Nitro Motorsports Continues Momentum from 2024 Taking First Trans Am TA2 Win in 2025
February 25, 2025
Thomas Annunziata scores the win after Tyler Gonzalez ?dominates but suffers mechanical failure on last lap
February 25, 2025 – Earning the Trans Am Presented by Pirelli TA2 championship in both 2023 and 2024, Nitro Motorsports started off their 2025 season in search of a three-peat. Closing the weekend at the Sebring International Raceway with four drivers in the top-ten, Thomas Annunziata reigned supreme after Tyler Gonzalez dominated, only to have a mechanical issue on the final circuit.
Qualifying Results TA2:
Tyler Gonzalez – 2nd
Thomas Annunziata – 4th
Boris Said Jr. – 6th
Sam Corry – 10th
Mia Lovell – 11th
Julian Dacosta – 16th
Gian Buffomante – 18th
Qualifying Results TA2 Pro/Am:
Cale Phillips – 4th
Qualifying Results TA:
Brent Crews – 5th
“It was a great weekend and a solid way to start the season,” explained Nitro Motorsports’ Nick Tucker. “It looked like it was going to be a one-two finish for the team, but unfortunately, Tyler Gonzalez had an issue on the final circuit, relegating him down the running order after a dominant performance.”
Moving forward from his P2 qualifying position, Gonzalez took the lead in the season's first race and looked to be in complete control. Controlling the pace and holding his competitors at bay on restarts, Gonzalez took the white flag with a two-second lead. Disaster would strike halfway through the lap as a broken throttle linkage forced him to the sidelines, opening the door for his Nitro Motorsports teammate Annunziata. Taking the lead and driving to the checkered flag, Thomas Annunziata started the season with a win and is now entirely focused on the 2025 TA2 Championship.
Behind Annunziata, a trio of additional Nitro Motorsports competitors finished inside the top-ten, led by second-generation driver Boris Said Jr. in sixth, TA2 rookie Sam Corry in ninth, and Julian DaCosta in the tenth position. Gonzalez managed to cross the line 15th as Gian Buffomante was 19th after being involved in a first corner incident. Female driver Mia Lovell, elevated from the Toyota GR Cup North America program to Trans Am this season, had issues when the wheel-to-wheel action kicked off as a clutch failure forced her to fall from her P11 qualifying position to be classified in 20th.
Competing in the Trans Am TA2 Pro/Am class, Cale Phillips was able to qualify fourth as he looked to move forward when the green flag flew. Finishing just shy of the podium, Phillips crossed the line 0.057 behind the third-place finisher, just missing the podium.
In the TA class, Brent Crews, who earned victory at the Circuit of the Americas last year, qualified fifth for his first TA race of the season on Saturday. Working hard to move his way to the point early on, Crews, much like Gonzalez the day before, dominated the race action. The only thing standing between Brent Crews and his first TA win of the season was a mechanical failure with eight minutes to go.
Tucker added, “Some failures took away a victory and a one-two finish. We will get back to the shop, analyze everything, and get back on track at the next event.”
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.
