Lewis Wins at Daytona, Team Receives Crew of the Year Award
November 18, 2016
Lewis Wins at Daytona, Team Receives Crew of the Year Award
Shane Lewis, driver of Robinson Racing’s No. 72 Pura Vida Tequila / 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, won his second race of the Trans Am 50th Anniversary Season at Daytona International Speedway in Florida last Saturday. Qualifying in second and taking the lead in the first lap, Lewis dominated the entire race, which stayed green for all 29 laps.
In the finale race at Daytona, Gar Robinson’s No. 74 Pura Vida Tequila / 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro suffered a brake failure, and he finished 18th in the 24-car field. He had qualified in the 4th position on Friday, but started the race on Saturday in 3rd, after the original 3rd-place qualifier failed tech.
Four Awards
On Saturday evening, the Trans Am Series held its year-end dinner and awards presentation at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, with Trans Am Champion Tommy Kendall as emcee - and comedian - for the momentous occasion. Robinson Racing capped off the year by winning four awards at the Gala.
The team was presented with the Pitboxes.com TA2 Crew of the Year award, as Lewis’ No. 72 Camaro had completed the most laps of any car throughout the season. Team members include: Jimmy Fraser, Ross Jeffrey, Dave Warfel, Norm Johnson, Phil Bourne, Phil Reia, Steven McShane and Richard Gaiera - along with team owner George Robinson, and drivers Gar Robinson and Shane Lewis.
Lewis and Robinson were each given impressive trophies for their standings in the Chase for the Trigon Trophy, presented by 3-Dimensional Services Group. In the TA2 Championship, Lewis finished second with 273 points and Robinson finished third with 261 points.
In the first half of the 2016 season, Robinson mounted a strong defense of his 2015 Trans Am TA2 Championship title. Last year had been incredible for Robinson, which saw him win three races and the Rookie of the Year award at just 20 years of age. After completing Rounds 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 in 2016, Robinson was the leader in the TA2 points battle. In August, he lost the lead to Tony Buffomante, the winner of Round 7 at Road America. Coming into the last race of the season at Daytona, Robinson was second in the points, and with just a 25-point deficit, he still had a shot at winning the Championship. But Buffomante retained the points lead starting with Round 7, maintained it for the balance of the season, and won the TA2 Championship with 303 points.
Robinson Racing’s Aidy Alonzo also took home an award for her marketing efforts; she won the Trans Am Excellence in Publicity Award for outstanding contribution, dedication and commitment to excellence in support of the Trans Am Series public relations and publicity initiatives.
Four Victories
In 2016, Robinson Racing won two races with each of its two drivers. During its 50th Anniversary Season, the Trans Am Series held 3 out of its 13 events at legendary Florida tracks, and Robinson Racing claimed victories at all of them. Robinson took the pole and victory in the season opener at Sebring International Raceway in March. In October, Lewis qualified first and won his first ever Trans Am race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a familiar track just a few hours south of his residence in Jupiter. Bookending the year with victories for the team, Lewis won again in Round 12, the final event of the season at Daytona.
At the peak of summer, Robinson earned his second victory of the year in Round 5 at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota, held on Independence Day weekend and later televised on the CBS Sports Network.
Four Podiums
To round out the year, the team scored four podium finishes in a row in the last four events of the season. The streak began with Lewis’ victory in Round 9 at Homestead and continued at NOLA Motorsports Park in Louisiana, where Robinson finished 2nd with Lewis in 3rd. At Robinson’s home track, Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, Robinson was back on the podium in 2nd with Lewis in 3rd. In Round 12 at Daytona, Lewis once more emerged victorious.
2017 Trans Am Season
Robinson Racing is set to battle once again for the Championship during the 2017 Trans Am season with drivers Gar Robinson and Shane Lewis. Featuring 13 events on the 2017 schedule, Trans Am will compete at historic tracks such as Watkins Glen International in New York, Road America in Wisconsin, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana. The season will kick off at Sebring in March.
Throughout the off-season, keep up with Robinson Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more information, visit www.RobinsonRacingTeam.com/social and www.GoTransAm.com.
