Thomas Merrill – Syndication Server

Merrill dominates TA2 at Watkins Glen yet again

Thomas Merrill had a perfect day at Watkins Glen International, earning his first pole of the 2024 season and going on to win the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series race. Merrill dominated the field, pulling out to a commanding lead and pacing every lap …

Taking the green flag from the pole in his No. 26 HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang, Merrill held his line as the leaders fanned out five wide into Turn 1. Thomas Annunziata (No. 90 Bayshore Mortgage/Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) challenged Merrill, but was unable to complete the pass, pulling into line behind him. Merrill began to open up his lead, but the double yellow was displayed before the conclusion of the first lap, bringing out the safety car.

The green flag waved on lap four, with Merrill leading Annunziata, Jake Drew (No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro), Carson Kvapil (No. 17 Team SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro) and Austin Green (No. 89 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang) across the line. Merrill pulled ahead of his competitors, and the top five remained the same until lap nine, when Kvapil had a mechanical issue and came to a halt in the Bus Stop, making way for Ben Maier (No. 80 BOE Marine/Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) to move into fifth.

On lap 13, Annunziata’s motor let go, bringing him to a standstill next to the Bus Stop. The following lap, Maier was passed by points leader Rafa Matos (No. 60 Concord American Flagpole/Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) and Tyler Kicera (No. 40 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang), while Green made a beautiful pass on Drew. That same lap, a full-course caution was called to collect Annunziata’s stopped vehicle, and Merrill’s lead of more than 3s was erased.

Racing resumed for the final time on lap 18, and with 12 green-flag laps to stretch his legs, Merrill was without challenge, opening up a 5s gap. Behind him, Green solidly held second, while third-place Drew was being stalked by Matos in fourth. On the final lap, Drew made a mistake, allowing Matos to claim the final podium spot. Merrill crossed the finish line to earn his second victory of the season, followed by Green and Matos. Drew and Kicera rounded out the top five.

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“I was thinking about [crew chief] Jason Bowser the whole race long; how much he would enjoy being here and seeing that in person,” said Merrill after the race. “I know he’s watching on TV, probably enjoying it, and I hope it’s helping him think about something else for a change. He’s had a tough week. I’ll tell you, it was an honor to drive this race car today. That was one of the best race cars I’ve ever driven. It just kept getting better, and the proof’s in the pudding with the lap times and the performance. Big thanks to the crew for giving me a heck of a race car.”

In Pro/Am Challenge, Barry Boes (No. 27 Team SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang) started the race first in class, but halfway through the first lap, another competitor got into the back of him, sending him spinning off the track and causing a cut tire. Boes was forced to visit pit lane, and his crew made a quick tire change before sending him back on the track. Despite the lightning-fast stop, Boes was now last in his class. He spent the next 27 laps fighting his way back through the field, finally making his way around leader Tom Sheehan (No. 97 Vixen Motorcycle/LTK Insulation Ford Mustang) on lap 28 with a stellar pass. Jared Odrick (No. 00 BLACK Underwear/Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) had a similar tale after he received a pass-through penalty early in the race for missing the Bus Stop. He, too, navigated his way through the pack, working his way into the third position in the closing laps to take a podium spot.

“Driving from the back was not what I wanted to do, but the car–I’ve got to ask the guys whether they treated the tires or something, because it was amazing,” joked Boes. “It did everything I wanted it to; it did more than it should, and it was able to get me back up there. I want to thank Accio Data, Megan, the crew, Team SLR. Those guys did the fastest tire change out there. The team brought in the guys from NASCAR, and without them, I wouldn’t be here. Thank you.”

The highlight show of Friday’s race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, August 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series returns to action next weekend to take on Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, August 29-31.

RESULTS

Merrill rockets from third to first and wins TA2 at Road Atlanta

Thomas Merrill was the class of the field in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series race at the Mission Foods Road Atlanta SpeedTour, taking the lead on lap eight and dominating for the rest of the day. Early in the race, Merrill battled with Rafa Matos and it appeared that the two would lead the field to the checkered flag, but Matos suffered a late-race tire puncture, giving way for Nitro Motorsports Young Guns Tyler Gonzalez and Thomas Annunziata to score podium finishes in the Bennett/BridgeHaul Classic TA2 race.

