Helio Meza Clinches CUBE 3 TA2 Series Title with Record-Breaking Ninth Win of 2026

The name Helio Meza will forever be inscribed in the record books of the Trans Am Series by Pirelli and the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series after a phenomenal season in 2026.

Meza, an 18-year-old native of Spring, Texas, put forward a historic campaign in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series this season, setting a single-season win record in the division courtesy of standing on the top step of the podium a whopping nine times in 12 races – en route to the championship.

Due to a mechanical issue earlier in the season at Road America and a catastrophic wreck at Watkins Glen, the championship battle still remained wide-open between Meza and his Team SLR teammate Alon Day as the CUBE 3 TA2 Series faced its championship-deciding event Sunday at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).

As they’ve done pretty much all season, Meza and Day shared the front row at the 3.41-mile road course in Austin, Texas, but were faced with extremely difficult track conditions due to precipitation that had lingered in the area all throughout Sunday morning and early-afternoon.

Meza led the field to the green flag, but entering Turn 1, quickly found himself at the mercy of a divebomb from his teammate Day. The youngster crossed his veteran road racing teammate back over, and the two swapped the lead about three more times in the first half a lap, before Day got to the lead.

Then, Day managed to march away. With Day in the lead, and Meza in second, the driver of the Team SLR No. 28 still had the advantage in the championship by a single point. The only way that the four-time NASCAR Whelen Euro Series champion would be able to add to that title-winning pedigree would be if Meza dropped to third.

However, the Alessandro’s Racing Chevrolet Camaro stayed glued to second place… until three laps to go, when Alon Day, maneuvering through lapped traffic locked up the brakes, slid off the track, and stopped with a mechanical issue – erasing the huge lead and potential victory that Day had in his hands.

That gave the victory, and a major championship lead, to Meza, who crossed the line to win his record-breaking ninth CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series win of 2026, and the 10th of his career, after winning on debut last November at his home track of Circuit of The Americas.

“I don’t have words. This is so cool. It all started here last year, I made my debut, I say it here all the time, and here we are a year later [CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series] champions,” said Helio Meza after taking the checkered flag for the ninth time in 2026. “This win, I didn’t even feel like – Alon [Day] outdrove me, and I don’t know what happened to him, but I felt like he deserved to win today, and even though we were behind him we were still in contention for the championship.”

“We were having some mechanical issues there halfway through the race, with the splitter, the car was shaking like crazy,” Meza added. “I was just trying to nurse it back home, super high intensity halfway through the race not knowing if I was going to be able to finish it. Like you said, we made history with the most wins in a single season which is insane.”

“It still hasn’t hit me, but there’s a lot of emotions going on right now just like it did last year, it didn’t really hit me when I won my debut last year, but same thing this year, so I’m going to enjoy it, my family is here, which I’m so grateful to have them and I couldn’t do it without them.”

The remainder of drivers inside the top-five at the finish of Sunday’s event either matched or bettered their career-best in the National Division of the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, with Noah Harmon in second, Graham Jacobson in third, Tanner Reif in fourth, and Jace Denmark rounding out the top-five.

Jacobson was the highest-finishing of those registered in the Western Championship, and clinched the title in that class, as well. Lanie Buice and Keelan Harvick finished sixth and seventh after starting outside the top-12, with Alita Abreu, Gavin Gleitsman, and Ben Maier rounding out the top-10.

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Results:

1. #28 Helio Meza
2. #7 Noah Harmon (-12.497s)
3. #48 Graham Jacobson (-48.519s)
4. #75 Tanner Reif
5. #68 Jace Denmark
6. #27 Lanie Buice
7. #62 Keelan Harvick
8. #15 Atila Abreu
9. #51 Gavin Gleitsman
10. #60 Ben Maier

Graham Jacobson had no plans to enter the Trans Am West Coast Championship in 2026 until his father pitched the idea just before the season-opening doubleheader at Sonoma Raceway in April. Now, seven months later at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), the Marietta, Georgia-native has a championship trophy to show for it.

Jacobson started the season driving for Stanton Barrett Motorsports, not knowing whether he’d get to compete for a championship in the National Series, let alone the West Coast Championship, but, thanks to some solid results, and a late-season team change to join Team SLR, Jacobson has pulled it off.

The 18-year-old driver clinched the West Coast TA2 Championship by taking the green flag Sunday, regardless of his finishing position, but the driver of the No. 48 Team SLR Chevrolet Camaro just so happened to have the best run of his career, finishing third overall behind Helio Meza and Noah Harmon.

“It’s a long year, that’s for sure. Coming into the Sebring pre-season test, I had no idea what I was doing and we started off the year just tip-toeing along, and then Stanton Barrett and Rafa Matos, they [were] huge players in my development and early career,” Jacobson said. “I can’t thank Stanton enough for giving me a chance to come into this series and try to make a name for myself in probably the most competitive road racing series in the country, right now.”

“When we entered for the [West Coast Championship event] at Sonoma, it was my Dad’s idea, actually, because he was like the West Series is only one extra race, so why don’t we go for that championship, as well,” Jacobson said. “I actually said no at first and then thought about it, and I thought I actually have a shot at it, so we started off the year, we won Race 2 at Sonoma, that was unbelievable. That proved to myself that I could do it and that’s what fueled me for the rest of the year to really believe in myself and then after the wreck at Canada, Scott Lagassee and the entire Team SLR got my on board and started at VIR and again it was like a whole fresh beginning.”

“It’s been an incredible season, and I can’t wait for what’s next in my book.”

Tim Carroll and Michael LaPaglia finished second and third with J.C. Meynet in fourth.

Trans Am Western Championship TA2 Series Results:

1. #48 Graham Jacobson
2. #46 Tim Carroll
3. #31 Michael LaPaglia
4. #8 J.C. Meynet

For a second straight year, Jared Odrick (No. 00 Black Underwear / Helium Mobile Chevrolet Camaro) has come from behind in the championship battle to take the ultimate prize in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series PRO-AM Division.

After a couple of rough weekends throughout the season, Odrick had fallen behind Cale Phillips, the driver from Nitro Motorsports, in the point standings as the end of the season approached, but, with another victory at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) and his three worst finishes being dropped, the Lebanon, Pennsylvania-native has squeaked ahead in points for his second consecutive title.

“I don’t think we ever lost faith and I think that’s probably the main fuel, it’s been a faith-filled season but also lots of hard work,” Odrick said post-race. “There’s a lot of stuff back at the TRB Autosport shop that I’m not a part of, I mean it’s all on TRB to give me a solid car, and the only time I haven’t had a solid car it’s been my doing, so, TRB has been lights out in putting my car back together and supporting me throughout the season and just creating opportunity for this to happen, and I think people are recognizing that across the paddock and even across racing a little bit, different platforms.”

“We hope to build on this in the future and bring some more people along with us, but it’s really Troy Bennett that makes this happen, and everybody else back at the shop.”

Jared Odrick, with a 14th-place finish overall, was able to take the PRO-AM victory on Sunday over Aiden Dorvee (who was 15th overall). Cale Phillips was third in-class, with Stephen Sauers in fourth and Patrick Brunson rounding out the top five.

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series PRO-AM Race Results:

1. #00 Jared Odrick
2. #24 Aiden Dorvee
3. #99 Cale Phillips
4. #47 Stephen Sauers
5. #93 Patrick Brunson
6. #98 Doug Winston
7. #53 Bryan Scheible
8. #66 Christina Lam
9. #07 John Atwell (DNS)