Chris Dyson – Syndication Server

Dyson rockets to Trans Am pole as Road America heats up

Chris Dyson in the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang captured the pole for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at Road America with a best time of 2m02.352s. It is his second pole of the 2024 season. “I think this pole is a great place to start,” …

Chris Dyson in the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang captured the pole for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at Road America with a best time of 2m02.352s. It is his second pole of the 2024 season.

“I think this pole is a great place to start,” said Dyson. “It’s a long race here, 100 miles, but the car has been great. The GYM WEED car rolled off the truck fast, and we’ve really just been fine tuning it since then. The track was a bit hotter this afternoon than it has been, and the track has been evolving a lot with the rain, but I think we’ve got a pretty strong car for all conditions, and I’m optimistic for the race tomorrow. This is a place that’s been very good to us in the past, and I hope tomorrow’s one of those days.”

The TA/XGT/SGT/GT race will be contested Sunday at 2:05 p.m. ET/1:05 p.m. CT. The race will be broadcast live on MAVTV and streamed live here. The highlights show of the race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, July 4 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

RESULTS

Dyson motors to first TA pole of 2024 at Road Atlanta

Chris Dyson claimed his first pole of the 2024 season with a blazing-fast time of 1m18.862s in his GYM WEED Ford Mustang at the for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Mission Foods Road Atlanta SpeedTour and will lead the field to green for …

“You know, it has been one of these weekends where it’s a little bit disjointed with the weather and some gusty winds, so the track has been different than it normally is here,” said Dyson. “I think that when we rolled off the truck with the GYM WEED car, relative to the opposition, we’ve been strong and we’re trying to put together a car that’s going to be not just quick over one lap, but it’s going to be quick in the race. But it’s nice to know that we have the performance in our hand and it’s great to put the car on pole. I think it’s going to be a great race. If you look down the order, I think we’ve got five cars within a second, so that’s going to be a great show for everybody. I just hope I’m at the front of it all.”

The TA/XGT/SGT/GT race will be contested Sunday at 12:10 p.m. ET. The race will be broadcast live on MAVTV and streamed live here. The highlights show of the race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, March 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

RESULTS

Dyson, Zilisch earn fourth Trans Am victories of 2023 at WWTR

Both Chris Dyson in the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang and Connor Zilisch in the No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro dominated their respective classes in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s inaugural race at World Wide Technology Raceway, while a tight SGT battle showcased close racing and crowned a first-time winner in Trans Am’s first visit to the St. Louis area in 38 years, with Richard Forsythe taking home the SGT win in his No. 58 Sambuca Restaurant/GSpeed Chevrolet Corvette.

Dyson led from flag to flag in the TA race, but he was not without his challengers in the 63-lap shootout. After the wave of the green, third-place starter Tomy Drissi in the No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang passed second-place AJ Henriksen in the No. 79 ECC/Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger, with Drissi defending his runner-up spot for the first 10 laps of the race. After that, Henriksen made his move on Drissi and homed in on Dyson. With Drissi behind him, Henriksen had no issue tailing Dyson, cutting Dyson’s lead to less than half a second. By lap 20, he and Dyson were nose-to-tail, with Henriksen making several pass attempts that he couldn’t quite complete.

The three ran in that order until a late-race caution bunched up the field, forcing a restart on lap 50. Just one lap later, Henriksen once again was hunting down the two-time champion, but Drissi made contact with Henriksen’s rear bumper, sending him spinning. While Drissi took over the second position and crossed the finish line behind Dyson, he was assessed an avoidable contact penalty, which reverted him back to third. Henriksen was credited with the second-place finish at his home track, while Dyson visited GYM WEED Winners Circle for the fourth time in 2023.

“Sweet St. Louis, man,” said Dyson in GYM WEED Winners Circle. “I’ve got to tell you, I grew up a Cardinals fan and it’s amazing to come back here to see all the folks here with St. Louis Cardinals hats on. It brings back lots of great memories. Racing today was just thrilling. We were expecting this race to be really hard and physical, but I knew from following AJ [Henriksen] yesterday that he was really good and on his marks here. I didn’t realize this is his home track, but he was driving like a real champ there. I was good in clean air with the GYM WEED car, we could run great when we had a clear track ahead of us, but you get that for about 30s around here. Every time I looked back, he was all over me. He drove great.

