Exclusive: Meet Helio Meza, the 18-Year-Old Taking the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series by Storm

Helio Meza has taken the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series by storm, as the 18-year-old hotshoe from Spring, TX, has scored back-to-back wins to open his career in the series. After his latest dominant performance in the season-opener at Sebring International Raceway, Meza spoke about his fast start, how his full-time ride with Team SLR came to be, his path up the racing ladder, and more in an exclusive interview with Racing America.

Going into his debut at Circuit of the Americas last season, Meza wasn't sure where he'd stack up against the ultra-competitive CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series field.

"You know, really going into the series, I didn't really know where I'd stack up against the field, just because I knew the competition was pretty stacked," Meza explained. "And so I just kind of went into my first weekend last year, my first race last year at COTA, just with an open mindset, just trying to learn as much as I can, and, you know, I wouldn't say I wasn't expecting a win, but I wasn't really, I wasn't expecting to win. So, then for me, I just put less pressure on myself, and I just went out there to learn, and obviously left the weekend with a win."

Meza says he kept that attitude rolling into Sebring, the opening race of 2026, and it paid off again with yet another win. Now, he has plenty of momentum as he embarks on his first full-time season in TA2.

Incredibly, Meza, now the favorite to win the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series championship, wasn't expecting to be a full-time competitor this season. All the young racer could seemingly muster was a part-time schedule. However, a January test session at Sebring changed everything.

"It was really late, almost too close for comfort late," Meza said of his full-time ride coming together. "But, I had the preseason test at the beginning of the year. And, at that time, I had no idea I was going full-time, and so I was going to do a partial schedule."

Meza says he had Sebring and roughly four other races lined up for the 2026 TA2 season. So, he wanted to make the most of his test session at Sebring to give himself the best chance to kick off his part-time campaign with a strong effort.

Ahead of the test, he made a decision that proved to be integral to his full-time campaign launching off the ground.

"My main sponsor, Alessandros Racing, the owner, Diego Rodriguez, lives in Miami. And so obviously, Sebring being just around a 3-hour drive away from Miami, I invited him out," Meza said. "I'm like, 'Hey, you should come out and watch.' And so he came out, and we were really fast with the test."

With Rodriguez on hand, and his lap times looking ultra-quick, Meza gained the courage to pull out a page from fictional driver Cole Trickle's playbook.

"I got talking with Diego, and I was like, 'Hey, man, give me a shot. You know, I won't disappoint you. I want to run this series this year, and I feel like it'll be good for my development," Meza recalled.

Just as Trickle in the iconic movie Days of Thunder told his future crew chief, Harry Hogge, that if he took a chance on him, he wouldn't make a fool out of him, Meza got the wheels turning with a similar line. And that would result in a full-time TA2 Series ride for the 2026 season.

"After a little bit of back and forth, he ended up talking with Scott Lagasse and Chevrolet, and they ended up coming to an agreement and allowed me to run the full season," Meza said. "I want to say it was 2 or 3 days after the test when I got the news, and I was just, you know, ecstatic. I was super pumped."

Meza rewarded the decision by everyone involved with a win out of the gates at Sebring.

"Hopefully, that gives my sponsors confidence in me that they made the right decision," Meza quipped.

For Meza, the full-time TA2 run was the culmination of a dream that began two years ago, when he saw his friend and recent roommate, Connor Zilisch, compete in the TA2 Series at Circuit of the Americas.

"This series is one that I've always wanted to be a part of. Two years ago, I went out to Connor's race at COTA. Jim [Zilisch] had invited me out there," Meza recalled. "And I remember seeing these cars in person for the 1st time and just being all in awe, really."

Meza was impressed by all of the switches in the cars, the ignition, the brake fans, everything made the cars seem more like a spaceship than a car to the young racer, who cut his teeth in karts and the MX-5 Cup Series. When Zilisch flipped the ignition and started the car, Meza was in heaven.

"You know, when they turned it on, I was in awe with the sound," Meza admitted. "And I was like, 'Man, you know, I never know if I would get the opportunity to race one of these cars one day.' And fast forward two years later, and here I am now competing for a championship."

Having the funding for a full TA2 Series season is a relief for Meza, who says he has always struggled to find funding through the years, which led to him starting very few national go-kart races.

