Jack Wood’s No. 8 SLR-M1 Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro earned the Motul Pole Award for the Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series at the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Western Championship event at Sonoma, with a time of 1m36.929s. Wood frequently competes in Trans Am’s National Championship and crossed the country with TeamSLR.
“It was a good lap for us, it feels good to get the pole,” said Wood. “There was definitely some stuff we’ll find in the data where I could have been better, but compared to what I ran here last year, it’s definitely an improvement for us. We had to work on the car pretty hard, I’d say. We made a lot of changes to get it to fit my driving style. I’m thankful to the Lagasses for the opportunity to be here and for the hard work they put in to get these cars as fast as they are. Hopefully we won’t have to pass anyone tomorrow and we’ll stay up front and get the win.”
XGT class competitor Will Rodgers in the No. 42 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang was the quickest competitor overall with a fast time of 1m34.760s in his debut appearance in the series.
“It’s definitely a really cool thing to get the XGT pole in my Trans Am debut,” said Rodgers. “I came here to run Chris Evans’ car for the weekend; I was invited to come out and shake down the car and show them what we’ve got. The XGT car that Chris Evans built is a rocket ship; it’s a really cool machine. It’s got a heck of a lot of horsepower, a lot of tires, a lot of aero, and it makes it a lot of fun to drive. I’m really happy to be here. I’d say Sonoma is my best track; I’ve run NASCAR here, Miatas, all kinds of different cars, so I’m no stranger to Sonoma. This is where I have the most confidence.”
Trans Am champion Greg Pickett in the No. 6 GYM WEED/Pickett Racing Ford Mustang was second overall and fastest in the TA class with a 1m35.743s.
“I was honestly just a little bit rusty,” said Pickett, who won the event in 2022. “When I got into it earlier today, I hadn’t sat in this car for more than a few laps since last year here. The track is just a little bit greasy today; I would have done a little different on the setup knowing that. I could have used a little bit more rear grip, but you can adjust that nicely with the throttle pedal.”
JC Meynet was the fastest of the GT cars in his No. 28 Killer Shrimp Racing Corvette with a 1m43.818s.
TA2 Qualifying Top Five:
1. Jack Wood, No. 8 SLR-M1 Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro (136.929)
2. Ken Sutherland, No. 68 Kallberg Racing Chevrolet Camaro (1:38.194)
3. Brody Goble, No. 69 Brown Bros. Ford/Cortex Performance Ford Mustang (1:38.283)
4. Brad McAllister, No. 24 Straumann and Zimbis Ford Mustang (1:38.761)
5. Barry Boes, No. 32 BCR/Accio Data Chevrolet Camaro (1:38.978)
TA Qualifying:
1. Greg Pickett, No. 6 GYM WEED/Pickett Racing Ford Mustang (1:35.743)
2. Steve Goldman, No. 13 LIG Racing Chevrolet Corvette (1:42.802)
XGT Qualifying:
1. Will Rodgers, No. 42 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang (1:34.760)
2. Chris Evans, No. 92 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang (1:42.437)
GT Qualifying:
1. JC Meynet, No. 28 Killer Shrimp Racing Chevrolet Corvette (1:43.818)
Full official qualifying results can be found here.
The race will be contested on Sunday, April 30 at 1:40pm PT.