Trans Am Series Race Preview: Road Atlanta

Qualifying:

Friday, March 21

5:35-6:10 p.m. ET

Race:

Saturday, March 22

12:45-2:00 p.m. ET

Race Length: 40 Laps/75 Minutes

Broadcast:

LIVE on SPEED SPORT 1

LIVE on YouTube

@TheTransAmSeries

Qualifying:

Saturday, March 22

4:45-5:20 p.m. ET

Race:

Sunday, March 23

1:45-3:00 p.m. ET

Race Length: 40 Laps/75 Minutes

Broadcast:

LIVE on SPEED SPORT 1

LIVE on YouTube

@TheTransAmSeries

Up Next: Round 2

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli heads to Road Atlanta for the Mission Foods Road Atlanta SpeedTour, the second race of the 2025 season for National Championship competitors. Trans Am has been visiting the 54-year-old facility since 1972, holding 42 races at the Braselton, Georgia track. 56 competitors in seven classes will take the green flag in Saturday and Sunday’s 100-mile races.

Past Winners at Road Atlanta

There are 11 drivers in this weekend’s field who have stood on the top step of the podium at Road Atlanta in the past. Chris Dyson, Mike Skeen and Billy Griffin are tied with the most wins of any entrants in this weekend’s competition with four. Adam Andretti, Danny Lowry, Chris Coffey, Thomas Merrill and Barry Boes all won in Trans Am’s last visit to the track and are returning to defend their victories.

TA

Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang: 2023, 2022, 2020 II, 2018

Adam Andretti, No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro: 2024, 2014 (TA2)

Amy Ruman, No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette: 2016, 2015, 2011

XGT

Billy Griffin, No. 14 Griffin Auto Care Mercedes AMG GT3: 2023, 2022, 2020 II, 2020 I (All GT)

Danny Lowry, No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT4: 2024, 2022 (SGT)

SGT

Lee Saunders, No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper: 2015

GT

Chris Coffey, No. 97 Traffic Grafix/Chillout Motorsports Maserati MC GT4: 2024

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series

Mike Skeen, No. 2 Guthrie’s Garage Chevrolet Camaro: 2022, 2020 II, 2020 I, 2011

Thomas Merrill, No. 26 HP Tubers/Franklin Road/Cope Chevrolet Camaro: 2024

Rafa Matos, No. 57 Concord American Flagpole/SHR Chevrolet Camaro: 2019, 2018

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge

Barry Boes, No. 27 Accio Data/SRL-M1 Chevrolet Camaro: 2024

SCCA Super Tour Success

Earlier this month, the SCCA Super Tour competed at Road Atlanta, with two drivers in this weekend’s field visiting Victory Lane.  TA’s David Pintaric (No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang) won Race 1 in the GT1 class and finished second in Race 2, while CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge competitor Jared Odrick (No. 00 Black Underwear Chevrolet Camaro) won both Race 1 and Race 2 from the pole in the GT2 class.

Georgia on My Mind

There are three drivers in this weekend’s field who are originally from the state of Georgia. CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge competitor Patrick Paul will be closest to home this weekend, as he is from Kennesaw, Ga., a suburb northwest of Atlanta. This weekend is also a home game for Burtin Racing, which fields the No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro for Adam Andretti. The team’s shop is located approximately two hours northwest of the track in Adairsville, Ga.

GT

Brion Gluck, No. 47 FFR/Freedom Coffee/Gallant Few FFR Daytona 65 R (LaGrange)

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge

Rob Clifton, No. 8 Team SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro (Evans)

Patrick Paul, No. 34 Paul Racing Enterprises Ford Mustang (Kennesaw)

Watch LIVE

There are two great free streaming options for watching this weekend’s TA/GT and CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series races. The events will stream live on Trans Am’s YouTube channel, @TheTransAmSeries, as well as on SPEED SPORT 1. SPEED SPORT 1 is the first network dedicated to free, live motorsports, presenting hundreds of live events and thousands of hours of premier motorsport content and lifestyle programming from around the globe annually. SPEED SPORT 1 can be watched on Amazon Prime Video, Roku, PlutoTV, Sling Freestream and more. For more information on how to watch, click here.

