Trans Am heads for Mid-Ohio for Round Six

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli returns to action this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for Round 6 of the 12-round 2025 season. The Trans Am Series has been racing at the Lexington, Ohio facility since 1967, with competitors taking the checkered flag 50 times in 58 years. The first event was won by Jerry Titus, who was also the fastest qualifier in that event.

This weekend will see nearly 50 competitors take the green flag between the TA/XGT/SGT/GT/GT1 classes and the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series. The facility has seen a number of improvements since Trans Am last visited Ohio, including an extensive update around Turn 4 and the replacement of safety barriers and fencing in multiple places around the track.

Tickets to the event can be purchased at SpeedTour.net, and kids under 12 get in free.

Making Wishes Come True at Lime Rock

The Trans Am Series will welcome nine-year-old Gideon and his family from the Make-A-Wish Foundation to Mid-Ohio Sport Car Course as a guest of CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series driver Bob Accardo (No. 39 Guthrie’s Garage/Race Marketing USA Ford Mustang) and Guthrie’s Garage.

Called Gio by those closest to him, his life changed forever just three days after his seventh birthday when he experienced his first seizure. What followed were nearly two years of hospitalizations, emergency rooms, and endless tests, until his family finally received the diagnosis: Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS), a rare, life-threatening form of epilepsy that resists nearly every form of treatment. His seizures are unpredictable, relentless, and cruel, and because of them, Gio has lost the ability to do so many things other children take for granted. In searching for answers, doctors discovered two additional genetic disorders: NF1 and KIF4A-related syndrome. These have contributed to his epilepsy, as well as intellectual disability, autism, and many other lifelong challenges. Yet, through all of it, Gio remains a light.

Past Winners at Mid-Ohio

There are 10 drivers on this weekend’s entry list who have driven to GYM WEED Winners Circle in the Trans Am Series at Mid-Ohio. CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series driver Rafa Matos has the most victories at the track of anyone entered this weekend, tallying three wins.

TA

Paul Menard, No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang: 2024

Wally Dallenbach, No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang: 2023 (TAH), 1985

Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang: 2023, 2021

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

SGT

Milton Grant, No. 15 Sentry Self Storage/Springhill Suites Porsche 992: 2022

GT

Todd Napieralski, No. 39 Synergy Composites Howe HR6: 2013

Chris Coffey, No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GT4: 2023

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series

Thomas Merrill, No. 26 HP Tuners/Franklin Road/Cope Chevrolet Camaro: 2022, 2020

Rafa Matos, No. 57 Concord American Flagpole/SHR Chevrolet Camaro: 2023, 2021, 2018

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge

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

Ohio Buckeyes

There are five drivers in this weekend’s field from the state of Ohio, all of whom will be competing in Saturday’s TA/GT race. Newcomer Ray Mason will be closest to home, hailing from nearby Columbus.

TA

Aaron Quine, No. 2 Weaver Concepts/Mobil 1 Dodge Challenger (Wadsworth)

Amy Ruman, No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Chevrolet Corvette (Stow)

David Pintaric, No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang (Canfield)

XGT

Austin Hill, No. 0 Ferris Mower/Aluma Trailers Chevrolet Corvette (Frankfort)

SGT

Ray Mason, No. 82 Alliance Autosport/Howe Ford Mustang (Columbus)

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.

Wally Dallenbach Jr.’s Last Ride

This weekend’s race at Mid-Ohio will be the final start for Trans Am Hall of Fame inductee Wally Dallenbach Jr., piloting the No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang for team owner John Cloud, who will also participate in his final event this weekend. Known for his exceptional driving skills and charismatic personality, Dallenbach Jr. made an impression in his first full-time season, earning the 1984 Rookie of the Year honors. Impressing legendary team owner (and fellow Hall of Fame inductee) Jack Roush and the Ford Motor Company, Dallenbach Jr. was brought into the Roush Protofab stable in 1985, where he captured five victories and the championship, edging out teammate Willy T. Ribbs. At 22 years old, he became what was then the youngest-ever Trans Am champion. He followed that up with another title the following season, winning the championship by a huge margin while racing a Chevrolet Camaro.

