Streaks, points on the line for Trans Am drivers in New Jersey as championship resumes
June 9, 2016
Ruman aims for four in a row at NJMP, TA2 to hold standalone race
MILLVILLE, NJ [June 9, 2016] – The Trans Am Series is set to descend upon New Jersey Motorsports Park [NJMP] for Round 4 of the 2016 Trans Am Championship with a 45-car field in tow with all five classes set to participate. The event will feature two 101.25-mile races, a TA2, powered by AEM, standalone race and a TA, TA3, TA4 and TA5 multi-class race—all part of NJMP’s Hank Sauce Weekend of Thunder, presented by MPT Industries.
In TA, all eyes will be on Amy Ruman, driver of the No. 23 McNichols Company Chevrolet Corvette, who stands as the defending class champion and current points leader and has won the past three TA class races. While Ruman may be based out of Ohio, NJMP now stands as close to a home track advantage as possible.
Challenging Ruman for the top spot will be 13 additional members of the TA field, including last year’s points runner-up Paul Fix, driver of the No. 50 StopFlex.com/TheCarCoach.com/Techron Chevron Chevrolet Corvette, and John Baucom, driver of the No. 86 RoadRaceParts.com Ford Mustang, hot off a victory in Dual 2 of the Motor City 100 in the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.
Current points runner up Kerry Hitt, driver of the No. 19 Advanced Composite Products Cadillac CTS-V, and David Pintaric, in the No. 57 Kryderacing Chevrolet Corvette, who currently holds third position in the points will also be in attendance; while Vincent Allegretta, Claudio Burtin, Cliff Ebben, Joseph Freda, Simon Gregg, Jim McAleese, Tim Rubright, Charles Wicht and Mickey Wright will all be exhibiting their talents on track.
The modern pony car wars will continue in TA2, powered by AEM, and will once again be showcased in a standalone TA2 exclusive race with a 16-car field set to participate. The stacked talent pool is headlined by defending TA2 champion Gar Robinson, driver of the No. 74 Pura Vida Tequila/ 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, Tony Buffomante, in the No. 34 Mike Cope Racing Ford Mustang, and Louis-Phillippe Montour, driver of the No. 77 SpeedLogix/Montour LTD Dodge Challenger, all of whom currently occupy the top three spots in the TA2 points standings.
The 2015 NJMP victor Adam Andretti, in the No. 44 ECC/ Anchor Bolt and Screw Dodge Challenger, will also be in attendance, bringing with him the momentum of a Dual 2 TA2 victory from the Motor City 100 in the pursuit of his third consecutive podium in New Jersey. Round 3 winner, Dillon Machavern, in the No. 24 Heritage Motorsports Ford Mustang, will also look to continue his own podium streak; as NJMP would stand as his potential third top three finish in a row.
Robert Mesmer, of Sewell, NJ, will continue his TA2 rookie year, this time with the No. 7 Scott Lagasse Racing Chevrolet Camaro on his home turf at NJMP, he’ll be joined by Steven Lustig, in the No. 05 The Autosport Group Ford Mustang, in defending the pride of the Garden State in TA2.
The TA2 field will also boast the talents of Tony Ave, Jordan Bernloehr, Justin Haley, Shane Lewis, Lawrence Loshak, Dillon Machavern, Mike McGahern, Keith Prociuk, Harry Steenbakkers and Tom Sheehan.
Trans Am’s production heritage will be proudly on display in the TA3, TA4 and TA5 classes with both 2015 class victors in attendance. TA3 victor Andrew Aquilante, in the No. 32 Phoenix/Hawk/Penske Chevrolet Corvette, will be making his first Trans Am appearance of the year; while two-time defending Champion Ernie Francis, Jr., in the No. 98 BetaTools/Liquid Performance Ford Mustang, attempts to continue his stranglehold atop TA4 in the pursuit of his fourth consecutive win.
The current TA4 points leaders, and Epic Motorsports teammates, Randy Mueller and Michael Camus, in the No. 0 and No. 08 Bizbloom.com BMW M3s, will be ready to build on their respective leads atop the points, as they continue their own quest for the TA4 championship.
New Jersey native Mel Shaw, in the No. 22 Bay Commercial Group/ BETA Chevrolet Corvette, will represent New Jersey in the class; while Jason Berkeley, in the No. 67 BMG Management Chevrolet Corvette, will race for the pride of neighboring New York, NY.
Also featuring in the TA3 class will be Larry Funk, Tristan Herbert and Ron Landis, who will make his Trans Am debut.
The TA4 class will feature four additional drivers in pursuit of Francis, headlined by points runner-up Brian Kleeman, in the No. 07 DWW Motorsports Ford Mustang, who enters the weekend 14 points behind Francis, and 2015 championship runner-up Todd Napieralski, in the No. 39 Tremec/SKF/Backstreet Performance Chevrolet Camaro.
Joining them will be Chris Outzen, in the No. 97 DWW Motorsports Ford Mustang, and Brian Licklider, making his Trans Am debut behind the wheel of the No. 89 BlueKnobAuto.com Ford Mustang.
Fans can keep up with the action throughout Round 4 of the 2016 Trans Am Championship at www.gotransam.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gotransam and on Twitter at @gotransam.
Event Schedule:
Saturday, June 11, 2016
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM TA2 Practice 1
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM TA/TA3/TA4/TA5 Practice 1
1:15 PM - 1:35 PM TA2 “Fast Five” Qualifying
1:40 PM - 2:00 PM TA “Fast Five” Qualifying
2:05 PM - 2:25 PM TA3/TA4/TA5 “Fast Five” Qualifying
4:00 PM - 4:20 PM TA2 Practice 2
4:20 PM - 4:40 PM TA/TA3/TA4/TA5 Practice 2
4:45 PM - 5:00 PM 2nd Chance to Qualify
Sunday, June 12, 2016
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM Fan Walk
11:30 AM - 12:45 PM TA2, powered by AEM, Race – 101.25 miles
1:45 PM - 3:00 PM TA/TA3/TA4/TA5 Race – 101.25 miles