“We’ve had a season to remember here,” continued Dyson. “We’ve had amazing race results and we’ve scored a lot of points and a lot of wins, but it’s been a lot of work along the way. I want to take my hat off to everybody here on the CD Racing team for making sure we had not just one, but two great race cars all the time. It’s been a hustle between switching cars and jumping around, and these guys have stepped up to every challenge we’ve given them. I’m excited about what’s coming at VIR. I’m hoping that we can take it down to the wire there.

“I’ve got to dedicate this win to my son Nicholas. He and I put in a lot of work on the simulator over the last couple weeks. I’m not going to say which one of us was faster, but he knows, and he taught me a lot out here,” Dyson concluded.

Connor Zilisch in the No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro dominated the Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway, earning the Motul Pole Award in qualifying and leading every lap before securing his fourth win of the 2023 season.

Once the green flag waved, Zilisch immediately opened up a gap in front of second place and maintained it the entire race while the competitors behind him jockeyed for position. Taylor Gray in the No. 60 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang made an early run at Zilisch, advancing up to second from his third-place starting spot. By lap nine, Austin Green in the No. 89 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang reclaimed his second-place starting position, attempting to hunt down Zilisch, but on lap 25, Brent Crews in the No. 70 Franklin Road Apparel/Mobil 1/Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang took over the runner-up spot. Crews and Green remained second and third, respectively, until the checkered flag waved, leading to an all-Young Gun podium.

Behind the podium-finishers, Thad Moffitt in the No. 43 Safety-Kleen/SLR-M1 Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro had an impressive run, moving up from 11th to fifth by taking fresh tires during the late-race caution. Championship contender Rafa Matos was forced to retire due to mechanical issues on lap 10, resulting in a disappointing 27th-place finish. Thomas Merrill, however, rebounded from issues at Watkins Glen by finishing fourth in his No. 26 Bennett/HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang, keeping his championship hopes alive and earning the COOLSHIRT Cool Move of the Race. Gray, who held the fourth position for much of the race, ultimately finished 19th due to a suspension issue.

“This feels really good,” said Zilisch. “We’ve been through some adversity lately and we had to overcome some issues on our side, so to get this win is really special to me. It’s really exciting to come to a place that this series hasn’t raced at in 38 years, get the win and just dominate the race. We led every lap. When I was out front there in the early stages, I was just begging every lap, ‘tell me the gap, tell me the gap.’ I wanted to know how much I had to save tires in the beginning stages and just wanted to manage at around a five-second gap, and I was able to do that. I had a really good Chevrolet Camaro. Silver Hare Racing has worked hard to give me a really good car the last few races and it shows. We’ve been fast everywhere we’ve gone. To come here and capitalize on it and get ourselves our fourth win of the year is really cool. I’m looking forward to moving on to the last two races of the year. Hopefully, we can make that six wins and keep up this momentum.”

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The SGT battle was an exciting one between 2022 champion Milton Grant in the No. 55 Springhill Suites/Sentry Self Storage Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup and Richard Forsythe in the No. 58 Sambuca Restaurant/GSpeed Chevrolet Corvette. For the first two-thirds of the race, Grant paced the class, but Forsythe was never far behind, staying within a second of the leader. Unfortunately, following the late-race caution, Grant experienced multiple mechanical issues, forcing him to retire early. Forsythe brought home his first-career Trans Am victory in his first start of the 2023 season.

“I had a great team behind me with the Sambuca Restaurant/GSpeed Corvette,” said Forsythe. “I’d like to thank all of those guys for all the hard work that they did. This car was just unshakable; it was just so reliable, so consistent. It was constantly doing the same laps over and over. We had some scary moments with all the rubber all over the track, and I was trying to stay out of the way of the TA and TA2 cars, but I think we held our own pretty well. We were on Milton [Grant]’s butt throughout the whole day, and we were definitely having a respectable race. I’m sorry for his troubles, but not sorry that we went out and won our first race in SGT. It’s just amazing that we got here. I want to thank all the guys at GSpeed who worked so hard, day after day.”