With rain resulting in the cancelation of Friday’s qualifying session, the starting grid for Saturday’s event was set by practice speeds, meaning two-time champion Matos’ No. 60 Concord American Flagpole/Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang would lead the field to green alongside Annunziata’s No. 90 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang. When the green flag waved, Matos pulled out front and was followed by Merrill in the No. 26 HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang, who started third and had an excellent start. It was not long before Matos and Merrill pulled ahead of the field, leaving Annunziata, Gonzalez in the No. 40 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang and Connor Mosack in the No. 77 Silver Hare Racing Camaro in their wake.

Mosack faced early trouble, bringing out the first full-course caution of the day on lap three when he suffered an exhaust issue, forcing him to pull off the racing surface. When racing resumed on lap seven, Merrill was all over the back of Matos and promptly took the lead from the two-time champion before circling back for lap eight. Second place was briefly taken by Annunziata, but Matos was able to regain the runner-up position by the following lap. Merrill and Matos pulled ahead of the field, while Young Gun Jake Drew (No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro) took on Josh Hurley (No. 20 Greenlight Simulation/BCR Ford Mustang) in a battle for the fifth position.

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Over a long green-flag run, veterans Merrill and Matos opened up an eight-second lead over third, but a double yellow flag bunched the field back up on lap 24. After the green flag on lap 28, Matos had a chance to fight for the lead, but Merrill’s restart was just too good, and the No. 26 pulled open a 1.6s gap in a single lap. It was then that Matos slowed in Turn 1 with a punctured tire, which required multiple visits to pit lane and relegated him to the 23rd position. A caution on lap 31 once again closed up the field, leading to a sprint to the finish when the race went green with two laps to go. Merrill, who never faltered after taking the lead, solidly held the point position until a yellow flag on the final lap ended the competition under caution. The 2022 champion was followed across the finish line by Annunziata, Gonzalez, Drew and Hurley.

“It was a great, great race; I had a lot of fun racing up front with Rafa [Matos] at the beginning,” said Merrill. “Once we got up front, we just set sail. It was such a good racecar that the Cope crew gave me today. Seeing all these Cope chassis up here makes me proud of all the work we’ve done over the last couple years. And obviously, huge congratulations to Keith for his 100-race brick. I’m very happy to put the HP tuners car on the top step. It’s just a great day. It was a pleasure to drive that race car, and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Saturday also marked the 100th race for Keith Prociuk. He was presented with a commemorative trophy on the podium. While Prociuk initially crossed the finish line second in Pro/Am, he received a post-race penalty for avoidable contact.

“One hundred races is amazing,” said Prociuk. “TA2 is a fantastic series to race in, and Trans Am puts on a good show. It felt great out there. Michele [Abbate] raced from the back, and I was so happy to see her there. Barry [Boes] just dominated our race. For [Thomas] Merrill to win Pro, that’s just fantastic for us, fantastic for HP Tuners and Cope Race Cars.”

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

The CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series next hit the track at the NOLA SpeedTour at NOLA Motorsports Park, April 11-14.

RESULTS

Robinson, Merrill beat packed fields to TA and TA2 poles at COTA

Two-time Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series champion Gar Robinson (No. 74 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro) captured the Motul Pole Award in his first start in the TA class with an impressive time of 2m04.993s in the Trans Am Series …

“You know, it’s really just awesome,” said Robinson. “I mean, the list [of great things about this weekend] is so long. I’m not just here with the Riley guys, but in their new car, at my home track, with all my friends and family around me this weekend. I don’t think I could name a better weekend. Some people ask if you can have too much dessert, and I don’t think so. This is like our version of too much dessert. We’re having a blast. Everyone’s just having a great time, and being on the pole is just one of the jobs completed. I have to see how it goes tomorrow and see if we can complete the rest of the jobs.”

