ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Oct. 6, 2022) – Fresh off his second career TA2-class victory in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli and his second in a row at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Connor Mosack looks to continue his recent streak of top-four finishes as he and fellow TeamSLR driver Chris Liesfeld head to Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton for the penultimate round of the 12-race season.
After his commanding victory from the pole four weekends ago on the iconic Watkins Glen circuit in New York’s Finger Lakes region, the 23-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, and second-year, fulltime driver of the No. 28 Open Eyes/Nic Taylor Custom Fit Underwear/M1 Racecars Ford Mustang arrives in the southernmost reaches of the Virginia Commonwealth for the Mission Foods VIR SpeedTour with serious aspirations in the driver championship.
With only Saturday’s 30-lap, 75-minute race and the Nov. 6 season finale at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, left on the schedule, Mosack sits third in the standings, 16 points behind leader and defending TA2 champion Rafa Matos and only four points behind second-place Thomas Merrill. Mosack is the hottest of the championship-contending trio with the Watkins Glen victory giving him an average finish of 2.5 in the last four races, versus 4.5 for Matos and 7.5 for Merrill. Prior to The Glen, Mosack posted finishes of third at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, fourth at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and second on the downtown streets of Nashville, Tennessee. Overtaking Merrill for second in the championship, which would put Mosack one spot better than his third place finish in last year’s final standings, is certainly attainable. Catching Matos would take a bit of help, but it’s still within the realm of possibility. Meanwhile, Mosack is atop the Peter Gregg Foundation Young Gun Award standings with a 20-point lead over Brent Crews.
Liesfeld, the 47-year-old from just up the road in Richmond, Virginia, is ready for his fourth race of the season and third in a row behind the wheel of the No. 96 Fields Racing/M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro. Liesfeld owns and operates Fields Racing, which has competed in an array of racing disciplines over the years, including Stock Car Championship Series, Spec Miata, SCCA Pro and Trans Am. He’s raced at the 3.27-mile, 17-turn VIR circuit in numerous racing disciplines, and in 2017 scored a GT3-class victory there during an SCCA regional event.
Riding along with TeamSLR this weekend at VIR is ScreenYourMachine.org, an initiative created in 2016 by TeamSLR owner Scott Lagasse Jr., in partnership with the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) to educate individuals about the importance of getting age-appropriate screenings for all types of cancer.
“I was still in my early 30s when I was diagnosed, but I knew something was wrong so I didn’t waste any time and I went and saw my doctor,” said Lagasse, a colon cancer survivor. “They caught it early and that was my saving grace. The treatment worked, but young-onset colorectal cancer is rising. I wasn’t some outlier. In people ages 55 and younger, incidence is rising by two percent every year.”
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.