The replay of Saturday’s race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, September 28 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The Trans Am Series returns to the track in two weeks for the penultimate race of the season at VIRginia International Raceway, October 5-8.

RESULTS

Dyson leads another CD Racing Trans Am 1-2 at Mid-Ohio

Chris Dyson came from third to win the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in one of the closest battles of the season so far. With the top four running in a tight pack for the first half of the race, Dyson was able to reel in Justin Marks and Boris Said while holding off competition from his teammate Matthew Brabham to visit GYM WEED Victory Lane for the third time this year.

After earning the Motul Pole Award in a rainy qualifying session, Marks led the field to green in his No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro but was immediately challenged by Said in the No. 2 Weaver/Householder/Technique Dodge Challenger. Said, who started second, took over the lead by the conclusion of the first lap and began to drive away from the pack. Marks managed to hold Dyson behind him in the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang. Meanwhile, Dyson was joined by teammate and eighth-place starter Matthew Brabham in the No. 20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang, who had impressively woven his way up through the pack. Once second through fourth place got into a rhythm, they closed the gap on Said and the four Trans Am winners ran nose to tail in that order until lap 15. The following lap, Dyson managed to get by Marks after riding his tail and looking for an opening, and on lap 19, the two-time champion worked his way around Said to take over the point position.

A caution closed the field up on lap 20, setting up an exciting restart on lap 23. Marks challenged Dyson at the wave of the green flag, but unfortunately, he locked up his left-front wheel with an aggressive attempt to pass. Marks went off the track and had to work his way out of the gravel and wet grass before continuing his race, resuming competition from last in the TA class. Meanwhile, Dyson’s teammate Brabham made the pass on Said, putting the CD Racing machines at the helm of the race.

Dyson and Brabham continued to pace the field in front of Said. Meanwhile, Marks was on a mission to retake the positions he lost. He began to pick off his competitors, engaging in hard-fought battles with Ohio drivers David Pintaric in the No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang and Amy Ruman in the No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Chevrolet Corvette. Once he had passed Ruman for the fourth position, he set his sights on Said in third. He was able to make the pass on Said with just two laps to go, securing a podium spot before following Dyson and Brabham across the finish line.

“It was an absolute thrill racing with Justin (Marks), Boris (Said) and Matthew (Brabham) as he was coming up through the field,” said Dyson in GYM WEED Victory Lane. “I think we put on a great show for everyone out there. The No. 16 car was just amazing today. I was pretty disconsolate in qualifying, so I was really hoping it was going to be dry today because we were really good in the first test session. Good Lord willing, things worked out for us. I’m honestly so honored for the CD Racing guys to come out here and have some success. We’re putting together a nice championship campaign, and I’m really looking forward to going to Road America with the GYM WEED cars and staying up front.”

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Today’s 1-2 finish for CD Racing is the team’s fourth of the year and fifth victory of the season. Dyson has won a total of three races in 2023 and Brabham has earned two victories.

CD Racing has won all but one race this season.

Brabham started eighth as a result of issues during yesterday’s rainy qualifying session, making an impressive comeback to score his fifth podium of the season.

Will Rodgers in the No. 32 Chris Evans Race Cars & Design Ford Mustang was in a league of his own at Mid-Ohio, handily taking the win in the XGT class. Rodgers qualified first in class and fourth overall, then went on to finish fifth overall in his first-career Trans Am National Championship start. Rodgers’ team owner Chris Evans in the No. 92 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang suffered a mechanical issue early in the race after engaging in a battle with Danny Lowry in the No. 43 BridgeHaul/Bennett Family of Companies Mercedes AMG GT3, leaving Lowry to earn the second step on the podium and the XGT Masters Award.

“I am very grateful to Chris Evans and the entire Chris Evans Race Cars group,” said Rodgers. “Everybody on this team is incredible and they put a great race car together. This XGT car that they built is (an awesome) machine, and I just get to be the lucky guy to drive it. It was a great race today. We were kind of in a class of our own; I feel like we ran really well and the equipment was really great. I can’t wait to do it again.”

