PT Autosport’s Hollingshead applies early lessons ahead of GR Cup weekend

The series rookie looks to rebound from a roller coaster opening pair of races at Sonoma

MILLVILLE, NJ (April 22, 2025) – PT Autosport with Copeland Motorsports rookie Zach Hollingshead had a solid start to the 2025 season, scoring a top eight finish in the first race at Sonoma Raceway last month.

But race two saw Hollingshead make several uncharacteristic mistakes in the rain, finishing at the back of the field. The ensuing weeks have provided the 22-year-old Florida native an opportunity to dig deep and make a few course corrections – something he feels will serve him well as the season continues.

“I’m very critical about my driving and my own performance, so that second race at Sonoma was certainly a step backwards,” said Hollingshead. “I did a few things that I don’t usually do so it was disappointing. I went over the video multiple times with the Copeland/PT team, and I could see points at which I was getting frustrated, getting too much into my own head. That’s not something I’ve done in the past, but I think that now that it’s happened, it kind of needed to happen at this point in my career. I can learn from it and hopefully fix those mistakes.

“I feel as though the COTA weekend is about redemption, about making up for that last race,” continued Hollingshead. “But this year is really all about learning – learning the series, the team, the car. So I know I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. Whether you have a good day or a bad day, you have to be able to just put that behind you, no matter what emotions you’re feeling or what pressure you’re facing and just perform again.”

Hollingshead worked with the Copeland team for much of last year alongside his father Ricky, a longtime team mechanic. He learned about the car from the inside out and had the chance to observe every track, but other than VIRginia International Raceway later in the season, each track will be new for him to race on. Luckily, he has had timely assistance from someone who knows these tracks well and has experienced a good deal of success – Copeland’s 2024 GR Cup season champion, Gresham Wagner.

“I’ve never been to COTA but thankfully, Gresham Wagner (who won race one at COTA last year) sent us video from last year, with a voiceover of some tips,” said Hollingshead. “The video had plenty of information about the track – and that’s been the biggest help as I get ready. But this is something I’ve gotten used to, going to new tracks that pose new challenges, so I’ll be ready for that first test day.”

PT Autosport team principal Jason Myers also knows the challenges that COTA can present – especially for a young driver.

“We’re really excited to see Zach back in the No. 88 GR Cup car for COTA,” said Myers. “This can be a bit of a challenging course for someone who’s never driven it before so I’m looking forward to seeing how he deals with all the different scenarios the track can throw at a driver. Thankful to our partners Momentum Brewery, STEM Racing USA & Canada and NJMP for continuing to support the program!”

The Toyota GR Cup series will contest two 45-minute races at COTA: race one will take the green flag Saturday at 4:55 p.m. ET, with race two Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Both races will be broadcast live at www.grcup.com.