2019 Rookie-of-the-Year
November 27, 2019
Daytona Beach, Fla.– Lawless Alan driving the AUTOParkit Racing Ford Mustang finished off the 2019 Trans Am season by being crowned Rookie-of-the-Year at Daytona International Speedway. Alan’s strong finish in the final round of Trans Am presented by Pirelli’s TA2 category solidified his top five finish in the overall championship and provided a glimpse of what the young driver from Los Angeles is capable of.
Alan said, “Winning Rookie-of-the-Year was huge for me. We knew the TA2 field was going to be extremely strong and I would need to grow as a driver to be competitive. Winning Rookie-of-the-Year and finishing in the top five in our first ever season of road racing shows how far we’ve come as a team.”
“Overall the weekend at Daytona went really well,” Alan said. “The whole year I’ve been looking forward to Daytona. It’s fast, challenging, and daunting to drive on the edge, all things I love in a track.
“Daytona had a stacked field and getting a tow made all the difference in your lap time,” he said. “Traffic was particularly difficult during qualifying. I only got one clean lap but, it was good enough for sixth. My qualifying time put us ahead of several of the top drivers and teams, so I was pretty satisfied.”
The race was elbows out from the start, and as the leaders shuffled, Alan moved up to fourth before having a plug wire come off. A quick stop on pit road solved the issue, but dropped Alan to last in the running order.
“After my spark plug wire was fixed, a safety car came out and bunched up the field giving me a chance to get back to the front. On the restart I was able to make up a few positions and then use the draft to work my way back though the field. Using the draft on the back stretch I was able to make a big move going into the bus stop. I got to the inside and went by three cars but when I got into the bus stop a slow car made me rush my downshift which locked up my tires and spun me through the grass.”
After his spin two additional cautions gave Alan the opportunity to work his way back through the pack again. Alan used the restarts and the draft to his advantage and moved through the field finishing fourth in the final results.
“It was a really fun race, “Alan said. “Our car was really good in the infield and in the draft. Having to fight my way through the field from the back was unfortunate but awesome at the same time. There is nothing better than passing other cars and I had to pass them all not once but twice!”
“I have to thank the entire AUTOParkit Racing team for their hard work. It was a hard-fought season — there are a lot of great teams and drivers in TA2. I’m really proud of what we accomplished and being named Rookie-of-the-Year. I’m also excited about what we can do in the future. I’m looking forward to winning races next season and competing for the championship.”
About AUTOParkIt Racing
Based in Los Angeles California AUTOParkit Racing is a division of Dasher Lawless Automation whose specialization is automated parking structures. AUTOParkIt Racing goal is to expand the awareness of the company’s automated parking solution for high density residence, commercial, and civil applications. See www.dasherlawless.com
