Sheehan and LTK Insulation Technologies Mike Cope Racing’s Gateway Race Curtailed Early
September 25, 2023
Madison, ILLINOIS – September 25, 2023 – As the 2023 Big Machine Spiked Coolers TA2 season winds down, Tom Sheehan sought for maximum points at the new Trans Am venue near St. Louis.
Following a frustrating outing at Watkins Glen, Tom hoped for a promising day at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Round 11 of the season offered the unique opportunity for the TA2 cars to race with their TA counterparts.
Despite Gateway being new to the TA2 field, Tom approached this race weekend with optimism. Like an HVAC professional counting on LTK’s products to deliver consistency and organization, Tom hoped for the same on track.
“The Ironman” chipped away adapting to the new layout, placing P20 on the speed charts. He qualified P23 overall, good enough for P20 in the TA2 class.
In the opening laps, Tom ran P21 in his No. 97 LTK Insulation Technologies Mike Cope Racing Ford Mustang. A patient, coolheaded approach seemed to be in the offing in the 63-lap race.
Despite clicking times comparable to those inside P20, Tom encountered right front tire failure on Lap 5. The issue heavily damaged the right side of his car, effectively ending his race.
Afterwards, Tom spoke to our race reporter about his efforts at Gateway.
"The team worked extra hard. The Mike Cope Racing crew kept digging. We felt pretty good about the direction we had taken for the cars, it’s a tough place and tire wear was sure to be a factor. It’s a shame we really didn’t get an opportunity to showcase what the 97 LTK Mustang had. The tire was there and then it wasn’t, bad luck. It blew out in a bad spot we just road it up into the wall, short day at the office."
He continued, "I was back in street clothes pretty quick. I had a great time watching Thomas take a calculated approach to a great result. Thomas worked smart and got a 4th place finish. I was extremely happy for the team it’s what we needed to do. I am proud of the way the team delivered."
Although it was a trying result for Tom, his next opportunity to score maximum points is at VIRginia International Raceway. The 3.27-mile, 17-turn road course in Alton, Virginia offers distinct challenges for drivers.
“The Climbing Esses” in Turns 7 through 9 and “Oak Tree” in Turn 11 provide some complexity to drivers. “Roller Coaster” in Turn 14 harkens to the “Corkscrew” in Laguna Seca, a daring passing opportunity.
In 11 prior starts, Tom’s best start is P4 while his best result is P3, both achieved in 2013. With six top 10 results, making VIRginia International Raceway a promising venue to turn Tom’s season around.
Round 12 of the 2023 TA2 season starts on Friday, Oct. 6, with two test sessions. A late morning practice session along with group qualifying sessions comprise on track activities on Saturday, Oct. 7. On Sunday, Oct. 8, Tom and his peers race for 30 laps or 75 minutes.
The penultimate race of the season goes green flag racing around 1:25 p.m. ET, the sole on-track event for TA2 in October.
This year, Trans Am races are available for live streaming on Trans Am and SpeedTour's YouTube channels, with full playbacks immediately available after the race. Additionally, the races can be seen in edited, 60-minute features broadcasted on MAVTV's Thursday night primetime slot at 8 p.m. ET.
Follow Tom’s social media channels via his Facebook page, Damon Racing, Instagram account (@TomSheehanTA97), and X account (@TomTA2_97). For more information on LTK Insulation Technologies and the line of high-quality products, please visit https://ltkinsulationtechnologies.com.
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