Lee Saunders in the No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper led the SGT race from start to finish. Ricky Sanders started in the rear of the field in his No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett/Pitboxes.com Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup but was able to work his way past Milton Grant in the No. 55 Springhill Suites Sentry Self Storage Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup and Carey Grant in the No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup to finish second. Carey Grant was able to hold off his father Milton, who won the SGT race at Mid-Ohio last year, to finish third.

“First of all, I’d like to thank God for giving us a beautiful day,” said Saunders. “That was a good race. We luckily had some cars between us because Ricky (Sanders) and Carey (Grant) were both very fast. They just didn’t have enough time to get us. My two crew guys did a fantastic job getting us turned around quickly from Indianapolis. Thank you to the fans for coming out; it’s great seeing everybody here today. I really appreciate Trans Am bringing us here.”

In the GT class, Billy Griffin in the No. 14 Griffin Auto Care/Sheehan’s Towing Ford Mustang started on the pole, but got bumped in the Keyhole early in the event, going almost a lap down. This allowed Chris Coffey in the No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GTA, who had started last on the grid and worked his way up to second, to take over the lead. Coffey held the point position for the remainder of the event, while Griffin battled Jack Rinke in the No. 12 Chevrolet Performance Turn Key Chevrolet Camaro and Michael Attaway in the No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8, working his way back into the second position. Rinke rounded out the podium in third.

“It was pretty chaotic at the start,” said Coffey. “Unfortunately, I had to start dead last on the grid, so I had to work my way through the field. The first lap was really interesting. I’ve got to thank Colin Cohen; without him, there’s no way I could be here. He’s the best friend and sponsor I could ever ask for. Along with Jack, my truck driver and crew chief who does everything I can’t do, we’re basically a two-man show, so it was a blast and I hope to keep doing it. Thank you to Norwood Auto Italia.”

As the only competitor in his class, Wally Dallenbach in the No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang led the Trans Am Heritage class from start to finish.

“I’ve loved driving that Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang; this is the last race we’ll run in that car,” said Dallenbach. “It was so great. John and Deb (Cloud) are amazing people to drive for. We’ve been trying to build something in this heritage class, but it’s time to get real and play with these TA guys. We’re having a Meissen car built this year, and we’re hoping to have it by Watkins Glen. We’ve got our fingers crossed.”

The broadcast of today’s race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, June 29 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The Trans Am Series TA/XGT/SGT/GT classes return to the track on July 6-9 at Road America.

RESULTS

Dyson continues CD Racing TA dominance at Road Atlanta

CD Racing took home its third win of the season in round three of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, with Chris Dyson earning his second-consecutive victory at Road Atlanta. After earning his first pole award of the year, Dyson led from flag to flag in his No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang, tallying the 21st win of his Trans Am career in the Bennett/BridgeHaul Classic at the Mission Foods Atlanta SpeedTour.

Dyson took the green flag with teammate Matt Brabham beside him in the No. 20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang, but third-place qualifier Boris Said quickly took over the second spot in his No. 79 ECC/Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger. While Brabham and Said battled over the second position, Dyson opened up a large gap over his competitors. Brabham was able to fight his way back into second on lap nine, and the two CD Racing cars began to drive away from the field.

David Pintaric in the No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang was solidly holding onto the fourth position until lap 16, when he made contact with a wall and received front-end damage. This paved the way for Tomy Drissi in the No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang and Amy Ruman in the No. 23 McNichols Co. Chevrolet Corvette to round out the top five.

It appeared that CD Racing was on its way to a third-consecutive one-two finish until Brabham’s second-place Mustang suddenly fell off the pace and coasted onto pit road. Brabham was diagnosed with an engine failure, and his retirement resulted in a 16th-place finish overall, putting him ninth in class. Dyson’s No. 16 sister car held strong, and the two-time champion took the checkered flag for the 21st time in his career. Said followed Dyson across the finish line, with Drissi not far behind. Ruman was challenged by Keith Grant in the No. 40 Showtime Motorsports Camaro in the closing laps, but she held him off, finishing fourth with Grant behind her in fifth.