"I never really got to do many national go-kart races when I first started because we just really didn't have the funding or we just didn't know what we were doing," Meza said. "I'm a first-generation racer. My dad always wanted to race growing up, but, you know, when he was younger, his family didn't have the money to race."

While it was an unfortunate way to race in his early years, Meza says suffering from a lack of funding on the track helped teach him valuable lessons that continue to pay dividends.

"Growing up, I always had to do a lot more with less and learn how to do that. And I think that's helped me succeed as I've gotten more funding and more sponsorship," Meza explained. "Because I've been used to working, trying just to maximize whatever I have. And now that I'm on a really good team with SLR and Chevrolet, I'm used to putting in the work."

Meza continued, "I feel like I'm prepared and ready to take on anything."

While he owes a lot of gratitude to his family, current sponsors, and Team SLR for allowing him to compete full-time in TA2, Meza knows that without the help of Connor Zilisch and his family, this dream would have never gotten off the ground.

"Yeah, so, his family has been super great to me," Meza said. "And Jim Zillish, Connor's dad, has been a tremendous help, and kind of where I'm at today, he's kind of the one that recommended, or he's kind of who put my name in the Chevy Circle, and that's kind of how I'm a part of Chevy, now."

Meza lived at the Zilisch house throughout the 2025 season, as he pieced together his various racing projects, and described his time in the Zilisch home as "always super fun." As Meza moved into his own apartment in Huntersville, NC, roughly a month ago, he couldn't help but feel appreciation for the kindness of the Zilisch family for their support in his racing journey.

While Meza is laser-focused on capturing a TA2 Series championship this year, he is looking to follow Zilisch's lead to the upper echelon of the NASCAR National Series ranks. However, his unconventional path through the racing ladder has conditioned him to be ready for anything.

"As of right now, the trajectory for me is to kind of follow in Connor's footsteps and head towards a NASCAR route, but, obviously, with how motorsports works, whatever opportunities I can get, I'm going to take them," Meza explained.

As the TA2 Series heads into its second race of the 2026 season, the rest of the field may not want to hear Meza's thoughts about the 12-turn, 2.540-mile Road Atlanta road course.

"So, last year I drove at Road Atlanta with the MX-5 cup, and out of all the tracks that I've been to so far," Meza stated. "I would say that's one of my favorite tracks. Just, I don't know if it's a combination of elevation and high speed, but I feel like it suits me really well, and I felt like I was always able to get kind of a flow state there."

While Meza has confidence in the track, he will rely on his prep work through simulator sessions and past race replays to help him fill in the gaps of what it takes to be successful at the track in a TA2 Series car, before he heads onto the track this weekend.

"I'll use the Chevy DIL (Driver-In-The-Loop) to just SIM in whether at Road Atlanta or Sebring, or any track that we go to, always trying to get reps in it," Meza said. "You know, obviously, racing is one of those sports where you can't really go out to the track or, you know, go out to the basketball court and shoot hoops or shoot balls, right? So all you really have access to is the simulator."

Meza says he has found comfort on the Road Atlanta track through Chevrolet's simulator, and he has been studying as much film as he can. He feels prepared going into this weekend.

"I was watching the race from last year, just trying to replay it in my head and just see how the restarts play out, how the field plays out when they all get spread out. What it's like at the beginning of the race, and at the end of the race," Meza said. "So I'm just always trying to get as much information as I can. So, when I do go to the track, I'm not really questioning, and I kind of know what to expect, and just kind of get myself on a higher base point when I get there."

The entire paddock will have its eyes focused on whether Meza can continue his impressive winning streak this weekend at Road Atlanta, but the young driver will have a slew of hungry drivers looking to knock him from atop the perch.

The CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series will hit the track for the first time this weekend at Road Atlanta on Thursday, March 12, for a pair of optional test sessions. The Pro Series and Pro/Am Series will qualify for the race on Friday, March 13.

The 40-lap or 75-minute TA2 Series race will take place on Saturday, March 14. The CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series event at Road Atlanta will be broadcast for FREE on RacingAmerica.TV, Racing America 24/7, and the official Trans Am Series YouTube Channel. The Racing America 24/7 Streaming Channel is available on The Roku Channel, Prime Video, My Free DirecTV, LG Channels, and PLEX. REVTV will serve as the official broadcast partner of Trans Am in Canada.

-Photo Credit: Chris Clark