The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli returns to action following a seven-week summer break. Just four races remain in the 2024 season for the series, which heads to Watkins Glen International for the Mission Foods Watkins Glen SpeedTour. This weekend kicks off another pair of back-to-back weekends for competitors, as they will be back in action next weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Watkins Glen is third on the list of most-visited tracks for Trans Am since its inception in 1966, with 46 checkered flags waving at the historic 3.45-mile road course since the series debuted at The Glen in August 1968.
Schedule
TA:
Qualifying:
Sunday, August 25
9:05-9:40 a.m. ET
Race:
Sunday, August 25
1:15-2:30 p.m. ET
Race Length: 30 Laps/75 Minutes
TV Broadcast:
LIVE on MAVTV
Highlights Show:
MAVTV
Thursday, August 29
9:00 p.m. ET
TA2:
Qualifying:
Friday, August 23
12:00-12:35 p.m. ET
Race:
Friday, August 23
4:00-5:15 p.m. ET
Race Length: 30 Laps/75 Minutes
TV Broadcast:
LIVE on MAVTV
Highlights Show:
MAVTV
Thursday, August 29
8:00 p.m. ET
Fans attending the Mission Foods Watkins Glen SpeedTour will have two chances to meet the stars of the Trans Am Series. On Friday, drivers in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series will be holding an autograph session in the Trans Am paddock from 1:30-2:00 p.m. ET. On Sunday at 12:40 p.m. ET, TA/XGT/SGT/GT competitors will host a pre-race fan walk where fans can meet the drivers, get autographs and see the racecars up close.
Past Watkins Glen winners
With so many past Trans Am events held at Watkins Glen, many competitors on the entry list for this weekend’s race have driven to GYM WEED Winners Circle. Rafa Matos has the most victories at the track, tallying three wins in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
TA
Tomy Drissi, No. 8 Drissi Motorsports/Lucas/Mission Ford Mustang (2018)
Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang (2021 Race 1 and Race 2)
Amy Ruman, No. 23 McNichols Co. Chevrolet Corvette (2016)
XGT
Danny Lowry, No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3 (2023)
SGT
Lee Saunders, No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper (2022, 2023)
GT
Michael Saia, No. 13 KMC/Rapid Performance Management/Motul GT3 Cup 997.1 (2022)
Chris Coffey, No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GT4 (2023)
TA2
Rafa Matos, No. 60 Concord American Flagpole/Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (2018, 2019, 2021 Race 1)
Doug Peterson, No. 87 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang (2013 TA)
There are a handful of drivers in this weekend’s field who have taken the top step of the podium at Watkins Glen in racing series other than Trans Am. CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series competitor Bruce Raymond (No. 54 Optima Batteries Ford Mustang), who was the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) Group 10 champion in 2019 and 2020, has won at The Glen in SVRA Group 10. SGT’s Jenn Krpata (No. 93 I.B.E.W. Local 25 Chevrolet Camaro) has won SCCA Regionals at the track. Newcomer James Beaton, who is making his debut in XGT this weekend, has also visited Victory Lane at the track in CASC-ON GT1 in 2024.
Lots of local talent
There are six drivers on this weekend’s entry list that hail from the Empire state:
TA
Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang (Poughkeepsie)
SGT
Jenn Krpata, No. 93 I.B.E.W. Local 25 Chevrolet Camaro (Farmingdale)
TA2
Adrian Wlostowski, No. 3 CMI/Spot-On Services Ford Mustang (Maspeth)
John Weisberg, No. 11 Iron Smoke/Red Line Oil/Carbotech Chevrolet Camaro (Webster)
Brandon Hampson, No. 29 Howe Racing/F.A.S.T. Auto Racing Ford Mustang (Sayville)
Doug Winston, No. 98 Bring Back The Trades/D&M Electric Mustang (North White Plains)
Richard Forsythe remembered
The Trans Am Series was saddened to learn of the passing of SGT competitor and points leader Richard Forsythe. After making his Trans Am debut in 2022 and earning his first victories in 2023, Forsythe was running a full-time schedule in 2024 in his familiar green and black No. 58 Louis Gigliotti-built Sambuca Restaurant Chevrolet Corvette. Forsythe earned three victories this season, topping the podium in the SGT class at Road Atlanta, Pittsburgh International Race Complex and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Forsythe earned podium finishes in all but one event this year, and in every interview, he always expressed how much he loved racing in the series and valued both his crew and his competitors.
“Richard was a great person, a great friend, and a great racer,” said crew chief and friend Jason Smith. “Racing in the Trans Am Series was a dream of his for many years. He loved the environment, the competition, and the camaraderie. This last year racing with Richard has been an amazing experience. Because of Richard, I’ve been able to do what I love, and I’ll forever be grateful for that. The racing community lost a good one.”
Dyson back to where it all started
Chris Dyson in the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang returns to the site of his first-career Trans Am start this weekend with the goal of turning around a frustrating 2024 season. The three-time champion made his series debut at Watkins Glen in 2017 as a guest driver for David Pintaric, and has since driven to victory twice at the track in both races during 2021’s doubleheader. Dyson currently sits second in the standings, 66 points behind Paul Menard (No. 3 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang), and has claimed one win this season at NOLA Motorsports Park.
