15-YEAR-OLD WILL COX MAKES IMPRESSIVE DEBUT

This weekend, Team M1 Racecars raced at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas for the Trans Am TA2 race. M1 Racecars/TeamSLR and Fields Racing fielded two cars with Scott Lagasse Jr. in the No. 92 Chevrolet Camaro and rookie William Cox III in the No. 96 SOKAL/JDRF Camaro. This was Cox’s first career start in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. The young driver has turned heads in every series he has competed in and Trans Am Series was no different.

When William began racing at the age of 12, he thought it would just be a hobby, but it quickly became his passion. He would spend many hours at the go-kart track. William has raced legends cars, late model stock cars, Formula 4, Mazda Miatas, and now Trans Am TA2. 

Will was impressive in his first laps in the car and throughout practice, ending up 10^th overall. In qualifying, Will found himself held up in traffic and had to settle for a fast lap of 2:16:44, which was 12^th quick in the 28-car field.

Will quickly jumped into the top-10 as soon as the green flag waved on Sunday. Running 9^th, Will chased down the 8^th place competitor and was planning his move when the caution flag flew, which led to a red flag stop for all cars on pit lane. Unfortunately, Will’s strong finish was negated as the car failed to restart initially and he lost several laps before re-entering the race and finished 21^st.

“William is a very impressive young racer. We were all quite shocked at how quickly he acclimated to the car and track which were both new to him. He showed that he has the capabilities to be very successful in his racing career. Will applies everything he learns from the simulator, the on-board data, on-board video footage and driver coaching. That is all you can ask of a young driver," said Scott Lagasse Sr., TeamSLR President. "I am really amazed at how good Will is at such a young age and we look forward to having him back in the car soon. Will should be very proud as he had a very successful weekend even though the finish results don’t reflect it." 

“I enjoyed making my first career start in Trans Am at such a cool track. I cannot thank TeamSLR/M1 Racecars enough for the opportunity to show off my road racing capabilities. I learned a lot and I'm excited to get back behind the wheel this car again soon,” said William Cox.

Scott Jr.’s weekend was eventful. After qualifying 7^th on Saturday, the No. 92 M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro started at the tail end of the field. When the green flag flew at the start of the race, Scott Jr. set his sights on the leaders, and began making a charge toward the front. After 3 laps of racing, Lagasse found himself inside the top-10, but he did not stop there. He continued to move forward. By lap 10, he took over the 4^th position, and would not relinquish it for the rest of the shortened race. 

For his impressive driving, and race to the front, Scott Jr. was presented the Cool Shirt Award. 

“Having to start at the back was not ideal, but I knew we had a fast car to get to the front. Overall, our M1 Racecars team did well. It is unfortunate about Will’s mechanical issue, because he deserved a lot better result. He worked extremely hard this weekend on being the best driver he could be in this new style of car. I was really impressed with his devotion, and his ability to apply the things we talked about after each session,” said Scott Lagasse Jr.

M1 Racecars is one of three approved chassis builders for the TA2 series. M1 Racecars has established a solid reputation for being a top performing car with a strong safety record. M1 Racecars provides cars at any level of completion, technical support as well as support from Factory driver Scott Lagasse Jr. and his data for comparison evaluation to aid M1 drivers in reaching their potential. We are consistently building cars for new customers, taking orders and currently selecting drivers for the 2021 season. For more information please email: abarnett@teamslr.com. 

The next race for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli will be November 19-22, 2020 at Road Atlanta.

Social Media:

Will Cox III Website

Will Cox III Facebook

Will Cox III Instagram

TeamSLR Website

Scott Lagasse Jr. Facebook

Scott Lagasse Jr. Twitter

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