“I’ll tell you what, there’s no easy laps here around Road Atlanta, so you’ve got to keep your head up the entire time,” said Dyson. “Even though I had a lead, I had to stay on top of the car the whole way. Thank God it was such a great weekend. We got here and the car was fast pretty much right away, so we were able to just keep building. This is the best weekend we’ve had all season. I’m so proud of the guys at CD Racing for putting us up front. I couldn’t be happier, I’m so grateful. What a magical weekend for the team.”

Dyson’s win broke the tie with Ron Fellows for sixth on the all-time Trans Am TA class win list when he clinched his 21st victory today. Scott Pruett is fifth on the list with 22 wins. CD Racing has won all three TA races of 2023 and is on a five-race winning streak, which began at VIRginia International Raceway last year. Dyson has earned three of the five victories, and Brabham has earned two.

In his eight starts in the Trans Am Series, this is the first time Brabham has finished outside the top two. He has four victories.

Ken Thwaits, who was fourth in the standings coming into this weekend’s race, was unable to take the green flag due to a major crash in practice, which left his No. 7 Franklin Road Apparel Camaro too damaged to compete.

TA Masters Award:
Boris Said, No. 79 ECC/Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger

COOLSHIRT Cool Move of the Race:
Billy Griffin, No. 14 Griffin Auto Care/Sheehan’s Towing Ford Mustang

Serck Precision Clean Up:
Tomy Drissi, No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang

In XGT, Tyler Hoffman in the No. 42 BridgeHaul/Bennett Mercedes AMG GT3 led the field from start to finish. Second-in-class starter Danny Lowry in the No. 43 Bennett/BridgeHaul/PitBoxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3 was challenged briefly by Chris Evans in the No. 92 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang early in the race, but Lowry overtook Evans for the runner-up spot and held it for the remainder of the race. Evans later experienced an issue which left him overheating in the gravel trap and out of the race. Series newcomer Austin Hill in the No. 0 Southern Ohio Equipment/Aluma Trailers/Ferris Chevrolet Corvette was only able to complete nine laps before retiring. Nathan Byrd in the No. 88 Sonesta/Tilson/Hopegivers Porsche 911.1 GT3 Cup drove from last in class to secure the third and final spot on the podium.

“These Mercedes are hooked up” said Hoffman on the podium. “The Ricky Sanders guys got the car dialed in. The Bennett/BridgeHaul Mercedes is just top notch. To run a GT3 car with this series is just a total privilege and a ton of fun out there. It was good racing all the way through.”

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Ricky Sanders in the No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett/PitBoxes.com Porsche 991.1 led the SGT class in one of Danny Lowry’s cars from green flag to checkers at Road Atlanta and scored his second-consecutive win as the drivers behind him fought for position. 2022 SGT champion Milton Grant, who started second in his No. 55 Springhill Suites/Sentry Self Storage Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup, had a water pump belt failure that resulted in his early retirement and allowed his son Carey Grant to take over second in his No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup. Lee Saunders in the No. 44 LandSearch LLC Ford Mustang came from the back to finish third in his second backup car of the weekend, loaned to him by GT competitor Billy Griffin.

“We had a good race,” said Sanders. “It’s great racing with these guys, they are always good competition. I’ve got to thank Danny Lowry for loaning me the car so that I could run, and of course his company, Bennett and BridgeHaul for their support. We couldn’t do it without them.”

2022 GT champion Billy Griffin led from flag to flag in his No. 14 Griffin Auto Care/Sheehan’s Towing Ford Mustang, besting Michael Attaway in the No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/PitBoxes.com Audi R8. Griffin was also awarded the COOLSHIRT Cool Move of the Race for loaning Lee Saunders a vehicle to compete in the SGT class.

“It was hot and fun,” said Griffin. “The car wouldn’t shift, so I had a really hard time. I’m glad we made it through. I just tried to stay out of the fast guys’ way and manage the car. I had a great time; I love this place.”

GT Masters:
Michael Attaway, No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/PitBoxes.com Audi R8

Wally Dallenbach in the No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang showed speed throughout the weekend, qualifying 10th overall. Unfortunately, Dallenbach went off the pace on lap two and retired due to an engine issue, relegating him to 22nd overall.

