TeamSLR West Coast Trans Am – Go West, Young Men

Drivers Connor Mosack and Sam Mayer will compete in the non-points ProAm Challenge race April 25 at Sonoma Raceway before heading 150 miles south on U.S. Route 101 for the series’ regular, points-paying TA2 race May 1 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Mosack will drive the No. 28 Chevrolet Camaro and Mayer will pilot the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro.

The 22-year-old Mosack and 17-year-old Mayer seek career expansion by competing in Trans Am. Both drivers have oval-track backgrounds – Mosack in Late Models and Mayer in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Each views Trans Am as the ideal platform to burnish their road-racing skills, especially as road-course racing becomes more and more prominent across NASCAR’s top-three national touring series – Cup, Xfinity and Truck.

In Trans Am’s first ProAm race of the season March 21 at the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval, Mayer won in the TA2 class and Mosack joined him on the podium with a third-place drive. The duo maintained their front-running ways the very next weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, with Mayer finishing second and Mosack fourth in the series’ second points-paying race of the season.

TeamSLR seeks another strong run at Sonoma, a venue that Mosack and Mayer will both see for the first time when practice begins Friday at the 12-turn, 2.52-mile circuit. It will be a similar situation the following weekend at Laguna Seca, as neither has raced at the iconic 2.238-mile layout, with the Corkscrew the most famous of its 11 turns.

In fact, Sonoma will be just Mosack’s eighth career Trans Am start and Mayer’s sixth. Yet even with each being relatively new to Trans Am, they’ve taken to “America’s Road-Racing Series” quickly, a fact punctuated by their recent runs at Charlotte and Road Atlanta.

While Mosack and Mayer are still relatively new to Trans Am, the series is not new to either Sonoma or Laguna Seca. Trans Am’s national series has competed at Sonoma 24 times between 1969 and 2004, and the series’ West Coast Championship has visited Sonoma five times in the last three years, including three races over the course of two weekends in 2020. Trans Am’s national series has raced at Laguna Seca 11 times, with the first event taking place in 1969.

Those respective track histories will now meet the histories that Mosack and Mayer have just begun to write. The rolling hills of California’s wine country are where these next-generation talents are rolling for the next two weeks. Charlotte-native Mosack and Franklin, Wisconsin-native Mayer are a long ways from their original homes, but behind the wheel of their M1 Racecars from TeamSLR, they feel right at home.

“My approach to this West Coast swing is the same as it has been going to every TA2 race I’ve competed in so far. With the exception of Road Atlanta a couple weeks ago, every track I’ve gone to has been the first time for me. We’ve got right up to speed at all of these places, and I’m confident we can do the same out west. The biggest thing for me was logging some laps on the sim and watching some past races to gather all the knowledge I can.

“I would love to have an opportunity to walk the track and maybe drive a lap or two slowly in the rental car to slow things down and get a better look at everything. I think it’s helpful to do this before going out for the first time, but also after a couple sessions with a different perspective. I’ve only been able to do this at Sebring, and though not necessary, it definitely does help.

“My TA2 car from M1 Racecars feels similar to the Super Late Model I raced down at New Smyrna (Florida) earlier this year, but it drives much better than the Late Models I have a lot more experience in. I think driving those the last two years has helped me a lot transitioning over to better handling racecars.

“Anytime you can have back-to-back weekends I think, mentally and physically, you will have an advantage going into the following weekend.

“The ProAm race we ran at Charlotte did not feel quite the same as a regular TA2 race. The level of competition wasn’t as deep as normal, and the smaller field just felt like it was not as big of a race as a regular weekend. Although once the race started, everything else was pretty much the same. I think this ProAm race at Sonoma will give us a really good shot at going for the win.

“When it comes to Laguna Seca and we’re back with everyone from TA2 for a regular points race, I’ll be happy with a podium finish, but I think we can have the speed to go for the win. We’ve been a top-five car everywhere we’ve been and I think we’ll only continue to improve on that.

“When it comes to these two tracks, I’ve seen NASCAR races decided in the final lap in turn 11 at Sonoma, and it’s definitely going to be a big passing zone in our Trans Am race. I haven’t seen anything too crazy happen in the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca, but it does look like a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to running at both of these famous racetracks.”

“Going to a new track is always a blast just because of the fact that it’s new to you. In preparation for these tracks, I’ve done a lot of iRacing and sim work. I like getting visuals and points to help me turn good lap times.

“When I show up to a new track in person, I do my best to get used to the weather and the track surface with how the cars should react to both. I get there ahead of time to do that, but I don’t usually walk or drive around the track beforehand. It’s too different when going slow versus going at speed.

“I’ve watched a couple races from Sonoma when the NASCAR Cup Series cars ran there. Seeing how the heavier cars tend to race at that track is helpful. With Laguna, I’ve watched some IMSA races to help get some visual cues.

“When it comes to my Trans Am car from M1 Racecars, the more seat time you get, the better. I love stock car racing, but any time I can race at a new place is amazing. I’m super blessed with the opportunity to do it a lot this year with my race schedule.

“In our last ProAm race, we were at Charlotte. It was pretty different because of how the track raced, the number of cars, and the types of cars we raced with. Finishing second overall and first in TA2 was awesome since it was my first time there racing on the Roval. Sonoma is going to be very different since it’s a longer track and the weather will be different.

“Trans Am cars are lighter than what I’m used to running in NASCAR. However, these TA2 cars help a ton with tracks and seat time on road courses. It’s really fun, too.

“I go to these races to win. No matter if it’s a new track or one I’ve been to three times before, I go to win. Anything less, we go back to work to get me and the cars better so we can do just that.

“Overall, I’m super hyped for these two races. I’m going to develop a lot as a racer, and I’m super excited to go out and try to win out west.

“Going to places that have special corners, like turn 11 at Sonoma and the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca, is super cool. I watch a lot of YouTube compilations on racing and a lot of times I see these special corners. Now getting to race on them is super inspiring and cool.”

“Sam and Connor are both highly motivated and have learned how to utilize simulators for track familiarity. They learn what they can from sims, as well as watching other races and in-car camera footage.

“We’ll take advantage of any opportunity to see the track in advance of the first session. It’s become harder and harder to get permission for this, but there are some facilities that allow it, and it’s good to take advantage of that. In the case of Sonoma and Laguna Seca, we have my dad, Scott Sr., who has raced at both and had success. He’s won at Sonoma and he adds substantial value and reduces the performance curve when it comes to setups and driver info.

“Sam and Connor are quick learners, and everything learned at Sonoma will add value at Laguna Seca in varying degrees. Just being in the same car and racing back-to-back will add value and speed.

“Sam and Connor will be spotting the West Coast competitors in regard to track experience. I believe that with the building-block approach we take, they’ll both be very competitive by the end of the race when it counts. They’ll benefit from every lap of practice, qualifying and the race.

“We’re going into both of these traces with our best efforts, with intentions of running well and competing for the win.”

TeamSLR competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr., The father-and-son duo have combined to win more than 100 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. For more information, please visit us online at http://www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.