10 Days of Champions - Paul Menard: TA National Championship
December 24, 2024
Paul Menard was the unexpected superstar of the 2024 season, capturing six victories en route to winning his first Trans Am TA class championship. The title didn’t come easy, as he was competing against three-time champion Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang), the series’ first female champion and two-time title winner Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette) and 2009 champion Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Drissi Motorsports/Lucas/Mission/Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro). However, the 44-year-old driver showed that he had the drive to compete and the equipment to dominate.
The respected motorsports veteran has been competing in professional racing series since the early 2000s, making nearly 700 starts in NASCAR’s top-three series alone. While Menard competed part time in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli in 2002 and 2003, it wasn’t until after his final NASCAR starts in 2021 that the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native drove to Victory Lane in the series, capturing his first win in 2022 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. Menard made two starts in Trans Am in 2023, and then kicked off the 2024 season behind the wheel of the No. 3 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang, driving for Trans Am legend Paul Gentilozzi’s 3GT Racing.
Menard immediately piloted his way to GYM WEED Winners Circle, taking the checkered flag at the season-opener at Sebring International Raceway.
“It’s pretty awesome; the deal to race this year came together fairly quickly with Paul Gentilozzi and 3GT Racing,” said Menard on the podium. “We started talking over the winter and decided, ‘Let's go racing.’ He wanted to do it, I wanted to do it, and we had some support from Menards and Masterforce. It’s great to be back in a Ford Mustang. I've had a great relationship with them through the years and the motor is so smooth. It's a smooth engine, built for road racing. The car was just fast all weekend, we hardly put a tire wrong in it. I’m hoping to do the whole season and give [Chris] Dyson a run for his money.”
A power failure at Road Atlanta resulted in an eighth-place finish, but Menard returned to the podium in Round 3 at NOLA Motorsports Park with a second-place result. At Lime Rock Park, Menard captured another checkered flag, kicking off a three-race winning streak that also included victories at Pittsburgh International Race Complex and a rainy Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“This is a great track; it's a bucket list track for me,” said Menard of his Memorial Day victory at Lime Rock. “I am just in awe of the fans here, the crowd. I've always heard the Lime Rock crowd was the best. There's some great road courses in America that we get to go to because of the veterans and our military, who keep us safe. First and foremost, we get to do this and have fun, but we don't do this without them.”
Menard finished second at both Road America and Watkins Glen before driving to the win in the series’ trip north of the border to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
“We had a fast car all weekend,” said Menard on the podium. “This track is all out. It takes a lot of commitment. Our guys worked really hard getting the car comfortable going through Turn 2 and Turn 4. Chris [Dyson] and I, we're just so close on speed. Last week, this week, it's like whoever's in front has the advantage. These cars make a lot of downforce, so clean air is a big advantage. And we just got to run.”
Despite having five wins, the points race was still tight between Menard and Dyson, but a victory by Menard and a broken shock absorber for Dyson in the penultimate race at VIRginia International Raceway all but cemented Menard’s title.
“We had a great race,” said Menard in GYM WEED Winners Circle. “I hate that Chris [Dyson] had his issues. We got a good launch at the start. Chris is notorious for low air pressure, kind of sluggish starts at the beginning, but then he comes on hard at the end, so I was trying to build a gap to conserve the lead for when the tires fall off. These guys built the car twice this weekend. We just had a couple of little gremlins, and they fixed it for qualifying. The car went from uncomfortable to OK to ‘now we can go race’ after qualifying. It was really solid all day. We played with the sway bars just to try stuff, but really didn't have to adjust the car at all from the inside. I can rest a little bit easier going into COTA now with points, but we're still going to COTA to win.”
Although he did not win at Circuit of The Americas, a sixth-place finish was still enough for Menard to bring home his first-career title.
“You know, I grew up in the 80s and 90s, watching INDYCAR, watching Formula 1 and obviously NASCAR, but Trans Am, the TA cars, those guys put on the best racing. It’s just an honor to be a Trans Am champion. For me, it's being in the same breath as Parnelli Jones, Mark Donahue, Wally Dallenbach, Tommy Kendall, and Paul Gentilozzi. From the 60s to the current time, there's been a champion every single year. I'm just one of many, but still one of the few.”
Menard also sung the praises of his team, as well as his team owner, the winningest driver in the history of Trans Am.
“3GT Racing has become like a family to me. You know, Paul Gentilozzi called me up at the end of September last year and said, ‘I want you to run my car a little bit.’ So, we went to Sebring and we won that race, and we just kind of kept at it. It’s just unbelievable to be a Trans Am champion.”
He also reflected on his enjoyment of running Trans Am and being able to bring his wife and children to the racetrack.
“This series is unbelievable. It’s very family oriented. There’s kids running around having fun together. You know, Chris [Dyson]'s kids are here all the time, Tommy [Drissi]'s kids, Gary Selix's son and my son were playing video games yesterday. Just a family-oriented series, a lot of fun to be a part of.”
