The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Western Championship heads to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nev., just an hour away from the Las Vegas Strip, for the Spring Mountain SpeedTour. This will be Trans Am’s second visit to the “Motor Resort and Country Club,” which opened in 1998, following its debut at the track last year. This weekend’s doubleheader is the Western Championship’s final standalone round before the season finale combination event with the National Championship at Circuit of The Americas in two weeks.
Sole Spring Mountain winner
The Trans Am Series has only competed at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch once before, and only one of last year’s winners is entered in this weekend’s doubleheader. JC Meynet won the race last year in the GT class on his way to becoming the 2023 GT champion. This year, he is competing in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series in the No. 28 B-Bar Ranch/Killer Shrimp Chevrolet Camaro.
TA2 title wide open
The Western Championship’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series has the most wide-open championship across the Trans Am Series, with several drivers still in mathematical contention for the title. Leading the standings is Michael LaPaglia (No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto/Howe Ford Mustang), who holds a 23-point advantage over second-place Tim Barber (No. 33 DIG Motorsports Ford Mustang). LaPaglia has one victory and five podiums in seven races so far this season, while Barber has two victories and three podiums.
Third in the points is Ken Sutherland, who sits 36 points behind LaPaglia, but is not currently on the entry list for this weekend. Tim Lynn (No. 17 Roof Options Ford Mustang) is fourth in the points, 74 markers behind LaPaglia. Kyle Kelley (No. 80 PK+k Properties/UPRacing.com Ford Mustang) rounds out the top five, just six points behind Lynn. Kelley has visited GYM WEED Winners Circle one time this season. Other drivers still in the hunt include Tim Carroll (No. 46 CRDMFG.com Chevrolet Camaro), who earned his first-career Trans Am win in Portland International Raceway’s Race 2, and Jim Guthrie, (No. 27 Guthrie’s Garage Ford Mustang).
Boes already a champion
With three races remaining and 110 points available in each, Barry Boes (No. 32 Accio Data/TRB Autosport Ford Mustang) is also still in contention for the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series title in the Western Championship, sitting 144 points behind LaPaglia. However, Boes, who earned his first Western Championship victory in Race 1 at Portland, is already a champion, clinching the National Championship’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge title two weeks ago at VIRginia International Raceway. Boes has won seven races in the class so far this year, driving from the back of the field and overcoming early adversity in multiple events. Boes has been competing full time in both the National and Western Championships this year.
M1 Racecars on a roll
M1 Racecars comes into Spring Mountain with momentum, as the chassis builder swept the doubleheader event in the Western Championship’s last outing at Portland. Barry Boes and Tim Carroll both earned their first-career Western wins, with Boes winning Race 1 and Carroll victorious in Race 2.
Jared Odrick moves from gridiron to grid
Former NFL player Jared Odrick has been busy lately, running full time in the National Championship’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge and most recently running double duty, competing in the Trans Am race at VIRginia International Raceway and SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America on the same weekend, finishing second in GT2 at the Runoffs. Odrick will be making his first-career start in the Western Championship this weekend, piloting the No. 77 BLACK Underwear Ford Mustang.
Hampton clinches GT
With five victories in 2024, GT’s David Hampton (No. 14 AR Motorsports Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport) has already clinched his title this year, holding a 160-point advantage over Kevin Michaels (No. 98 Killer Shrimp Restaurant Chevrolet Corvette), who is not competing this weekend. Hampton has been a renaissance man this year, winning in SGT in Portland’s Race 2 in his debut weekend in the class. Hampton also earned his first National Championship victory earlier this season, winning in the GT class in a rainy race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course back in June.