Nitro Motorsports Claims Top Two Steps on Trans Am Podium with Brent Crews Winning TA2
June 24, 2024
Rafa Matos Finishes Second to Extend his Championship Point Lead
June 24, 2024 – As the Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli enters a busy stretch, the first event in back-to-back weekends took place this weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. With multiple wins and podiums to date this season, Nitro Motorsports continued that trend with Brent Crews scoring the win with TA2 point leader Rafa Matos finishing a close second.
Qualifying Results
Brent Crews – 4th
Rafa Matos – 5th
Thomas Annunziata – 7th
Ben Maier – 9th
Gio Ruggiero – 20th
Cale Phillips – 24th
Jared Odrick – 5th (Pro/Am Class)
“It was a good qualifying effort, but a little further down the running order than we would have liked,” explained Nitro Motorsports’ Nick Tucker. “We know we have good race cars and look forward to proving that tomorrow in the race.”
Back to the track Saturday and starting fourth on the grid, Brent Crews was a man on a mission. He found his way to the front of the field to win in dominating fashion, putting Nitro Motorsports back on top. Earning the fastest lap of the race, Crews drove to the front and climbed his way to the top step of the podium. All-time Trans Am Series TA2 race winner Rafa Matos found his way to the podium and extended his championship point lead in a Nitro Motorsports one-two finish. Celebrating on the podium with Crews, Matos added another solid result to his 2024 campaign and results resume.
The #40 of Gio Ruggiero put a third Nitro Motorsports driver in the top-ten, as he earned the Bassett Hard Charger Award for gaining 12 positions driving forward from 20th to P8 on the results sheet. Cale Phillips added a P15 to the Nitro Motorsports results table with Ben Maier in 20th, Jared Odrick in 26th overall, and tenth in the Pro/Am class as he and Thomas Annunziata failed to complete the race's first half.
Crews added, “It is always great to win and be on the podium, but it was a tough race for some of our guys, which hurts. We work hard to make sure we are at the front with all of our drivers and will continue that push at our next event next week.”
It is a quick turnaround as Nitro Motorsports will travel to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin and the famed Road America this weekend. Competitors will be on track Thursday for a pair of test sessions before qualifying takes place on Friday with wheel-to-wheel action commencing Saturday afternoon. Be sure to follow Nitro Motorsports’ social media pages for news, information, photos, and results from the event weekend. To watch live, tune in to www.GoTransAm.com.
For more information on Nitro Motorsports, please visit them online or contact Nick Tucker via email HERE or visit them online at www.RaceNitro.com.
