TeamSLR: Road America on Fourth of July Weekend? You Betcha!
July 1, 2022
The chance to race as an undercard to the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, has generated strength in numbers for TA2-class competitors in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. Sunday’s race around the historic 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit has drawn a season-high 51 entries, including a handful from TeamSLR and another that will fly under the flag of TeamSLR’s sister team, Fields Racing.
Second-year and fulltime TA2 driver Connor Mosack leads the way for TeamSLR in the familiar No. 28 High Point University/Interstate Foam & Supply/Nic Tailor Custom Fit Underwear Ford Mustang. He’ll be joined by William Sawalich, who returns for his third race this season in the No. 8 Starkey/Audibel/SLR/M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro, and NASCAR team owner Justin Marks, who is back for his second career TA2 start in the No. 99 SLR/M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro. Austin Green, who made an impressive TA2 debut with TeamSLR at Road America a year ago, will pilot the No. 96 Fields/SLR Racing/M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro.
Mosack, the 23-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, sits a solid third in the TA2 driver standings and atop the Peter Gregg Foundation Young Gun standings after his third-place finish last weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, where he qualified on the pole and led the first 26 laps of the 38-lap race. It was his third pole of the season and second podium finish. Last year at Road America, Mosack qualified fourth and appeared headed for a one-two finish alongside fellow TeamSLR driver and eventual race-winner Sam Mayer before an accident ended his bid four laps from the finish.
Sawalich, a 15-year-old high school junior from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, made his Trans Am debut with TeamSLR at this year’s season-opening event at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, where he qualified 16th and finished ninth. He returned at the next event on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval, where he qualified 10th but saw his day end prematurely due to a broken sway bar arm. Sawalich has risen through the racing ranks driving Legends cars, Super Late Models and Late Models, and arrives at Road America fresh off his June 11 Late Model win in the Rumble by the River 125 at Montgomery (Ala.) Motor Speedway, and a runner-up finish in the June 18 ARCA Midwest Tour race at the Milwaukee Mile. He also scored a victory in the CARS Pro Late Model Tour March 26 at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Green, the 20-year-old from Concord, North Carolina, and son of 1994 Xfinity Series champion David Green, made his mark winning Bandolero, Young Lion and Pro U.S. Legend Car championships before moving up to Late Models and winning for Lee Faulk Racing and Development. A junior majoring in business management at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, Green made his TA2 debut with TeamSLR in this race last year, qualifying fifth but seeing his race come to an early end on lap six due to electrical issues. His car will be prepped and serviced by longtime TA2 racers from Fields Racing, who have been partnered with TeamSLR since 2018.
Marks, the 41-year-old from Rocklin, California, is a veteran NASCAR and sportscar racer in his second year as owner of Trackhouse Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, whose drivers Daniel Suárez and Ross Chastain each have scored breakthrough victories this season. Marks won the 2016 Xfinity Series race on the road course at Mid-Ohio and the ARCA Menards Series race on the Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway circuit, as well as eight GT-class races in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, including a 2009 victory in the prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. He’s competed eight times in the Trans Am Series, but just once in the TA2 class. He drove his TeamSLR entry to a fourth-place finish from the sixth starting position last August in the Music City Grand Prix on the streets of downtown Nashville, Tennessee. He’s made five career Xfinity Series starts at Road America from 2014 to 2018, three of them resulting in top-10 finishes.
Connor Mosack, driver No. 28 High Point University/Interstate Foam & Supply/Nic Tailor Custom Fit Underwear Ford Mustang:
What are your overall thoughts heading to Road America coming off your strong weekend at Mid-Ohio, and your promising run last year at Road America?
“I feel better about Road America. Last year, our car was really good there and I feel like we should’ve finished one-two. Obviously, Sam (Mayer) still won and our car seemed to be really good on straightaway speed relative to everybody else, and Road America’s got a lot of straightaways. Our cars seem to get off the corner really well and I think that’ll suit us well at Road America. We were very fast at Mid-Ohio, we showed speed. Hopefully, we’ll have a little bit more this weekend.”
