Lagasse Finishes Third in Trans Am FirstEnergy Muscle Car Challenge

August 13, 2018

Lagasse Finishes Third in Trans Am FirstEnergy Muscle Car Challenge

TEAM NEWS - Scott Lagasse Jr. and team, headed to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for Round 7 of the Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli this weekend. Scott Jr. drove the new M1 Fastrack Car proudly displaying "Screen Your Machine™," American Cancer Society, Fight CRC & Jack Wilson Chevrolet.

This was the 4th race for the new M1 Fastrack Car built by TeamSLR in collaboration with Fields Racing in Richmond, Virginia. In the cars previous outing, Scott Jr. drove the No. 95 to a 2nd place finish at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. 
 
Practice- Throughout practice, Scott Jr., felt the car was competitive even on older tires, making multiple adjustments to improve the grip and balance. Once new tires went on, Scott Jr. would post the quickest time in the second practice. On Friday, Scott Jr. qualified 2nd during the 20-minute qualifying session to earn the 2nd starting position.
 
 Race day- Saturday afternoon, Scott Jr. would start from the front row on the famous 2.2-mile twisty Mid-Ohio Sports Car course. Scott Jr. was visibly driving the car to the absolute limits, challenging for the lead in the early laps. On lap 10 of the 45 lap or the 1 hour and 15-minute race, the power steering began malfunctioning and shortly after, the system quit working totally. In today's race cars, power steering is a must, as increased g-forces and loads into the tires make it extremely difficult to steer without the assist. This slows the driver's ability to respond with corrections to the car and wears the driver out physically. 
 
Surprisingly throughout the 45-lap race, Scott Jr. remained very competitive, fighting hard for second place with the top 5 running close together, and race leader Rafa Matos establishing a solid lead. Driving through the challenges, Scott Jr. finished on the podium with a well-deserved, hard earned 3rd place finish.
 
"This was a tough one," said Lagasse. "The M1 Fastrack Car was pretty good, but the lack of power steering, kicked my butt! I train hard, but I had to dig deep to make it through this one. The guys did a great job with the car and it's no one's fault that we had a parts issue. I'm really happy to finish well and bring more attention to our partners in our "Screen Your Machine™" Program, American Cancer Society and Fight CRC, as well as Jack Wilson Chevrolet and Fields Racing. A special thanks to Chris, Lee and everyone that prepared this car. We get better every race."
 
Watch all of the action as the race will be aired again and showcased as part of Trans Am weekend highlight shows on CBS Sports Network, at 2:00 PM ET on August 26th.
 
Coming up next in August---will be Road America on August 23-25. Keep up to date with Scotty by following him on Twitter: @scottlagasse FACEBOOK:  /scottlagassejr

All photos courtesy of Chris Clark at cclarkphotos.com

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About Scott Lagasse Jr.:
Scott Jr. (Scotty) has been a driven individual from an early age, excelling in sports and as a high achiever in school, earning a college degree through the Bright Futures Scholar Program. Scotty's commitment to excel in racing began at age 7 and includes winning races in motocross, karting, and many forms of auto racing. He is a mentor and role model to our younger generation, an avid cyclist and recognized advocate for Bicycle and Pedestrian safety. Please visit www.teamslr.com. Keep up to date with Scotty by following him on Twitter: @scottlagasse FACEBOOK:  /scottlagassejr
 
About Screen Your Machine™:
SCREEN YOUR MACHINE™ is Scott Lagasse Jr.'s personal and passionate quest to encourage people to be screened for all types of cancer. Scott is alive and healthy today, as a colon cancer survivor, because he got a check-up when he felt something "not quite right" with his body while training for a triathlon. Scott is an outspoken proponent for cancer screening and official ambassador for The American Cancer Society (cancer.org/screen) and Fight Colorectal Cancer ( FightCRC.org). 

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