Solid 1-2 Finish for TeamSLR at VIR

Overview:

Date: Sept. 20, 2026
Event: Virginia International Raceway (Round 11 of 12)
Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli
Division: CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series
Location: Virginia International Raceway in Alton
Layout: 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course
Format: 31 laps or 75 minutes
Weather: Partly cloudy, upper-80s
Winner: Helio Meza of TeamSLR

TeamSLR:

● Helio Meza – Started 1st, Finished 1st (Running, completed 31/31 laps)
● Matthew Brabham – Started 3rd, Finished 2nd (Running, completed 31/31 laps)
● Lanie Buice – Started 4th, Finished 4th (Running, completed 31/31 laps)
● Alon Day – Started 2nd, Finished 10th (Running, completed 31/31 laps)

M1 Racecars:

● Jared Odrick – Started 17th, Finished 13th (Running, completed 31/31 laps)
● Graham Jacobson – Started 6th, Finished 14th (Running, completed 31/31 laps)
● Jace Denmark – Started 11th, Finished 15th (Running, completed 31/31 laps)

Noteworthy:

● Meza, the 18-year-old from Houston, won for the eighth time in 11 CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series races this season and for the ninth time in 12 career starts, dating back to his series debut at last year’s season finale at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The eight victories ties the all-time TA2 Series record for most wins in a season, set in 2013 by Cameron Lawrence.

● Meza earned the pole position this morning for the fifth time this season to lead a 1-2-3-4 TeamSLR qualifying effort, with Day second, Brabham third, and Buice fourth. Meza led every lap today and crossed the finish line 2.373 seconds ahead of runner-up Brabham.

● The 32-year-old Brabham, from Indianapolis, made his second career TA2 Series start behind the wheel of the No. 48 Pintaric & Associates/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro. He also drove to a runner-up finish in the June 28 race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Brabham is a regular in the TA Series, where he leads the 2026 championship with eight victories through the first 10 races.

● Buice, the 19-year-old from Jackson, Georgia, drove to her fourth top-four finish in the last five races. It was also her seventh top-10 finish of the season and her sixth in a row. She scored her first career TA2 Series podium with her third-place finish two weekends ago at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario.

● Day, the 34-year-old from Ashdod, Israel, entered the weekend with a 35-point lead over Meza atop the driver standings. His streak of nine consecutive podium finishes came to an end with today’s 10th-place result. Day qualified second and was running fourth when he was penalized on the second restart of the race on lap 10 for getting out of line before the start-finish line. After serving a drive-through penalty, he rejoined the race in 24th place and made up 10 positions before the checkered flag.

● Meza’s victory was the 18th in a row for TeamSLR, dating back to Tristan McKee’s June 2025 triumph at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington en route to last year’s TA2 championship.

● Odrick, the 2025 TA2 Series Pro-Am Challenge champion who entered the weekend second in the class standings, scored the class victory with his 13th-place finish overall. It was his sixth Pro-Am victory of the season.

● Jacobson, the 18-year-old from Marietta, Georgia, made his first start of the season in M1 Racecars equipment after the car he drove in eight previous races this season was damaged beyond repair. He was running in the top-six when he was pushed off the track during the race’s second restart and dropped far back in the order.

● Denmark, the 23-year-old from Phoenix and driver of the No. 68 Troy Benner Autosport M1 Racecars entry, saw his streak of five top-10 finishes come to an end with today’s 15th-place result.

Helio Meza, Driver, No. 28 Alessandros Racing/Chevrolet/SLR-M1 Racecars Camaro:

“My teammate (Matt Brabham) got off to a good start and really kept me on my toes at the start of the race. When I heard he was going to run with us again here, I was excited. When he ran with us at Road America, I knew he didn’t have the seat time to run with us right off the bat in his very first TA2 race. But today he moved up right behind me and I just kind of managed the race the best I could. I knew he was trying to push to get around me, and we had two great restarts early. And that last one I was able to squirt away and then just kind of do my own race. We had a big swing in the championship points when Alon got penalized. I’m mostly happy because the team executed when it mattered the most. I’ve got to thank Alessandros Racing, Chevrolet, Wise Optimization, Heraldo Media Group, all my family, my dad, who does everything from the system that allows me to hear in the car, and just everyone. This team’s amazing. They’re flawless. They always work hard. They work nonstop. Now, I can’t wait for COTA.”

