Nitro Motorsports Celebrates Breakthrough Weekend at Watkins Glen with Podium and Pro/Am Sweep

Nitro Motorsports delivered a strong Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli weekend at Watkins Glen International, highlighted by Ethan Tovo's first career podium finish in the Pro class and a dominant Pro/Am sweep by Cale Phillips. Fielding six entries across the Pro and Pro/Am categories, the team showcased speed throughout the two-race weekend at the historic New York circuit.

Qualifying for Race One saw Gian Buffomante lead the Nitro Motorsports effort in the Pro class with an impressive fifth-place starting position. Vinnie Meskelis qualified 11th, followed by Ethan Tovo in 13th and Jackson Tovo in 14th. Jay Thomas lined up 25th, while Cale Phillips secured third on the Pro/Am grid.

Race One belonged to Phillips in the Pro/Am category, as he drove a composed race to capture his first class victory of the 2026 season. In the Pro class, Buffomante converted his qualifying effort into another top-five finish, crossing the line fifth. Ethan Tovo continued his season-long progression with a sixth-place result, while Jackson Tovo followed in eighth after another determined drive through the field. Thomas gained valuable experience on his way to a 15th-place finish, while Meskelis' race ended with a 33rd-place result after encountering difficulties.

Sunday morning brought another challenge for the team when Jackson Tovo was involved in an accident during the final warm-up session. Fortunately, Jackson did not sustain any injuries, and the Nitro Motorsports crew completed an impressive turnaround to repair the car in time for Race Two. The team's perseverance paid off in the afternoon when Ethan Tovo delivered the drive of the weekend, charging to a third-place finish to earn the first official on track Trans Am podium of his career in the Pro class.

Buffomante added another solid result in ninth, while Jackson rewarded the crew's hard work by bringing his repaired car home in tenth. Thomas finished 16th, while Meskelis was forced to retire after an on-track incident. Phillips initially crossed the finish line second in the Pro/Am class, but a post-race penalty assessed to the race winner elevated him to victory, completing a weekend sweep and giving Nitro Motorsports back-to-back Pro/Am wins.

“This was a fantastic weekend for our entire team,” explained Nitro Motorsports Co-Owner Nick Tucker. “Ethan earning his first proper Trans Am podium is a huge milestone and one that's been coming for a while with the speed he's shown all season. Cale sweeping the Pro/Am weekend was another outstanding achievement, and Gian continued to show the consistency we've come to expect. I'm especially proud of our crew after Jackson's warm-up accident. They worked incredibly hard to get that car repaired and seeing him finish in the top-ten made all that effort worthwhile. It was truly a total team performance.”

After a successful Trans Am weekend, Nitro Motorsports carries significant momentum into another busy stretch of racing across multiple championships. The team will now turn its attention from road racing to oval competition as the team prepares for the next ARCA Menards Series event this weekend at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

For more information on Nitro Motorsports, please contact Nick Tucker via email HERE or visit them online at www.RaceNitro.com.

-Nitro Motorsports Release
-Photo credit: RTD Media