Trans Am
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Feb 26, 2026
For Lanie Buice, participating in the Trans Am Series by Pirelli is a fantastic opportunity for her to develop her race craft, as she continues to work with Josh Wise and Scott Speed as a Chevrolet development driver.
Buice, a native of Jackson, Georgia, will run full-time in the Trans Am CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series in 2026, piloting the No. 27 Sunoco / Guthrie’s Garage Chevrolet Camaro for Team SLR – the organization that captured the TA2 Series championship last year with Tristan McKee.
There will be quite a bit to learn for Buice over the course of the 12-race TA2 Series campaign in 2026, which begins this weekend at the iconic Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Florida.
Having risen through the ranks of short-track oval racing, including a full-time campaign in the Late Model Stock Car division of the CARS Tour in 2025, there will, without a doubt, be some adjusting to running a full slate of road courses. Those challenges will need to come with balance, as well, as Buice is scheduled to run a partial ARCA Menards Series campaign (on ovals) with Pinnacle Racing Group.
“Trans Am is just super unique, it requires you to learn different things," Buice said during Media Day at Sebring. "I come from the oval racing world so I’m super familiar with that typer of racing, so coming into the road course world; the people are so friendly, the community is great, everybody just works really hard to bring to bring the best they can out to the racetrack, it’s just a good community.”
Buice continued, “Just being a part of this group, it’s just a different type of racing that I’m going to have to continue to learn and adapt to every single weekend, and really just try to work on my race craft and the different types of passing, and all that stuff is just so different, the spotters are not as predominant in the road racing stuff, so checking my mirrors often; in oval racing, we rely on our spotters. So, there are a lot of differences, and as I said, I go in circles, so I’m not used to going left and right. So, I’m definitely going to have to figure that out.”
Buice is a first-generation racer whose career began in the age of 10, driving go-karts at a racetrack called Lamar County Speedway in Barnesville, Georgia. Despite none of her family having any involvement in racing whatsoever, Buice recalls loving the feeling the first time she ever strapped into a race car.
While the season begins a brand-new challenge for Buice in the Trans Am CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, this isn’t the first time she’s ever been in these race cars; joining the series for a pair of events at the end of last season, where she finished 12th and 15th.
“I was looking at [running Trans Am] last year, and I had the opportunity to be supported by Chevrolet, and so for 2025, the goal was to be supported by Chevrolet. So, at the end of the year, I got the opportunity to run VIR and COTA with Team SLR,” Buice said about her first experiences in Trans Am. “I wanted to do road racing, and it worked out really well, and in their eyes, the most important thing is for me to continue to develop and continue to be better behind the wheel every weekend, and that’s the same as my goal.”
For Buice, heading into a brand-new season, her goals are simple: continuing to climb the ladder and develop herself as a race car driver. With a robust schedule of America’s most iconic road courses, as well as some experience on some bigger NASCAR-level ovals (Kansas, Michigan, Pocono, Chicagoland, and Phoenix).
“[My goal] for 2026 is trying to continue and climb the ladder. I would say doing everything right and trying to better myself every single day has been the goal, and just continuing to progress and reach goals,” Buice said. “I feel like, for me, my goals always look ahead, and I don’t just try to narrow them into one little, tiny goal; I’m always bigger picture and trying to become better every single day.”
For any driver, the goal any time they get into a race car is to go to Victory Lane, but for Buice, in her first year committing herself mainly to road racing, a victory would be even more special.
“The Trans Am Series is super competitive,” Buice exclaimed. “It’s such a good series to be a part of, so winning in this group would be a huge accomplishment, knowing that all of these people work really hard to go to a bunch of different road courses each weekend, and I know that each one of them put in so much to win the race, and if you win, you know you’ve worked hard and definitely got all of the hard work out of the situation.”
Buice will compete in the Trans Am CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series season-opener at Sebring International Raceway on Sunday, March 1, at 1:30 PM ET on RacingAmerica.TV, Racing America’s 24/7 Channel, and the Trans Am YouTube Channel.