The broadcast of Saturday’s race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, March 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The Trans Am Series has a two-month hiatus before returning to the track May 26-29 at Lime Rock Park for the Trans Am Memorial Day Classic.

RESULTS

Dyson wins first TA pole of 2023, will start 1-2 with teammate Brabham

Chris Dyson captured the Motul Pole Position for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at the Mission Foods Atlanta SpeedTour with his No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang with a staggering time of 1m17.932s at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Dyson was followed by teammate Matt Brabham in the No. 20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang, securing CD Racing the front row on tomorrow’s starting grid. This is Dyson’s first pole of the 2023 season, and comes after he secured his first win of the year in Trans Am’s last outing at NOLA Motorsports Park.

“It’s been a really good weekend for the team so far,” said Dyson after his blazing lap. “Both GYM WEED cars are running fast. It’s Matthew’s first time here, but he’s immediately up to speed, as always. For me, it’s an absolutely fantastic day here. The car was brilliant. It’s rare that you get a car that’s so on the money, and when you do, you savor it. I’m really excited to start from pole tomorrow and I hope we can have a great race. I expect that we’ll be real competitive.”

TA Qualifying Top Five:
1. Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang (1:17.932)
2. Matt Brabham, No. 20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang (1:18.895)
3. Boris Said, No. 79 ECC/Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger (1:19.513)
4. David Pintaric, No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang (1:19.790)
5. Tomy Drissi, No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang (1:19.808)

XGT Qualifying:
1. Tyler Hoffman, No. 42 BridgeHaul/Bennett Mercedes AMG GT3 (1:23.298)
2. Danny Lowry, No. 43 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3 (1:24.370)
3. Nathan Byrd, No. 88 Sonesta/Tilson/Hopegives Porsche 911.1 GT3 Cup (1:25.111)
4. Chris Evans, No. 92 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang (1:26.905)

SGT Qualifying:
1. Lee Saunders, No. 44 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper (1:28.032)
2. Ricky Sanders, No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett/Pitboxes.com Porsche 991.1 (1:28.035)
3. Milton Grant, No. 55 Springhill Suites/Sentry Self Storage Porsche 991.1 (1:29.378)
4. Carey Grant, No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche 991.1(1:29.942)
5. Brion Gluck, No. 47 Gallant Few/Gibbons Factory Five GTM (1:40.597)

GT Qualifying:
1. Billy Griffin, No. 14 Griffin Auto Care/Sheehan’s Towing Ford Mustang (1:31.260)
2. Michael Attaway, No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8 (1:38.043)

TAH Qualifying:
1. Wally Dallenbach, No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang (1:23.301)

Full qualifying results can be found here.

The TA/XGT/SGT/GT race will be contested on Saturday, March 25 at 12:50pm ET and will be streamed live here. The TV broadcast of the race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, March 30 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Dyson edges Brabham for TA victory in NOLA

CD Racing once again took the checkered flag in round two of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at NOLA Motorsports Park, with the team earning its second 1-2 finish of 2023. This time, it was team owner and two-time champion Chris Dyson who claimed the victory in his No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang, besting teammate Matt Brabham, who finished a close second.

Justin Marks earned his second-consecutive Motul Pole Award of the season in his No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro and led the field to green for a wild first lap. The top three cars fanned out after the wave of the green flag, and second-place starter Brabham overtook Marks in the first turn. Marks, whose car was locking up in the opening corners, made unintentional contact with Brabham’s No. 20 GYM WEED Mustang in an attempt to retake the lead, bumping him back into the third position, with Dyson taking over second.

A few turns later, Marks locked up once again, missing a corner and driving off course. While he was able to get rolling and return to the track, he resumed racing in last place, with Dyson inheriting the point position. Once Dyson had the lead, there was no catching him, and he led second-place Brabham for the remainder of the 37-lap race.