Burtin Racing welcomes Castrol
Burtin Racing will have some fresh paint this weekend at The Glen, as the team recently announced that Castrol has come on as a new partner. Adam Andretti will pilot the No. 17 Top Liner/Castrol Chevrolet Camaro this weekend in pursuit of his second win of the 2024 season. Burtin Racing has previous success at the racetrack, celebrating wins at Watkins Glen in 2017 with recent SpeedTour All-Star Race winner Andy Lally, and in 2018 with Tomy Drissi.
Boris Said back in action
Although you can see him at the racetrack every weekend that his son, Boris Said Jr., is racing in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, Boris Said finally returns to action behind the wheel at Watkins Glen, making just his second start of the season. Said will pilot the No. 2 Ultimate Headers/Weaver Racing Dodge Challenger, a machine he has frequently driven to strong finishes. This is the same car that Brent Crews drove to victory in Trans Am’s most recent outing at Road America in June.
Said has made six Trans Am starts at The Glen between the TA and TA2 classes, and has made an additional 28 starts between the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and IMSA.
New faces this weekend
The Trans Am paddock will be full of new faces this weekend, with three new competitors making their first starts in the series on Sunday. Matt Forbush (No. 33 zignyl Toyota Supra) and Ramy Farid (No. 53 KMC/Rabid Wraps Porsche 718 GT4 Clubsport MR) will both be making their debuts in the GT class, while James Beaton (No. 82 Playtime Hot Rods and Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette) will join the XGT class. Beaton, who comes to Trans Am from the Canada GT Challenge Cup and is a three-time Canadian GT1 CASC-ON champion (2018, 2019, 2021), also has a recent victory at The Glen, winning at the track in GT1 earlier this year.
Another new face on the TA/XGT/SGT/GT side is David Hodge. Although he has two previous Trans Am starts in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, he will be making his first XGT class start in the No. 10 Kaizen Autosport Lamborghini Super Trofeo.
The newcomers will face plenty of competition this weekend, as the production classes have some of the largest fields of the season. With four entered in the XGT class, six in the SGT class, and seven in the GT class, there are sure to be a lot of tough battles on the track.
Matos driving away with TA2 lead
Rafa Matos has been on a roll in 2024, driving his No. 60 Concord American Flagpole/Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang to the fourth win of the season in the series’ last outing at Road America in June. The two-time champion currently leads the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series standings by 129 points over 2022 champion Thomas Merrill (No. 26 HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang), and 142 points over third-place Thomas Annunziata (No. 90 Bayshore Mortgage/The Decorators Unlimited Ford Mustang). Matos comes into this weekend’s race with more Watkins Glen wins than any other competitor on the entry list, with three past victories in 2018, 2019 and 2021. He also holds the record for the most wins by any driver in the history of the TA2 class with 24 victories.
Barry Boes wins at Portland
Last month at Portland International Raceway, Barry Boes (No. 27 Team SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang) earned the first non-Pro/Am victory of his Trans Am career, taking the checkered flag in the Western Championship’s Race 1 of a doubleheader weekend. Boes claimed the win by driving from last place to first after issues in qualifying led to him starting at the rear of the field. In the National Championship, Boes currently leads the TA2 Pro/Am Challenge standings by 97 points on the strength of four victories, the most recent of which came at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
At Watkins Glen, the Pro/Am Challenge will once again have strong field with 14 entrants.
New cars and new faces in the TA2 paddock
MBS Racing recently announced that they will be making their Trans Am Series debut this weekend with the No. 53 Alliance Autosport Chevrolet Camaro entry piloted by Bryan Scheible. Scheible is a third-generation SCCA member who has competed in Formula Enterprise 2 and rally series throughout the Northeast United States and Canada. He has also raced with co-driver and wife Mary Scheible in the SCORE Baja Series, the Best In The Desert and Legacy Desert Racing.
Another new driver making his first start in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series is Brandon Hampson in the No. 29 Howe Racing/F.A.S.T. Auto Racing Ford Mustang.
Familiar faces return
This weekend will see the return of several familiar faces. Tyler Kicera (No. 40 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) will be making his second start of the 2024 season. He finished fifth in his first start of the year at Pitt Race. Carson Kvapil (No. 28 Team SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro) will also be making his second start of the year. His season debut also came at Pitt Race, where he earned his first Trans Am podium with a third-place finish. Kvapil has been excelling in the stock car ranks this year, earning three top fives in six NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and top-five finishes in both of his two ARCA Menards Series starts. Austin Green (No. 89 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang) and his team owner Doug Peterson (No. 87 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang) will also be returning for their fourth starts of the year.
Adam Andretti (No. 41 Ultimate Headers Chevrolet Camaro) will be running double duty this weekend, returning to the TA2 paddock for the fourth time this year. In his last outing in the class, he claimed his best finish of the season, finishing fourth at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Although they are not driving this weekend, a few CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 aeries drivers had some exciting developments in the off-weeks. Silver Hare Racing driver and seven-time Trans Am winner Connor Zilisch announced that he secured a full-time ride in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025 with JR Motorsports. Zilisch also took the checkered flag to win in the ARCA Menards Series race at Michigan International Speedway this past weekend.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old 2023 TA2 champion Brent Crews passed his driving test and scored his driver’s license. Crews was also successful this past weekend, driving to victory in the CARS Late Model Stock Tour event at Ace Speedway.