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Paul Menard Takes Third Victory of 2025 in Lime Rock Park Memorial Day Classic

May 26, 2025

Joiner Wins XGT in Return to National Championship, Carlson Takes Fifth SGT Victory of 2025, Tuniewicz Wins in GT Debut

LAKEVILLE, Conn. (May 26, 2025) ? For the second year in a row, Paul Menard was the victor of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Memorial Day Classic at Lime Rock Park. After top qualifiers Chris Dyson and Matthew Brabham faced early issues, Menard sailed smoothly to the win at the Lime Rock SpeedTour, followed by his closest points rivals Adam Andretti and Tomy Drissi.

Notes of Interest:

This was Paul Menard’s second-consecutive victory at Lime Rock Park. He also celebrated a Memorial Day win at the track last season.
The top three in the point standings, Menard, Andretti and Drissi, finished the race in that order, adding fuel to the battle for the TA championship. Menard continues to hold the points lead, now with a 20-point advantage over Andretti.
Erich Joiner scored his 11th-career XGT win in the National Championship, increasing his lead as the winningest driver in the class.
Joshua Carlson is undefeated this season, winning all five events so far in 2025 in SGT.
Maciej Tuniewicz won the GT race in his debut in the class.

Teammates Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) and Brabham (No. 21 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) led the field to the green, but while Dyson had an excellent jump at the start, Brabham faced immediate issues, falling back as soon as the flag waved, being forced to retire due to electrical issues. Dyson smoothly pulled out to the lead, with Menard (No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang) jumping into second and Andretti (No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro) falling into line third. For the first nine laps, the three cars ran nose to tail, setting up what could be an exciting battle. However, that battle ended early for Dyson, as he tangled with a lapped competitor and made heavy contact with the wall.

Following a brief stop in the action for cleanup, the green flag waved on lap 13. Menard had a flawless restart, while Andretti appeared to spin his tires behind him, allowing Menard to pull ahead. Once in front of the field in clean air, Menard took off, opening up an enormous gap over Andretti. Behind them, Drissi (No. 8 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro) and Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette) engaged in heated battle, and the two challenged each other for the remainder of the event.

With 20 laps remaining, Andretti began to slightly close in on Menard, but without a full-course caution to regroup the field, Menard’s advantage was just too great. The race remained green until the checkered flag waved, and Menard crossed the finish line to claim his third win of the season. Andretti finished second, and Drissi ultimately won the battle with Ruman, taking the third and final spot on the podium. Ruman finished fourth and Dyson was scored fifth following his early retirement from the race.

“I just had an amazing car all weekend,” said Menard. “Obviously, practice was cut short [due to rain], so we didn't get to work on it very much. It's a lot of fun coming to Lime Rock, seeing all the fans here. I wish that [Chris Dyson and I] could have battled it out; Chris and [Matthew] Brabham were going to be super quick, but they had their issues. But from then on, we were just cruising and trying to manage a gap with Adam [Andretti]. Memorial Day weekend at Lime Rock Park, we saw some awesome racing Saturday, awesome racing today.

“We thank our teams, we thank our sponsors, we thank everybody, but we wouldn't be here without the military and without everybody that puts their lives on the line every single day. Not just today, it's every day, all year long. And that's why we're here to honor them.”

TA Top Five:
1. Paul Menard, No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang
2. Adam Andretti, No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro
3. Tomy Drissi, No. 8 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro
4. Amy Ruman, No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette
5. Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang

EMCO Gears Lap Leader:
Paul Menard, No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang

XGT:
In his first National Championship race since 2021, Erich Joiner (No. 10 goodboybob Coffee Roasters Porsche 991.GT3) returned to Victory Lane in the XGT class, claiming his 11th-career National win. As the only competitor in his class, his best battle of the race was against Joshua Carlson in the SGT class. Joiner ultimately came out on top, finishing fifth overall and ahead of Carlson’s sixth.

“When you're in a six-cylinder Porsche with 900 horsepower cars around you, you've got to really keep your eyes open, but we had a heck of a race with the GT cars,” said Joiner. “I always love coming out here. A couple years ago, my wife and I bought a house out in Rhinebeck, N.Y. I also met a group of people who invited me to go driving, the Hudson Valley Car Club. We go up into the Catskills and the mountains, and I love it out here. It's great. I'd like to thank TJ, my two daughters, who are here, the rest of the crew that's helped me, Mobil 1, and last of all, Porsche, which gives me support.”

XGT Results:
1. Erich Joiner, No. 10 goodboybob Coffee Roasters Porsche 991 GT3

SGT:
Joshua Carlson in the No. 36 Enseva/Diercks Ltd./TC Fab Ford Mustang cruised to victory over Dave Melnick in the No. 71 Poured Floors of N.Y. & N.J. Chevrolet Corvette. Carlson enjoyed a passionate mid-race battle against Erich Joiner in the XGT class before crossing the finish line to capture his fifth-consecutive win of 2025.

“The car felt good, I had a lot of fun racing with Erich [Joiner] and the track was fun,” said Carlson on the podium. “This track definitely has the best fans. I want to thank my sponsors, Enseva and Dierck's Ltd. Without them, I wouldn't be racing.”

SGT Results:
1. Joshua Carlson, No. 36 Enseva/Diercks Ltd./TC Fab Ford Mustang
2. Dave Melnick, No. 71 Poured Floors of N.Y. & N.J. Chevrolet Corvette

GT:
The sole competitor in GT, Maciej Tuniewicz in the No. 29 New Granite & Marble Porsche Cayman S took the victory in his first-career start in the class. The win capped off a double-duty weekend, where Tuniewicz also raced in Saturday’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series event.

“First of all, I want to thank you, Trans Am, for having me. The GT race was a very nice experience for me. My coach Adrian [Wlostowski] told me to do this race, and I'm very happy to be part of the GT class. I'm waiting to do the next one. Thank you very much.”

GT Results:
1. Maciej Tuniewicz, No. 29 New Granite & Marble Porsche Cayman S

Final Details:
Official race results can be found here.

An encore presentation of today’s race will air tonight on SPEED SPORT 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The Trans Am Series will next hit the track at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, June 19-22, for the Mid-Ohio SpeedTour. Tickets can be purchased here.