2022 Track to the Title: Billy Griffin Earns Second GT Championship
December 23, 2022
After earning the GT championship in 2020, Billy Griffin took his No. 14 Griffin Auto Care/Sheehan’s Towing Ford Mustang to the SGT class and ran a minimal schedule in 2021. Griffin returned to GT in 2022, securing his second title in the series with a full-throttle effort. Winning more than half of the events he entered this year, the self-funded Griffin handily racked up the points he needed for the championship.
Griffin kicked off his season with a victory at Sebring International Raceway, finishing first in class with an impressive 10th-place overall finish.
“I had a really good race and a great weekend here at Sebring,” said Griffin. “I love coming to Trans Am; this is my home.”
He followed up his victory with a second-place finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, then once again found himself on the top of the podium at Road Atlanta.
“I’m really proud of the way this car ran today,” said GT winner Billy Griffin. “I had a great run; I feel like I want to do another 100 miles. If there was enough fuel, I would. My car just got better and better over the course of the race. This was the best race I’ve had in a long time. I really felt comfortable, and it was wonderful. I hope I never have to stop doing this.”
Griffin next headed to Lime Rock Park, where he earned yet another victory.
“This is my first time here, and it’s such a beautiful place,” said Griffin. “The car was hooked up pretty good. I’d like to thank my crew, my wife, my family. The car was awesome, the competition was awesome, and I had a lot of fun racing against everybody. It took a long time to get around them, but I was patient, put my head down, and made it work.”
Griffin earned his final win of the season at VIRginia International Raceway, fighting his way through a wild race, with many cars around him experiencing mechanical issues and suffering on-track incidents.
“It was a good race,” said Griffin. “There was obviously a lot of attrition out there, I’m not sure how many people actually finished the race. I had a lot of fun and I really love this place; it’s beautiful.”
The West Palm Beach, Florida-native wrapped up his season with an impressive second-place finish in a deep field at Circuit of The Americas.
“Winning the championship means everything to me,” said Griffin. “I love racing in Trans Am and this is my second championship now. The last couple of races this season have been rough for me. It’s been harder and harder; I’m self-funded, so business hasn’t been the same, but we really managed to make it happen. My team has been great, my family has been very supportive. The car has been running great. We keep getting faster. We’ve done lots of practicing and have had some awesome competition.”
