The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Western Championship Race 1 at Portland International Raceway was a competitive one throughout the classes, but no performance was more impressive than that of Barry Boes. The driver of the No. 32 Accio Data/TRB Autosport Ford Mustang drove from last place to first after issues in qualifying led to him starting at the rear of the field. Boes skillfully navigated through his competitors without the assistance of full-course cautions to earn his first career Western Championship CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series win.
CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series
Tim Barber led the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series competitors to green in his No. 33 DIG Motorsports Ford Mustang, and for the first 16 laps, he was followed closely by Tim Carroll (No. 46 CRDMFG.com Chevrolet Camaro), local driver Ken Sutherland (No. 68 Kallberg Racing/Wyatt Fire Chevrolet Camaro) and Michael LaPaglia (No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto/Howe Ford Mustang). On lap 17, Carroll dropped back to fourth, allowing Sutherland to take over the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, Barry Boes (No. 32 Accio Data/TRB Autosport Ford Mustang) had started last due to issues in qualifying, which led to him changing four tires before the start of the race. Boes had incredible speed, working his way up from 21st and into the top 10 by lap six, and by lap 17, he was sixth.
As the race reached its halfway point, the top-four drivers were still nose to tail, battling hard for position. On lap 25, Carroll was able to get back past LaPaglia, but on lap 31, he and LaPaglia made side-by-side contact, and Carroll dropped back out of the top 10. Boes, who had been running in fifth, took over the third position on lap 33, while Sutherland was stalking Barber, running within two tenths of him and looking poised to make a pass for the lead. Unfortunately, Sutherland made contact with Barber on lap 40, and the two both lost positions, with Sutherland dropping to fourth and Barber falling to seventh. Boes took over the lead, with LaPaglia and Shrader in his wake. Unfortunately, three laps later, the double yellow was waved for a full-course caution due to a competitor going deep into a tire barrier. The cleanup was extensive, and the laps ran out before its completion, forcing the race to end under yellow conditions. Boes led LaPaglia, Shrader, Sutherland and Moore across the finish line.
After the race, Sutherland was cited for avoidable contact with Barber and given a 32-second post-race penalty, putting him 11th and giving Barber the final spot in the top five.
“We had some trouble in qualifying and put the car in the wall. The guys got it back together again, and we went out there,” related Boes. “We had to start from the back, we had to take four tires, and I said, ‘You know, if we get a couple of cautions, maybe I could get close to the podium. Maybe.’ And I don’t know how I did it. The car was fantastic, and somehow or another, I ran down the whole field.”
XGT
Chris Evans Race Cars’ three XGT cars once again dominated the weekend’s practice and qualifying sessions, claiming the top two qualifying spots overall, and with a split-start procedure to begin the race, the three Chris Evans cars took the green ahead of the rest of the field.
Polesitter John Moore in the No. 5 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang led the class for the first 10 laps before being passed by team owner and third-place starter Chris Evans (No. 92 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang), who had claimed second place from Michelle Nagai (No. 72 Nagai Racing/Berkeley Jet Drive Chevrolet Camaro) the lap prior. Evans led his stable of cars, but his two teammates would soon experience mechanical failures. On lap 18, Nagai was black flagged for smoking, and when she pulled onto pit road, she was forced to retire due to issues with the rear differential. Just four laps later, Moore would face the same fate, retiring to the paddock after experiencing the same rear-end issue. Evans carried the banner for his team, leading the rest of the race and taking the overall win in addition to his first XGT victory of 2024.
“Well, you know, it feels pretty good,” said Evans. “We struggled with a little bit of handling. At the five-minute-to-grid mark, we were still welding on the bottom of the car, but I got the trophy, and here we stand just the same.”
SGT
In SGT, the three drivers finished the race in the same order they started it, but there was lots of action between the green and checkered flags. Tim Brown in the No. 66 Brown Bros. Ford Lincoln Ford Mustang GT4 started first, but struggled at the start, dropping back to third place by the conclusion of lap one. David Hampton in the No. 14 AR Motorsports Porsche Cayman GT4 CS MR took over the point position, followed by Rudy Revak in the No. 7 Xyngular Pontiac Grand Prix. The lead changed once again on lap three, as Revak took the point position, holding it until lap nine. On lap 10, Brown leapfrogged both of his competitors to take control of the race, and it was then that he was able to stretch his legs and pull away. Revak experienced a rear differential issue on lap 36 and retired, meaning it was Brown followed by Hampton when the checkered flag waved.
“It was a good race,” said Brown. “I got a bit of a bad start, went back to third, and then took a while to get back past them. Then after that, I was pretty lonely, but it was a lot of fun.”
The only TA class car in today’s race, Steve Goldman in the No. 13 LIG Racing Chevrolet Corvette was the top finisher in the class. However, he was forced to retire from the race after the first lap due to a mechanical failure.