Dallenbach Jr. earned his first and only TA class victory at Mid-Ohio in 1985, the season he captured his first title. He attempts to take the checkered flag 40 years later in his final event at the track. He has one other victory at Mid-Ohio in TAH in 2023.

100 Starts for Adam Andretti

Adam Andretti (No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro) will hit a tremendous milestone when he takes the green flag at Mid-Ohio this weekend, tallying what will be his 100th start in the Trans Am Series. Andretti made his Trans Am debut in 2013, starting off in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series in the No. 44 Engineered Components Camaro for ECC Motorsports. He scored his first-career wins in TA2 in 2014, scoring victories at Road Atlanta, Mid-Ohio and VIRginia International Raceway that year. Andretti made his first start in the TA class in 2015, and his first win in the class came in 2019 at Circuit of The Americas driving the No. 44 Anchor Bolt & Screw/SRI Performance/ECC Dodge Challenger. In total, Andretti has eight-career wins (two in TA, five in TA2 and one in TAH), with the most recent coming at Road Atlanta in 2024 in the TA class. Andretti is the 21st driver to reach 100 starts in the series.

Ohioan Ruman Looking for Home Track Win

Two-time TA champion and Trans Am Hall of Fame inductee Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette) and her family-owned Ruman Racing team will be coming home this weekend at Mid-Ohio, which is located less than 90 miles from her hometown of Stow, Ohio. Currently fourth in the point standings, Ruman has made 14 starts at her home track, but has never made it to the top step of the podium at Mid-Ohio, earning a best finish of second at the facility in 2012.

Menard Hoping for Back-To-Back Victories

Fresh off his win at Lime Rock Park, Paul Menard (No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang) heads to Mid-Ohio to defend his 2024 victory in the rain at the Ohio track. Menard continues to lead the point standings in the TA class, holding a 20-point advantage over second-place Adam Andretti. Although he already knows what it takes to stand on the top step of the podium at Mid-Ohio, if he needs advice, he need look no further than 3GT Racing team owner and Trans Am Hall of Fame inductee Paul Gentilozzi, who scored victories at the track in 1998, 1999 and 2001.

Drissi Fast at Mid-Ohio

Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro) comes into Mid-Ohio third in the TA point standings and with a lot of past speed at the Midwest track. Drissi earned a podium last year, finishing third, and has a best Trans Am finish of second, which he achieved in 2021. The Californian has been the fastest qualifier at Mid-Ohio several times, including three consecutive poles from 2013-2015, and most recently in 2021. Drissi has stood on the top step of the podium at the track once, earning an American Le Mans Series LMPC win at Mid-Ohio in 2011 alongside Kyle Marcelli.

Welcome Back Aaron Quine

For the first time since 2019, Aaron Quine returns to the Trans Am Series to make his debut in the TA class. Quine previously made 11 starts in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series between 2014 and 2019, earning a best finish of fifth at Mid-Ohio in 2014. The Wadsworth, Ohio native will pilot the No. 2 Weaver Concepts/Mobil 1 Dodge Challenger for Pancho Weaver. Quine is quite familiar with his home track, previously serving as an instructor at the facility. He also has one NASCAR Xfinity Series start at the track in 2019. Quine will be doing double duty this weekend, also racing in Jim Heck’s 1964 Corvette in SVRA’s Group 6.

Local Austin Hill Returns

Austin Hill returns to the Trans Am Series for the first time since his debut in 2023 to compete at his home track in the No. 0 Ferris Mower/Aluma Trailers Chevrolet Corvette in the XGT class. A native of Frankfort, Ohio, Hill has had great success in the Atlantic Championship Series, scoring three consecutive titles and becoming the youngest SCCA Pro Formula Atlantic Champion at the age of 14. Now 18 years old, Hill works at Brookside Church Food Pantry in Chillicothe, Ohio when he isn’t racing or in school.

A New Face in SGT

This weekend will see the Trans Am debut of Ray Mason, who will pilot the No. 82 Alliance Autosport/Howe Ford Mustang in the SGT class. Mason’s driving career has spanned five and a half decades, as he purchased his first racecar, a Lola T200 series Formula Ford, from Carl Haas in 1970. His Pro career includes all the major road racing series, including Grand Am, IMSA, World Challenge, and three Daytona 24 Hour races, competing for teams such as Rennsport, Compass, Conley and Rehagen. Mason runs with Alliance Autosport out of Columbus, Ohio, and campaigns a TA2 Howe chassis Mustang in GT2 in SCCA.