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Behind the CD Racing teammates, Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co. Corvette), David Pintaric (No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang) and Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang) battled for the third position. Pintaric took over third on lap six, and then Ken Thwaits joined the fray, fighting for fourth with Ruman and Drissi in his No. 7 Franklin Road Apparel Camaro. Impressively, Marks fought his way through the entire field, overtaking the closely-packed group of cars one at a time and taking over third place on lap 19.

Just one lap later, in an attempt to pass Ruman, Drissi made contact with both her and XGT competitor Matt Crandall, causing front-end damage to his car which eventually forced him to retire from the race. Drissi was also tagged with a penalty for avoidable contact and docked 40s, resulting in a seventh-in-class finish. Marks put down blazing fast laps in an attempt to catch Dyson and Brabham, but without a caution to close the field, he remained a distant third. Pintaric ultimately scored the fourth position, followed by Thwaits.

“This feels great. I can’t quite process it,” said Dyson. “It was a hard day; it was hot going flag-to-flag like that. You’ve got to pace yourself, and I knew Justin (Marks) was coming back. You can’t let up in these Trans Am races; it’s a flat-out sprint the whole way. You’ve got to look after yourself and your car, but that GYM WEED energy really helped me out. We rallied back after a tough one for us at Sebring, but here we are again — another 1-2 — and we’re back in the championship. I think it’s going to be a tremendous season for all of us in Trans Am this year. Let’s go!”

Dyson’s win was the 20th of his Trans Am career, which ties him with Ron Fellows for sixth on the all-time TA win list.

CD Racing has won both races of 2023 and is on a four-race winning streak, which began at VIRginia International Raceway last year. Both Dyson and Brabham have two victories each in that streak.

In his seven starts in the Trans Am Series, Matt Brabham has finished no worse than second, with an average finish of 1.4.

TA Masters Award:
Ken Thwaits, No. 7 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro

COOLSHIRT Cool Move of the Race:
Justin Marks, No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro

In XGT, Matt Crandall started first in class and led for more than half the race, but he unfortunately received some damage from another competitor and was forced to retire after 21 laps. 2022 XGT Western Championship title winner Chris Evans took over the lead and earned the victory in his first National Championship race.

“Matt [Crandall] is way better,” Evans laughed in Victory Lane. “My coolant cut out about two-thirds through, my shift knob broke off, and I lost my aim. Luckily for me, Matt had an incident that precluded him from finishing, and I’m here just the same. This race was about survival. I want to thank Central Welding Supply, my primary sponsor, and Jeff Jefferson and his crew. They’re awesome. I really want to thank Matt for the coaching and help. I think my lap times were a little better after talking with him. Altogether, we’re here.”

Ricky Sanders led the SGT class from green flag to checkers in an impressive run at NOLA, followed by 2022 SGT champion Milton Grant. Lee Saunders, who was hoping to earn the class win for his birthday, unfortunately suffered from an overheating issue the entire race and was forced to retire early, relegating him to third.

“It was a learning experience this whole weekend,” said Sanders on the podium. “This was a brand-new track to us, I’ve never been here before, and I’ve only driven this car once before for about 10-15 minutes. I’ve got to thank my crew guys; I’ve got three great crew guys who help me at the shop and at the track. I’ve really got to thank Danny Lowry with BridgeHaul and Bennett. I had a car I put together for this year and lost a motor in testing. He said, ‘Here, drive my Porsche.’ Then I wound up with pneumonia the weekend of Sebring, so I missed that race. He still said, ‘That car is sitting there, ready to go.’ So, we brought it out here and we’re going to take it to Road Atlanta to see what we’ve got there.”

Michael Attaway, who returned to the No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8 after illness kept him of the car at Sebring, ran a clean race and earned both the class win and GT Masters Award. This is the second GT win in a row for the No. 91 car, which was piloted to victory by Tyler Hoffman in the season opener.

“These TA guys all kept their distance and got around me real good, and that was the important thing” said Attaway. “We didn’t wreck, we didn’t crash. I want to thank Ricky Sanders Racing, Pitboxes.com, my wife, who lets me come out here and have a little fun, and Trans Am — they’ve done great.”

The broadcast of today’s race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, March 16 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The Trans Am Series returns to the track March 23-26 at Road Atlanta for the Mission Foods Atlanta SpeedTour.

RESULTS