Gar Robinson Earns TA Pole in Return to Trans Am, Thomas Merrill Extends Championship Hopes with TA2 Pole

November 4, 2023

Will Rodgers, Brody Goble Fastest of Western Championship Competitors

AUSTIN, Texas (November 4, 2023) – Practice and qualifying are complete for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli season finale at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). 2015 and 2017 Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series champion Gar Robinson (No. 74 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro) captured the Motul Pole Award in his first start in the TA class with an impressive time of 2:04.993.  

“You know, it’s really just awesome,” said Robinson. “I mean, the list [of great things about this weekend] is so long. I’m not just here with the Riley guys, but in their new car, at my home track, with all my friends and family around me this weekend. I don't think I could name a better weekend. Some people ask if you can have too much dessert, and I don't think so. This is like our version of too much dessert. We're having a blast. Everyone's just having a great time, and being on the pole is just one of the jobs completed. I have to see how it goes tomorrow and see if we can complete the rest of the jobs.”

Thomas Merrill (No. 26 Bennett/HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang), who is attempting to come back from a 45-point deficit to win the championship, was the Motul Pole Award winner in the Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series, laying down a lap of 2:11.159. Merrill won the pole at the track last year on his way to capturing his first-career title, which was a Hollywood comeback from an even bigger points disadvantage.

“You know it's interesting, last year, we were really strong all the way through the weekend, but this year, we've had some struggles with some component failures and some issues through practice,” said Merrill. “So, it's a little bit of a come from behind story so far at this event, but I've got all the faith in the world. My guys always give me a good racecar. When it mattered, we had a really, really good Bennett/HP Tuners Mustang. I'm just so happy to be on the pole. You know, what happens tomorrow is largely out of our hands, but our focus is just simple: win the race and go from there.”

XGT’s Will Rodgers (No. 32 Chris Evans Race Cars & Design Ford Mustang) earned the overall pole for Western Championship competitors in TA/XGT/SGT/GT time trials, qualifying third overall with a time of 2:06.400. Rodgers has earned the pole in every Western Championship race he has competed in this year and has already clinched the West Coast’s XGT title.

“We’d love to be battling more XGT cars for the pole, but I think that will come in time as we keep debuting these Chris Evans rocket ships; these things are awesome,” said Rodgers. “You know, the big thing that we're trying to do is show their capabilities and what's possible in this series with equipment like this. To race against the TA guys and be keeping up with some of the fastest ones, and to be right on pace with Boris [Said] is really cool. It makes us feel good at Chris Evans Race Cars to know that we can compete. Hopefully tomorrow's a good race, but ultimately, I’m just thankful to be here and I’m looking forward to finishing off the season strong.”

Brody Goble (No. 69 Brown Bros. Ford/Cortex Racing Ford Mustang) was the quickest of Western Championship competitors in Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers Series, qualifying with a time of 2:13.048. Goble currently leads the TA2 standings for the Western Championship by 22 points.

“This weekend's been going really well,” said Goble. “It's a bit of a catch-22 here. Half of me is wanting to race against the National Championship guys and see how well we can do in our debut. It's our first weekend racing with the National Championship. But I also know that I have to be smart and do whatever it takes to make sure that we win the championship. We have a little bit of a lead, but definitely not enough of a lead to forget about it. We’ve got to focus on that. I'm really proud of our team. Brown Bros. Racing is just a privateer team, and we have lots of help here. But at the end of the day, it is a one-car team and a West Coast team, and we’re still putting this all together. I’m super proud to be 12th overall here and first in the West Coast. I’ve never raced here at COTA before, so I have limited track time to figure it out, but I’m having a blast doing it.”

TA Qualifying:
1. Gar Robinson, No. 74 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro (2:04.993)
2. Boris Said, No. 79 ECC/Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger (2:05.807)
3. Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang (2:07.439)
4. Tomy Drissi, No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang (2:07.750)

XGT Qualifying:
National Championship
1. Marc Austin, No. 11 1492 Cager Works/The Coat Lab/Snap-on Mercedes GT3 (2:07.929)
2. Danny Lowry, No. 43 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3 (2:11.844)
3. Ricky Sanders, No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett Family of Companies Audi R8 LMS (2:17.037)

Western Championship
1. Will Rodgers, No. 32 Chris Evans Race Cars & Design Ford Mustang (2:06:400)
2. Xuanqian Wang, No. 22 AURALIC Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO (2:08.941)
3. Michelle Nagai, No. 72 Nagai Racing/Berkeley Jet Drive Chevrolet Camaro (2:13.020)

SGT Qualifying:
National Championship
1. Richard Forsythe, No. 58 Sambuca Restaurant/GSpeed Chevrolet Corvette (2:19.219)
2. Milton Grant, No. 55 Springhill Suites/Sentry Self Storage Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup (2:20.667)

Western Championship
1. Rudy Revak, No. 7 Xyngular Pontiac Grand Prix (No Time)

GT Qualifying:

National Championship
1. Chris Coffey, No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GT4 (2:18.130)
2. Joey DaSilva, No. 67 Ave Motorsports Toyota Supra (2:19.447)
3. Todd Napieralski, No. 39 Chevrolet Performance/SKF/Turn Key Chevrolet Camaro (2:23.434)
4. Michael Attaway, No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8 (2:33.913)
5. Jack Rinke, No. 12 Chevrolet Performance/Turn Key Chevrolet Camaro (2:34.889)

Western Championship
1. JC Meynet, No. 28 Killer Shrimp Racing Chevrolet Corvette (2:22.867)
2. Kevin Michaels, No. 98 Killer Shrimp Restaurant Chevrolet Corvette (2:23.132)
3. David Hampton, No. 14 AR Motorsports Porsche Cayman GT4 CS (2:23.269)
4. Brandon Westenburg, No. 93 Esses Racing Audi R8 GT4 (2:23.779)
5. Larry Luck, No. 116 Luck Services BMW M3 (2:29.748)

Full TA/XGT/SGT/GT qualifying results can be found here.

Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series Qualifying Top Five:
National Championship
1. Thomas Merrill, No. 26 Bennett/HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang (2:11.159)
2. Nathan Herne, No. 29 CUBE 3/Berryman Ford Mustang (2:11.168)
3. Brent Crews, No. 70 Franklin Road/Mobil 1/Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (2:11.322)
4. Connor Zilisch, No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro (2:11.422)
5. Thomas Annunziata, No. 90 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (2:11.845)

Western Championship
1. Brody Goble, No. 69 Brown Bros. Ford/Cortex Racing Ford Mustang (2:13.048)
2. Roy Fulmer IV, No. 86 Fulmer’s Auto Body/CaukLok Chevrolet Camaro (2:15.013)
3. Tim Lynn, No. 71 RoofOptions Ford Mustang (2:15.257)
4. Kyle Kelley, No. 180 UPR.com/PK&K Chevrolet Camaro (2:15.303)
5. Michael LaPaglia, No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto Ford Mustang (2:15.348)

Full TA2 qualifying results can be found here.

TA Practice:
1. Matthew Brabham, No. 20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang (2:04.879)
2. Gar Robinson, No. 74 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro (2:04.951)
3. Boris Said, No. 79 ECC/Anchor Bolt & Screw Dodge Challenger (2:06.673)
4. Tomy Drissi, No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang (2:06.928)
5. Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang (2:07.760)

XGT Practice:
National Championship
1. Marc Austin, No. 11 1492 Cager Works/The Coat Lab/Snap-on Mercedes GT3 (2:08.029)
2. Danny Lowry, No. 43 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3 (2:16.346)
3. Ricky Sanders, No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett Family of Companies Audi R8 LMS (2:21.757)

Western Championship
1. Will Rodgers, No. 32 Chris Evans Race Cars & Design Ford Mustang (2:07.635)
2. Xuanqian Wang, No. 22 AURALIC Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO (2:09.003)
3. Michelle Nagai, No. 72 Nagai Racing/Berkeley Jet Drive Chevrolet Camaro (2:14.215)

SGT Practice:
1. Richard Forsythe, No. 58 Sambuca Restaurant/GSpeed Chevrolet Corvette (2:18.335)
2. Milton Grant, No. 55 Springhill Suites/Sentry Self Storage Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup (2:23.385)

Western Championship
1. Rudy Revak, No. 7 Xyngular Pontiac Grand Prix (2:28.017)

GT Practice:
National Championship
1. Joey DaSilva, No. 67 Ave Motorsports Toyota Supra (2:19.330)
2. Chris Coffey, No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GT4 (2:19.965)
3. Todd Napieralski, No. 39 Chevrolet Performance/SKF/Turn Key Chevrolet Camaro (2:23.944)
4. Jack Rinke, No. 12 Chevrolet Performance/Turn Key Chevrolet Camaro (2:30.675)
5. Michael Attaway, No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8 (2:38.393)

Western Championship
1. David Hampton, No. 14 AR Motorsports Porsche Cayman GT4 CS (2:23.305)
2. JC Meynet, No. 28 Killer Shrimp Racing Chevrolet Corvette (2:23.716)
3. Brandon Westenburg, No. 93 Esses Racing Audi R8 GT4 (2:25.326)
4. Kevin Michaels, No. 98 Killer Shrimp Restaurant Chevrolet Corvette (2:27.689)
5. Larry Luck, No. 116 Luck Services BMW M3 (2:31.198)

Full TA/XGT/SGT/GT Practice results can be found here.

Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series Practice Top Five:
National Championship
1. Austin Green, No. 89 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang (2:10.517)
2. Connor Zilisch, No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro (2:10.565)
3. Brent Crews, No. 70 Franklin Road/Mobil 1/Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (2:10.599)
4. Thomas Merrill, No. 26 Bennett/HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang (2:10.681)
5. Cameron Lawrence, No. 8 Nacarato TC/Averitt Express/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro (2:11.100)

Western Championship
1. Brody Goble, No. 69 Brown Bros. Ford/Cortex Racing Ford Mustang (2:12.576)
2. Michael LaPaglia, No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto Ford Mustang (2:14.345)
3. Tim Lynn, No. 71 RoofOptions Ford Mustang (2:14.377)
4. Brad McAllister, No. 24 Straumann and Zimbis Ford Mustang (2:14.789)
5. Kyle Kelley, No. 180 UPR.com/PK&K Chevrolet Camaro (2:15.143)

Full TA2 Practice results can be found here.

The season finale Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series race will be contested on Sunday, November 5 at 10:05 a.m. CT, followed by the TA/XGT/SGT/GT race at 1:10 p.m. CT.

The races will be streamed live here and broadcast live on MAVTV. The TV broadcast replay of the race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, November 9, with TA/XGT/SGT/GT airing at 8:00 p.m. ET, and the Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series race airing at 9:00 p.m. ET.