Double Podium for Nitro Motorsports at Watkins Glen

August 26, 2024

Matos adds podium to extend point lead while Odrick on podium in Pro / Am

August 26, 2024 – It was a trip to Corning, New York, and Watkins Glen International this past weekend as Nitro Motorsports continued their string of podium finishes. When the dust had finally settled and the final checkered flag had flown, Rafa Matos and Jared Odrick each earned hardware for their efforts. Michele Abbate scored the Coolboxx Coolest Move of the Race, while Tyler Kicera scored the Bassett Hard Charger Award in another strong weekend for the program.

It was an unfamiliar qualifying effort for Nitro Motorsports as the team that usually puts most of their cars in the top-ten was further down the running order than expected but still put four drivers inside the top-ten. Thomas Annunziata claimed the team’s best result with a solid second-place effort while Ben Maier was fifth. TA2 point leader Rafa Matos clocked the ninth-fastest time as he and Tyler Kicera shared row five for the start of the race. Behind them, former NFL player Jared Odrick was 16th overall but third in the Pro / Am class with trackside support customer John Weisberg fifth in class and 19th overall. Cale Phillips narrowly beat Michele Abbate on time as the duo were eighth and ninth, respectively in class.

In the two-day affair that took place on a Thursday and Friday, wheel-to-wheel action would commence on Friday afternoon. Showing his championship-caliber skill, Matos was able to drive forward from ninth to third and add another podium to his results resume but also extend his championship point lead. Tyler Kicera earned the Bassett Hard Charger of the Race award as he had a spirited drive into the top-five moving from tenth to fifth before the checkered flag flew. Kicera finished just one position ahead of the always-fast Ben Maier in P6. A promising start to the weekend for Annunziata ended abruptly as he was out of the 30-lap race on lap 13, dashing hopes of challenging for the race win and 2025 TA2 National Championship.

In the Pro / Am ranks, it was another podium finished for Nitro Motorsports as Jared Odrick led the five-driver contingent. Starting and finishing third in class, Odrick finished 13th overall but celebrated his second podium result since moving to the Nitro Motorsports program. Michele Abbate, the Coolboxx Coolest Move of the Race recipient, put a pair of team drivers inside the top-five to finish fifth in class, improving four positions throughout the race. Weisberg put a trio of team drivers inside the top-ten crossing the stripe in eighth, P20 overall, with Cale Phillips classified in the 11th position. 

“It was a good weekend that started a little off pace for us, but it just shows that the hard work that our team and drivers put in always comes around in the end,” explained Nitro Motorsports’ Nick Tucker. “We now shift the focus to Canada and continue to make our push for race wins, podium results, and the series title.”

It is a quick turnaround for Nitro Motorsports and the rest of the Trans Am Presented by Pirelli series drivers as they head north of the border to Canada this coming weekend. Set to take on the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park over the August 29-31 weekend, Nitro Motorsports will look to make it back to the top step of the podium in Canada.

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.