Déjà Vu For Menard

For the second year in a row, Paul Menard kicked off the season with a victory, driving to GYM WEED Winners Circle in his No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang at Sebring International Raceway. After winning the season opener in 2024, Menard went on the claim the TA championship on the strength of six wins and nine podium finishes.

Another Tough Start For Dyson

Another driver experiencing déjà vu is three-time TA champion Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang). Once again, Dyson unloaded a fast car at Sebring, but his day ended in a hard crash due to a mechanical failure. Relegated to an eighth-place finish in class, Dyson’s pursuit of his fourth Trans Am title begins with a points deficit, as he currently sits 33 markers behind leader Paul Menard. However, given his dominance in the series since his first title season in 2021, it’s nothing that Dyson can’t overcome between now and the season finale at Circuit of The Americas.

Drissi Hoping for Another Podium at Road Atlanta

Road Atlanta is a track where Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro) has found lots of success in the past in Trans Am and beyond. Drissi scored podium finishes at the Braselton, Ga. facility in four of the last six years in TA, with finishes of second in 2019, 2020 and 2022, and a third-place finish in 2023. Drissi also found his way to the Road Atlanta podium many times in IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, earning a victory in the Petit Le Mans in 2017, as well as earning two second-place finishes and one third-place result. Joining Drissi under the Drissi Motorsports banner this weekend is Keith Grant (No. 7 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro), who earned a podium for the team there last year with a third-place finish.

Burtin Hosts CCYA Guests

This weekend at Road Atlanta, Burtin Racing team owner Claudio Burtin, who fields the No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro for Adam Andretti, will be hosting approximately 40 guests from the Center for Children and Young Adults (CCYA). CCYA is a 40-bed residential facility in Marietta, Ga. that provides safe housing and basic needs to children and young adults who have been abused, neglected, exploited or abandoned. The organization offers a full array of supportive housing services, such as emergency and temporary shelter programs and transitional and independent living for youth and young adults. CCYA feeds, houses, teaches and nurtures up to 100 youth each year. For more information, visit ccyakids.org.

Crews Wins Between Races

Since kicking off his first full-time season in the TA class, Brent Crews (No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro) captured a checkered flag on an oval track. Crews competed in his first race with Joe Gibbs Racing in the ARCA Menards Series at Phoenix Raceway, where he had a late-rate comeback to score his third-career win in the series. With two previous ARCA victories, both on dirt tracks, Crews’ win at Phoenix was his first on a pavement track.

New Colors for Joshua Carlson

SGT’s Joshua Carlson kicked off the 2025 season with new colors on his No. 36 Enseva/Diercks Ltd/TC Fab Ford Mustang. Carlson secured a new sponsor in Vivid Auto Wraps with Auggi Jimenez in his home state of Iowa and opted for a new blue wrap to pay homage to the Ford Mustang’s Detroit roots. It seems to be bringing the team good luck, as Carlson piloted to the win in the SGT class in the season opener at Sebring International Raceway.

Rob Dickey Joins GT1 Challenge

Making his Trans Am debut this weekend is GT1 Challenge competitor Rob Dickey in the No. 64 Forty48 Competition Chevrolet Camaro. Dickey comes to Trans Am from SCCA and SVRA, but has also raced karts, motorcycles and standup Jet Skis. Dickey has dreamed of racing in Trans Am since he was a kid, but that goal became more important to him when a close friend he’d shared that dream with passed away. This weekend he finally gets to make his dream a reality.

2. Adam Andretti (101)

3. Amy Ruman (93)

4. Tomy Drissi (90)

5. Humaid Masaood (84)

2. Kaylee Bryson (86)

3. Danny Lowry (79)

4. Mustafa Bakir (73)

2. Lee Saunders (65)

3. Patrick Utt (60)

2. Mike Fitzpatrick (65)

Complete Standings: View

Toyota Camry Comes to TA2

This weekend will see the debut of a new manufacturer in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series: Toyota. For the past several months, TRD has worked closely with Five Star RaceCar Bodies and Trans Am officials on the design, development and production of the Toyota Camry. The culmination of their hard work will be showcased this weekend, where two Toyota Camrys are set to compete. Toyota Development Driver Tyler Gonzalez will pilot the No. 10 Mobil 1 Camry for Nitro Motorsports, while Sebring winner Thomas Annunziata will debut a GR livery on his No. 90 Nitro Motorsports Camry.

