Matthew Brabham was called to action by Chris Dyson to race the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Mission Foods Road Atlanta SpeedTour, and the Australian driver was up to the task. After starting second, Brabham had incredible speed and avoided the issues that plagued Brent Crews, Paul Menard and others to take the checkered flag in the TA class for the first time since 2023.
After setting a new track record in yesterday’s qualifying session, Brent Crews saw the green flag wave in his No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro and took control of the race from the first corner. Third-place starter Adam Andretti (No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro) followed Crews, sliding past Brabham and securing the second position. However, it only took a few laps for Brabham to reel Andretti back in, and on lap seven, the two were drag racing through the turns, with Brabham taking over the runner-up spot on lap eight.
While those two battled, Crews stretched his legs in the lead, pulling out to more than a 4s advantage over second place. Fourth-place Paul Menard (No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang) began to creep up on Andretti, who lost some speed due to an ignition box issue, and Menard took over third place on lap 13. Just one lap later, Crews, who was maintaining a commanding lead, suddenly slowed and pulled to a stop at the exit of pit road with a transmission issue. Racing remained green, and Brabham claimed the lead for the first time.
Brabham’s lead was massive as Menard battled his handling and Andretti worked out his mechanical issues, but as the laps clicked by, Menard began to close the imposing 10s gap. However, that gap would disappear when the double yellow was displayed on lap 29 as Humaid Masaood (No. 21 allgram Ford Mustang) spun on the track and Keith Grant (No. 7 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro) got caught in the kitty litter, requiring a tow.
Racing resumed on lap 35, and Menard was right on Brabham’s tail with great pace. However, two laps later, Menard experienced a major lockup and skidded off the racing surface and into the gravel, slowing the racing action. Without enough time for cleanup, the race came to its conclusion under yellow conditions. Brabham crossed the finish line for the victory, followed by Andretti and David Pintaric (No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang), who advanced from a sixth-place starting spot as others faced attrition. Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette) crossed the finish line fourth, and Masaood salvaged a top-five finish. Menard was relegated to sixth in class, while Crews was scored last.
“Oh, it’s incredible; it’s such a great series to be a part of,” said Brabham on the podium. “The cars are some of the most fun I’ve ever driven in my life. To race them side by side―I mean, when Adam [Andretti] and I had that race in the beginning, we were side by side for two or three corners, and then he still got ahead of me, and then we did it again. To race these things is just so much fun. I’m here and the CD Racing crew is here because of Chris Dyson. Obviously, he would have much rather have been in the car this weekend, but I’m always happy to replace him whenever he feels the need to call me up. The answer will always be yes. It’s always a big honor. Dyson Racing, this racetrack, Trans Am, there’s so much history involved. We’ve got Brabham and Andretti up here. It’s pretty special; it gives you a little bit of goosebumps. Thank you so much to everyone that makes this possible: the series, everyone involved. Big congrats to the race team, GYM WEED. It’s so good to be here in the GYM WEED Winners Circle.”
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The XGT class race finished the same way it started, with Paul Tracy leading the way from start to finish in his No. 10 Race Cars For You/Innovation IRC GT. Teammates Danny Lowry (No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT4) and Billy Griffin (No. 14 Griffin Auto Care Mercedes AMG GT3) ran nose to tail in second and third the entire day, while Kaylee Bryson struggled in her No. 02 Logical Systems Inc. Chevrolet Corvette, requiring a trip to pit road mid-race. Tracy earned his second victory of the season and finished fifth overall due to his car’s high speed and the attrition in the TA class, while Lowry and Griffin claimed podium results, finishing second and third, respectively.
“That was a good race,” said Tracy. “I’ve got to thank the guys from IRC and Race Cars For You. They’re a small little team with some guys just helping. They gave me an opportunity to come out here and run with these guys and have a good time. The race went exactly the way we needed it to go. We were going to need a yellow, because this car’s got a pretty small fuel tank. I was getting pretty low on fuel when the yellow came out. I don’t think we would have made it if it had gone green all the way. I’m lucky that yellow came out towards the end. Overall, the car is phenomenal and it handles great. It’s the little car that can. I’ve just got to thank these guys at Trans Am and SVRA for these events they put on. All these grassroots racers are out here having a good time.”
