{"id":1426,"date":"2019-08-22T21:02:08","date_gmt":"2019-08-23T01:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/?p=1426"},"modified":"2023-05-04T13:50:01","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T17:50:01","slug":"trans-am-a-popular-choice-for-up-and-coming-nascar-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/2019\/08\/22\/trans-am-a-popular-choice-for-up-and-coming-nascar-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"Trans Am a Popular Choice for Up and Coming NASCAR Talent"},"content":{"rendered":"

PLYMOUTH, Wisc. (22 August 2019) With a stable Trans Am presented by Pirelli rules package that delivers close racing, powerful machines that skip the driver aids and put the racing in the drivers hands, and a schedule that includes some of the most iconic race tracks on the continent, the TA2 powered by AEM class has become a popular choice for up-and-coming\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0talent.<\/p>\n

Combining the prowess of a purpose-built racing platform, relevant manufacturer power plants, and a rules package that focuses on excellent cost containment, the TA2 class represents an outstanding value platform in racing. With engines capable of lasting an entire season and cost control measures that allow drivers to fully focus on racing, not the financing of it, while showcasing their talents and skill.<\/p>\n

Another force driving young talent to TA2 is Mike Cope Race Cars. This season Mike Cope Race Cars partnered with championship-winning\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0team Joe Gibbs Racing. In the last event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the Florida-based team fielded a stable of cars which included four\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0Xfinity Series JGR drivers behind the wheel.<\/p>\n

The Trans Am event at Mid-Ohio was proof positive of this, as\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0Xfnity drivers Ty Gibbs (No. 26 Mike Cope Race Cars), Christopher Bell (No. 34 Mike Cope Race Cars),\u00a0 Riley Herbst (No. 28 Mike Cope Race Cars) and Haley (No. 99 Mike Cope Race Cars),\u00a0all pulled double duty at Mid-Ohio, using Trans Am for additional preparation for the B&L Transport 170\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0race.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of driver training and driver coaching,\u201d said team owner Mike Cope. \u201cWe have a lot of young drivers looking for a place to hone their road racing skills as they move up the\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0ladder, and they\u2019ve chosen the Trans Am Series TA2 division to do it in. We\u2019ve aligned ourselves with Joe Gibbs Racing and we are doing some good stuff with Ty Gibbs. The cost controlled approach of the TA2 class and the competition among the field is very attractive to these drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASCAR\u00a0K&N Pro Series East points leader Sam Mayer made his Trans Am debut earlier this season at Road Atlanta under the SLR\/Fields Race banner where he qualified 12th in a very competitive 28-car field. The 15-year-old Midwesterner is a key member of Team Chevy\u2019s Driver\u2019s Edge Development program and made select starts in the ARCA Menards and\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0Gander Outdoors Truck series this season.<\/p>\n

In effort to accelerate his career,\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0K&N Pro Series driver Derek Kraus\u00a0joined the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli West Coast Championship TA2 roster at Sonoma International Raceway, winning his debut race after qualifying on pole with Shockwave Motorsports.<\/p>\n

Another racer who pushed his development forward with his Trans Am outings was Justin Haley, who polished his road racing skills in the TA2 powered by AEM class with outings in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. Haley claimed his maiden Monster Energy\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway earlier this season.<\/p>\n

The roster for this weekend\u2019s Ryan Companies Road America Classic is also shaping up to have several NXS drivers join the TA2 field. Bell and Haley will return with Mike Cope Race Cars. In addition, the team added JGR\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0Xfinity driver Brandon Jones for the weekend.\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver Natalie Decker will return to the Tony Ave tent, competing in the TA class.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe firmly believe that the TA2 powered by AEM class is not only a tremendous value for the competitors, but it is also an outstanding platform from the competition side,\u201d said Trans Am President John Clagett. \u201cWe\u2019ve attracted a lot of different kinds of racers to this class, and it is a testament to the structure of the class that some of the next guard of\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0racers are coming here as part of their development.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the TA2 regulars like points championship leader Marc Miller,\u00a0the addition of rising\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0talents entering the class only adds to competition. Miller showed his unwavering talents at Mid-Ohio, topping the results to beat the four\u00a0NASCARXfinity drivers entered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe TA2 class is one of the most competitive and challenging in the country, said Miller. \u201cWe have a great mix of very quick young rising stars and pro drivers and at several races each season another crop of young drivers being groomed as future\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0champions jump into the fray. It makes the series always feel fresh and challenges us regulars to be pacesetters and not followers. I love the challenges this class brings!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ryan Companies Muscle Car Challenge for the TA2 powered by AEM class \u2013 part of the\u00a0NASCAR\u00a0Xfinity Series event at Road America \u2013 takes the green flag Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Central.<\/p>\n

For live timing and scoring, event photos and post-race recap videos visit\u00a0GoTransAm.com<\/a>. For live race updates follow @GoTransAm on Twitter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
NASCAR\u00a0Driver<\/strong><\/td>\nTrans Am Class Year<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ty Dillon<\/td>\n2014<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Justin Haley<\/td>\n2015, 2016, 2018, 2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Scott Heckert<\/td>\n2015, 2018<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Joey McColm<\/td>\n2015<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Matt Tifft<\/td>\n2017, 2018<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sheldon Creed<\/td>\n2017<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Josh Bilicki<\/td>\n2017<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chase Briscoe<\/td>\n2018<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tyler Reddick<\/td>\n2018<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Christopher Bell<\/td>\n2018, 2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ty Majeski<\/td>\n2018<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lawless Alan<\/td>\n2018, 2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brandon Jones<\/td>\n2018<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Sam Mayer<\/td>\n2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Derek Kraus<\/td>\n2019 West<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ty Gibbs<\/td>\n2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Riley Herbst<\/td>\n2019<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PLYMOUTH, Wisc. (22 August 2019) With a stable Trans Am presented by Pirelli rules package that delivers close racing, powerful machines that skip the driver aids [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1427,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1426"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1428,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1426\/revisions\/1428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sundaymanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}