Both Toyota drivers have been busy since the Sebring season opener. Gonzalez won the MX-5 Cup race at St. Petersburg, while Annunziata made a NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Circuit of The Americas with Cope Family Racing in partnership with Nitro Motorsports team owner Nick Tucker.

Jordan Menzin Joins Silver Hare

Silver Hare Racing announced this week that it has signed Jordan Menzin to a part-time schedule in the Pro/Am Challenge this season. Menzin is an accomplished competitor in the World Racing League’s Supra GT4, as well as driving LMP3s in IMSA’s VP Challenge. He made his Trans Am debut in the TA2 season opener at Sebring International Raceway. In his first start for Silver Hare this weekend, Menzin will pilot the No. 5 Silver Hare Racing/Waukegan Farms Chevrolet.

Rob Clifton Returns to TA2

This weekend will see the return of Rob Clifton to CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series competition. Clifton made his debut at Road Atlanta in 2023 and returns to pilot the No. 8 Team SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro. A native of Evans, Ga., Clifton is a former Auburn football player who was recently voted into the Georgia State House of Representatives for his first term during the November election. The second-generation racer has previously competed in Spec Formula Fords in SCCA.

Odrick Debuts New Racecar

Jared Odrick comes to Road Atlanta armed with a brand new M1 Racecars chassis this weekend. The Pro/Am Challenge contender recently took delivery of a new No. 00 Black Underwear Chevrolet Camaro, which will make its Trans Am debut this weekend. Odrick stretched the car’s legs at the SCCA Super Tour race at Road Atlanta earlier this month, winning both GT2 races from the pole.

Skeen to Compete Full Time in 2025

Another new M1 Racecars chassis hitting the track this weekend is the No. 2 Guthrie’s Garage Chevrolet Camaro, which will be driven by 2020 CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series champion Mike Skeen for the remainder of the season. Skeen has been tagged by team owner and TA2 competitor Jim Guthrie to take his seat for the remainder of the season while Guthrie recovers from a shoulder injury. After sitting on the pole with a record-breaking time and finishing second in the season opener at Sebring, Skeen is poised to battle for his second title this year. Skeen has four previous victories at Road Atlanta, including a doubleheader sweep in 2020. His most recent victory at the track came in 2022.

Gian Buffomante Hoping to Channel Father at Road Atlanta

Third-generation driver Gian Buffomante is hoping to channel his father, 2016 TA2 champion Tony Buffomante, this weekend when he gets behind the wheel of his No. 95 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang. The elder Buffomante has two victories at Road Atlanta, standing atop the podium in back-to-back seasons in 2016 and 2017. Gian, who has Tony in his ear when he spots for him on race weekends, considers his father to be his racing hero.

Lovell & Boes Earn Podiums on West Coast

Mia Lovell (No. 40 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) and Barry Boes (No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) competed in the Western Championship season opener last weekend at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, with both finding success with podiums at the California track. Lovell finished second and Boes finished third in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series.

Pro/Am Drivers With Past Road Atlanta Success

There are a few Pro/Am Challenge drivers in this weekend’s race who have found success at Road Atlanta in other disciplines of racing.

Cale Phillips (No. 99 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) has several NASA wins at the track between 2018 and 2020.

Matt Griffin (No. 67 Griffin Concrete Construction Chevrolet Camaro) has won at the track in SCCA. Griffin was the 2024 SCCA SeDIV SARRC champion, as well as the 2024 SCCA CFR GT1 champion.

2. Mike Skeen (103)

3. Austin Green (93)

4. Adrian Wlostowski (88)

5. Noah Harmon (84)

2. Barry Boes (105)

3. Jared Odrick (93)

4. Cale Phillips (90)

5. Tom Sheehan (84)

2. Austin Green (93)

3. Noah Harmon (84)

4. Boris Said Jr. (80)

5. Tristan McKee (77)

2. Tristan McKee (77)

3. Carson Brown (72)

4. Sam Corry (68)

5. Julian DaCosta (64)