Joshua Carlson dominated in the SGT class for the second race in a row, leading from green flag to checkers in his No. 36 Enseva/Diercks Ltd./TC Fab Ford Mustang. Second-place starter Patrick Utt (No. 49 RaceQuip/Driven Racing Oil Chevrolet Camaro) held the runner-up position for a majority of the race, but was challenged by 2022 SGT champion Milton Grant (No. 55 Sentry Self Storage/Springhill Suites Porsche 991.1), who took over second on lap 12. Unfortunately, Grant spun on lap 16, dropping him back to fourth in class behind his son, Carey Grant (No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche GT3 Cup). The elder Grant used his speed and experience to fight his way back to third in the remaining laps. When the checkered flag waved, it was Carlson with the win, followed by Utt, Milton Grant and Carey Grant.
“First I’d like to thank Enseva for all their unlimited support they gave me, and my parents for letting me race and go as fast as I do, because I’m sure it scares them a little bit sometimes,” said Carlson. “It was a good race; we did what we had to do to win it, and I’m just happy to be on the top side of the podium again. It’s also nice to see another TA2-style SGT car finish 1-2 with me and seeing Patrick [Utt] picking up a lot of pace from Sebring; it’s good to see him improving. I’m hoping that we can run even closer next time I see him. It was nice to see Milton [Grant] come back out and race with us again, and it was just a really nice day for racing. I’m happy to be here.”
Chris Coffey was once again the class of the field in the GT class, leading the race from start to finish in his No. 97 Traffic Grafix/Chill Out Motorsports Maserati MC GT4, despite a solid run by Jeff Lindstrom in the No. 41 Griffin Auto Care Ford Mustang. The 2024 GT champion secured his second victory of the season and 15th of his career.
“It was an absolutely incredible race; it was fun and we went from A to B with no problems,” Coffey said. “My car ran great. I’ve really got to thank my crew for that, Alex and Xavier. These guys really make this stuff easy on me. I also want to thank Colin Cohen. Without him, I wouldn’t be here. I’m sad to see he didn’t race this weekend, but he’s here in support and I can’t thank him enough. Thank you to my wife Morgan and my son Sam. My wife is by far the most important person in all of this racing, because she takes care of our son while I’m on the road. I want to thank Jeff [Lindstrom] here for some great racing all weekend, and thank you to all the other competitors for keeping your head screwed on straight while we were out there. I can’t wait for the next race at Sonoma.”
As the only competitor in the GT1 Challenge this weekend, Rob Dickey in the No. 64 Forty48 Competition Chevrolet Camaro was able to take the checkered flag in his Trans Am debut, fulfilling a personal dream to compete in the pro series.
“No one could have been more welcoming or helpful in all aspects,” said Dickey. “It was my first time racing the pro race and with this series, and everyone was absolutely phenomenal, helping me struggle through it. It was great. My goal was to come in, finish, be clean, not be in anybody’s way, have a good car, and keep it together. I have to thank the team out of Wisconsin, Forty48 Competition. They completely rebuilt the car after it was wrecked last year, putting an immense amount of time and effort into it. Aaron, my crew chief, received countless compliments on the wrap, which took many hours to complete. It was painful but so worth it in the end. The experience was phenomenal, and I have to thank my wife, Cheryl, for putting up with my lunacy of wanting to come out here and do this. It couldn’t have been a better experience. For all the guys sitting out there with old GT1 cars, cough up a couple bucks and come on out here. It really is the best place to run one of these cars. You can’t find a better group or a better-run series. Plus, you’re racing against some legit, crazy-fast drivers. If you want to come out and test yourself, see where you measure up, stop messing around and come out here to have these guys beat up on you.”
An encore presentation of Saturday’s race will air Saturday night on SPEED SPORT 1 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
The Trans Am Series will next hit the track at Sonoma Raceway, April 24-27, for the Sonoma SpeedTour in combination with the Western Championship.