Matthew Brabham, Driver, No. 48 Pintaric & Associates/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“I really want to thank William R. Pintaric & Associates for making this happen with TeamSLR once again. It’s awesome to race these cars and be given the opportunity, so big thank you to those guys – obviously, Nomotorsports, the car owner, TeamSLR, and Scott Lagasse Jr., in particular. I mean, he has been a great help getting me up to speed in these cars and provides such an awesome team and such an awesome car to drive. So big thank you to those guys. Roaring Pines Motor Club, and just everyone involved over at TeamSLR, M1 Racecars, CUBE 3 Architecture, and obviously my teammates Helio, Alon and Lanie.”

Lanie Buice, Driver, No. 27 Sunoco/Guthrie's Garage/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“First off, it’s just exciting to be back at VIR after a year of being able to learn and progress with this team, and having the support system I have behind me that has made that process even easier. Every single weekend we just try to keep our head down and learn, and I think that is why we have the consistent finishes that we have, and the progress we’ve made, and the development that TeamSLR has been able to provide me with to be able to be the best that I can be. It’s just been fun to be able to work with these guys, and I see progress in myself, and I see progress in everybody in just the way that we work so hard together. I’m excited about finishing the season at COTA in November. Looking forward to working on some things before we go back there. Today was a hard-fought day. It was hot out, and it was not a perfect day for us, and I think that’s what makes it even more sweet and exciting because we fought hard all day, and no one ever gave up on me. We came out with a P4 finish. So, fun day overall, and I just can’t thank everyone enough for the opportunity to be here.”

Alon Day, Driver, No. 17 JSSI/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“That was a big swing in the championship today. Apparently there is a rule that you cannot get out of line before the start-finish on a single-file restart. I’ll definitely know that for the next race. Well, we got the lead of the championship because other things have happened. You just never know. We just have to keep focused when we go to COTA to finish the season. It’ll be the same as always – try not to think about things too much and take everything race by race. I’m just grateful for the opportunity that I’m even driving here. We’ll come back strong in Texas and try our best.”

Next Up:

The 12-race 2026 CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series season concludes Nov. 6-8 at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The weekend kicks off with a pair of TA2 test sessions at 10:30 a.m. and 4:05 p.m. CST on Friday, Nov. 6. Saturday, Nov. 7 begins with official TA2 Series practice at 9:05 a.m., followed by qualifying at 2:05 p.m. Race time Sunday, Nov. 8 for the 30-lap, 75-minute main event around the 3.4-mile, 20-turn circuit is at 8:50 a.m., with live streaming video provided at no charge by RacingAmerica.tv and the @GoTransAm page on YouTube.

About TeamSLR:

TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr. The father-and-son duo have combined to win more than 130 races and 10 championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. TeamSLR would like to thank its supporters CUBE 3 Architecture, Franklin Road Apparel, Kallberg Racing, and Guthrie’s Garage. For more information, please visit us online at www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

About M1 Racecars:

M1 is an Official Chassis Supplier to the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. M1 Racecars are professionally engineered for the Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series, SCCA Competition, and Track Day events. We offer chassis only, rolling chassis and complete race-ready builds in Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger body styles. We utilize only the highest quality materials and our race-winning technology to produce the most stable and predictable racecar on the track today. The proprietary chassis design by M1 has been CAD-perfected by our engineering staff to ensure that each completed chassis is identical and performs as expected. Our chassis materials are CNC Mandrel bent and cut to our exacting standards, which results in the most precise and cost-effective build. M1 has selected Scott Lagasse Racing to be the exclusive distributor for M1 Racecars worldwide. The race team also provides M1 with vital technical assistance and on-track feedback to support our performance development efforts. This combination is a powerful asset to M1 and to every M1 customer.