Thomas Merrill (No. 26 Bennett/HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang), who is attempting to come back from a 45-point deficit to win the championship, was the Motul Pole Award winner in the Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series, laying down a lap of 2m11.159s. Merrill won the pole at the track last year on his way to capturing his first-career title, which was a Hollywood comeback from an even bigger points disadvantage.

“You know it’s interesting, last year, we were really strong all the way through the weekend, but this year, we’ve had some struggles with some component failures and some issues through practice,” said Merrill. “So it’s a little bit of a come from behind story so far at this event, but I’ve got all the faith in the world. My guys always give me a good race car. When it mattered, we had a really, really good Bennett/HP Tuners Mustang. I’m just so happy to be on the pole. You know, what happens tomorrow is largely out of our hands, but our focus is just simple: win the race and go from there.”

XGT’s Will Rodgers (No. 32 Chris Evans Race Cars & Design Ford Mustang) earned the overall pole for Western Championship competitors in TA/XGT/SGT/GT time trials, qualifying third overall with a time of 2m06.4s. Rodgers has earned the pole in every Western Championship race he has competed in this year and has already clinched the West Coast’s XGT title.

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“We’d love to be battling more XGT cars for the pole, but I think that will come in time as we keep debuting these Chris Evans rocket ships; these things are awesome,” said Rodgers. “You know, the big thing that we’re trying to do is show their capabilities and what’s possible in this series with equipment like this. To race against the TA guys and be keeping up with some of the fastest ones, and to be right on pace with Boris [Said] is really cool. It makes us feel good at Chris Evans Race Cars to know that we can compete. Hopefully tomorrow’s a good race, but ultimately, I’m just thankful to be here and I’m looking forward to finishing off the season strong.”

Brody Goble (No. 69 Brown Bros. Ford/Cortex Racing Ford Mustang) was the quickest of Western Championship competitors in Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers Series, qualifying with a time of 2m13.048s. Goble currently leads the TA2 standings for the Western Championship by 22 points.

“This weekend’s been going really well,” said Goble. “It’s a bit of a catch-22 here. Half of me is wanting to race against the National Championship guys and see how well we can do in our debut. It’s our first weekend racing with the National Championship. But I also know that I have to be smart and do whatever it takes to make sure that we win the championship. We have a little bit of a lead, but definitely not enough of a lead to forget about it. We’ve got to focus on that. I’m really proud of our team. Brown Bros. Racing is just a privateer team, and we have lots of help here. But at the end of the day, it is a one-car team and a West Coast team, and we’re still putting this all together. I’m super proud to be 12th overall here and first in the West Coast. I’ve never raced here at COTA before, so I have limited track time to figure it out, but I’m having a blast doing it.”

The season finale Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series race will be contested on Sunday, November 5 at 10:05 a.m. CT, followed by the TA/XGT/SGT/GT race at 1:10 p.m. CT.

The races will be streamed live here and broadcast live on MAVTV. The TV broadcast replay of the race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, November 9, with TA/XGT/SGT/GT airing at 8:00 p.m. ET, and the Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series race airing at 9:00 p.m. ET.

TA FIELD RESULTS

TA2 FIELD RESULTS

Defending Lime Rock TA2 winner Merrill grabs first pole of 2023

Reigning Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series champion and defending Lime Rock race winner Thomas Merrill earned Friday’s Motul Pole Award with a 51.652s lap around the picturesque Connecticut circuit. …

Mike Cope Race Cars dominated the top three, with Evan Slater in the No. 6 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro qualifying second and Thomas Annunziata in the No. 90 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang qualifying third.

“I owe this pole to my crew. This is actually the same setup we rolled off the truck with,” said Merrill. “They did an amazing job with their preparation for this weekend, and we unloaded with a great car. Every time we changed it in practice, we made it slower, so we went back to what we started with. It shows the work they’ve been putting into this. It’s a great day for the Cope cars. To lock out the top three like that is pretty cool. I’m very proud of them.”

The race will be contested on Saturday, May 27 at 1:00 p.m. ET and can be streamed live here.

The TV broadcast of the Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, June 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

RESULTS