TA Sprint division in its season-opener at Sebring International Speedway and will return to Road America this weekend to defend his victory. Rob Kacprowicz (No. 27 5x5 Brewing Ford Mustang) and Bryce Raymond (No. 54 Sublimate Technologies Ford Mustang) are also returning from Sebring. Brad McAllister (No. 24 Periodontal Associates Ford Mustang) will make his debut in the division on Sunday.

CHEESE CAPITAL CUP PROCESSION GIVES FANS AN UP-CLOSE LOOK AT TRANS AM

On Friday, June 26, fans of the Trans Am Series by Pirelli will be given a one-of-a-kind opportunity to receive a closer look at the series and its stars, during the Cheese Capital Cup Procession. The procession (beginning at 5:45 PM) travels from Road America to Stayer Park in Plymouth, where the Plymouth Cheese Capital Festival is taking place. Once the procession arrives, fans will have the unique opportunity to view the cars, meet the drivers, and take photos. The goal is simple: bring the energy of Road America into the community and give fans a personal connection with the cars, drivers, and teams.

POINT STANDINGS

TA Class Driver’s Championship

1. #16 Matthew Brabham 619

2. #3 Paul Menard 601 (-18)

3. #8 Tomy Drissi 525 (-94)

4. #57 David Pintaric 510 (-109)

5. #59 Simon Gregg 325 (-294)

6. #7 Martin Ragginger 270 (-349)

7. #02 Kaylee Bryson 236 (-383)

8. #20 Chris Dyson 181 (-438)

9. #17 Adam Andretti 177 (-442)

10. #4 Jon DeGaynor 152 (-467)

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Driver’s Championship

1. #28 Helio Meza 610pts

2. #17 Alon Day 554 (-56)

3. #10 Ethan Tovo 465 (-145)

4. #7 Noah Harmon 441 (-169)

5. #3 Adrian Wlostowski 440 (-170)

6. #71 Eric Cayton 398 (-212)

7. #30 Jackson Tovo 387 (-223)

8. #88 Stanton Barrett 357 (-253)

9. #95 Gian Buffomante 334 (-276)

10. #20 Seamus McKendree 324 (-286)

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series PRO/AM Driver’s Championship

1. #00 Jared Odrick 564pts

2. #99 Cale Phillips 530 (-34)

3. #64 Matt Gray 454 (-110)

4. #98 Doug Winston 444 (-120

5. #66 Christina Lam 421 (-143)

6. #16 Jim Gallagher 375 (-189)

7. #9 Keith Prociuk 362 (-202)

8. #72 Preston Peables 231 (-333)

9. #44 Patrick Paul 187 (-377)

10. #97 Tom Sheehan 177 (-387)

TA Sprint Driver’s Championship

1. #02 John Atwell 103pts

2. #54 Bruce Raymond 98 (-5)

3. #89 James Libecco 93 (-10)

4. #27 Rob Kacprowicz 88 (-15)

5. #16 Alan Davison 84 (-19)

6. #8 Rene Molina 80 (-23)

7. #11 Paul Ruth 76 (-27)

TA Cup Driver’s Championship

1. #89 Cole Moore 501pts

2. #62 Jim Guthrie 487 (-14)

3. #9 Ken Thwaits 456 (-45)

4. #67 Phil Fogg, Jr. 388 (-113)

5. #08 Matt Crandall 178 (-323)

6. #92 John Moore 176 (-325)

7. #08 Aaron Young 169 (-332)

8. #85 Ken Sutherland 96 (-405)

9. #86 David Kunicki 80 (-421)

GT1 Challenge Driver’s Championship

1. #98 Brent Goforth 304pts

2. #11 Jordan Bupp 206 (-98)

3. #99 Bill Goforth 196 (-108)

4. #22 Axel Rivera 98 (-206)

5. #70 David Jans 93 (-211)

6. #77 Paul Fix 88 (-216)

XGT Class Driver’s Championship

1. #14 Billy Griffin 206pts

2. #10 Erich Joiner 103 (-103)

SGT Class Driver’s Championship

1. #27 Chris Coffey 612pts

2. #49 Patrick Utt 569 (-43)

3. #15 Milton Grant 273 (-339)

4. #72 Zach Arnold 210 (-402)

5. #60 Tim Gray 166 (-446)

6. #30 Dana Blackhurst 164 (-448)

7. #91 Jesse Schmidt 103 (-509)

8. #84 Lee Saunders 103 (-509)

9. #68 Ray Mason 84 (-528)

GT Class Driver’s Championship

1. #24 Derric Carter 392pts

2. #47 Brion Gluck 191 (-201)

3. #6 Adrian Wlostowski 103 (-289)

4. #13 Michael Saia 103 (-289)

5. #51 Matthew Butson 93 (-309)

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

• CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series

  • Optional Test #1: Friday, June 26 – 11:25 AM to 12:00 PM

  • Optional Test #2: Friday, June 26 – 4:00 PM to 4:35 PM

  • Practice: Saturday, June 27 – 9:45 AM to 10:10 AM

  • Qualifying: Saturday, June 27 – 2:35 PM to 3:10 PM

  • Race: Sunday, June 28 – 1:10 PM (25 Laps or 75 Minutes)

• TA / TAC / GT Classes

  • Optional Test #1: Friday, June 26 - 10:00 AM to 10:35 AM

  • Optional Test #2: Friday, June 26 – 3:15 PM to 3:50 PM

  • Practice: Saturday, June 27 – 9:10 AM to 9:35 AM

  • Qualifying: Saturday, June 27 – 1:50 PM to 2:25 PM

  • Race: Sunday, June 28 – 10:05 AM (25 Laps or 75 Minutes)

• TA Sprint

  • Optional Test #1: Friday, June 26 – 8:40 AM to 9:10 AM

  • Optional Test #2: Friday, June 26 – 1:45 PM to 2:15 AM

  • Practice: Saturday, June 27 – 8:35 AM to 9:00 AM

  • Qualifying: Saturday, June 27 – 12:30 PM to 12:55 PM

  • TA Sprint Race #1: Sunday, June 28 – 9:15 AM (13 Laps or 40 Minutes)

  • TA Sprint Race #2: Sunday, June 28 – 3:20 PM (13 Laps or 40 Minutes)

Photo: Chris Clark Photography