Howe HR6 Makes Trans Am Debut

This weekend’s race at Mid-Ohio will mark the Trans Am debut of the Howe HR6 road course car. Announced at the Performance Racing Industry show in December, the new 2,600-pound, 400-horsepower V6 racecar is a collaboration between Howe Racing Enterprises and Turn Key Motorsports. Three drivers will pilot the new machine in the GT class this weekend: Rich Rinke (No. 11 Xineering Howe HR6), Jack Rinke (No. 12 Sadev Howe HR6) and Todd Napieralski (No. 39 Synergy Composites Howe HR6). Napieralski knows what it takes to win at Mid-Ohio, earning the victory in 2013 in what was then called the TA3-A class.

TA2: Tristan McKee Takes Points Lead

After securing his third-straight podium at Lime Rock Park last month, 14-year-old Tristan McKee (No. 28 Spire/Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) has taken the lead in the championship standings for the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series. With 448 points, he holds a six-point advantage over second-place Thomas Annunziata (No. 90 Gazoo Racing/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry), and also tops both the Rookie of the Year and Young Gun Award standings. Having only competed in seven points-paying Trans Am races in his career, the young rookie has only one finish outside the top five in points. With mentors like TeamSLR’s Scott Lagasse Jr., Scott Lagasse Sr. and Chevrolet Motorsports’ Josh Wise, Scott Speed and Lorin Ranier, the youngest driver in the series has the support to potentially find himself on the championship stage at the year-end awards gala.

Corry Finds Victory Lane

In just his fifth Pro race in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, Sam Corry (No. 70 Stilo Helmets/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry) found his way to GYM WEED Winners Circle in Trans Am’s most-recent outing at Lime Rock Park. In his first podium of the 2025 season, Corry led a 1-2 finish for Nitro Motorsports after a late-race battle with teammate Thomas Annunziata. The 17 year old from Cornelius, N.C. has been a quick study in Trans Am, winning the Pro/Am Challenge race in his series debut at Circuit of The Americas last November.

SCCA Success

A handful of drivers competing in this weekend’s event found recent success in the SCCA Super Tour event at Mid-Ohio last month, providing them with additional experience at the historic track. Pro/Am Challenge competitor Jared Odrick (No. 00 Black Underwear/CoolBoxx Chevrolet Camaro) won GT2 Race 2 at the recent event, while last year’s Pro/Am champion Barry Boes (No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) finished second in the race. Young Gun Gian Buffomante (No. 95 Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry) finished second in the Group 7 GE2 class’ Race 2 in the May event, and has previously won in the GT2 class in a past Super Tour race weekend at Mid-Ohio.

Annunziata’s Mid-Ohio Victories

Currently second in the point standings, Thomas Annunziata (No. 90 Gazoo Racing/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry) comes into the weekend with previous success at Mid-Ohio in other racing series. In the summer of 2022, Annunziata dominated a Mazda Motorsports weekend, capturing a pole and winning races in the Lucas Oil Formula cars and Spec MX-5 Challenge. Annunziata already has two TA2 victories this season (Sebring International Raceway and Road Atlanta), and with a podium finish at Lime Rock Park and a ninth-place finish at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he has only finished outside the top 10 once this year.

Matos vs. Merrill

The two drivers in Sunday’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series race who have tallied the most victories at Mid-Ohio are former champions Rafa Matos (No. 57 Concord American Flagpole/SHR Chevrolet Camaro) and Thomas Merrill (No. 26 HP Tuners/Franklin Road/Cope Chevrolet Camaro). Defending champion Matos has driven to GYM WEED Winners Circle three times at the Ohio track, in 2018, 2021 and, most recently, in 2023, whereas Merrill has two victories, recorded in 2020 and 2022. Even though Matos has the most recent win, Merrill has the most recent experience at Mid-Ohio, having competed on the circuit just one week ago in the IMSA Pilot Challenge. In that event, Merrill won the pole and shared his ride with Trans Am driver David Hampton, for whom he is a driver coach.