Where does Road America rank on your list of favorite tracks?
“It’s a great place. It’s one of my favorite venues. The area’s very pretty, the weather’s usually great, it’s just a pretty track. It’s got a lot of unique corners, kind of a little bit of everything. I wish the straightaways maybe weren’t quite so long because you’re not super busy around the place, which can be nice sometimes. I usually like the busier places, but it’s still a great place. It’s got the elevation changes and all different kinds of corners. I’d say it’s one of my favorite tracks we go to.”
Does it feel any more important to do well when you’re racing on the same weekend as NASCAR?
“It feels like a big event, for sure, probably because NASCAR is there. Especially someone like me trying to work my way into NASCAR, you feel like you have a lot of eyes on you and you’re even more motivated to perform that weekend. I think that obviously makes it more of an event, and there are so many more people there because NASCAR’s there, too. So those two things combined make it one of the biggest events of the year.”
William Sawalich, driver No. 8 Starkey/Audibel/SLR/M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
You’re back for your third race with TeamSLR. How has your experience been?
“It’s been pretty good. We were up at Road America to test a couple of times already, and I think we’ve prepared pretty well. I’m just going to continue taking it as a learning experience. I’m pretty new to these cars still, even with all the testing. The first few laps, it always takes a little time to get comfortable in the seat because I’m used to the oval-track cars, but I think the weekend will go well. We’ve just got to stay consistent, keep a clean racecar, and I think we’ll be good.”
What do you think about the Road America layout?
“It definitely goes a lot faster when you’re on the track than when you’re running it through your mind. It pretty much has every type of corner – a very cool track, long straightaways, heavy braking, which is something kind of new to me. Sebring didn’t have that much heavy braking because all the long straightaways kind of lead to high-speed, sweeping corners, and kind of the same with Charlotte, except for the bus stops.”
What are your goals when it comes to racing in Trans Am with TeamSLR?
“It’s just something I have to know for the future in NASCAR because that’s where they’re starting to go, more and more road-course races. The Lagasses are great. They’ve got great cars. They’re both great people, great teachers. Scotty is really good with driver coaching, as well as his dad, and they just help me a lot and I can’t thank them enough.”
Austin Green, driver No. 96 Fields/SLR Racing/M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
You’re back at Road America for the second year in a row with TeamSLR. What are your thoughts entering the weekend?
“Last year was really good. I kind of picked up on the cars and the track pretty quickly. I really think we would’ve finished well if it wasn’t for the (electrical) problem that took us out. We tested two weeks ago up there and it was good to get the hang of things again. We worked on trying to perfect certain things that I’m doing, perfect setup, and I think we’re headed in a good direction for this weekend. We worked on short runs and long runs, just getting us ready for this weekend. There are still some things to address, but I’m sure that will come with seat time.”
How do you like the TA2 cars?
“They’re a blast to drive. They’re really good road-race cars. The easiest way to describe them is like a stock car with a lot of downforce. The one neat aspect of it is that the braking is there, all the downforce is there, the corner speed is there. I think it’s just a really good road-racing car.”
Any special thoughts about racing at Road America?
“I love Road America. It’s probably my favorite track that I’ve been to. It’s all about getting off the corner for the long straightaways. There are a lot of tight, technical corners, but there are two really long straightaways, so you’ve really got to focus on getting off turn three and turn 14 because if you don’t, you’re just a sitting duck. It’s all about maximizing the braking when you’ve still got all the downforce and you’re still at speed. And you’ve got to rotate in the center and get a good drive off. The Kink (turn 11), you’re not flat out, but you lift just a little bit and barely tap the brake – I think that’s my favorite corner, to be honest, but it’s a little sketchy too.”
You’ll be among 51 TA2 cars in the race. How do you expect to navigate all that traffic throughout the weekend?
“It’s a big track. Practice-wise, it’s not that big of a deal, but in qualifying, you’ve really got to try and get good space and not catch anybody. I made that mistake last year. We’re only going to run three laps in qualifying, so first lap last year, I ended up catching some slower cars and I had to throw away the second lap. And then the third lap I got a clear lap. That’s a tricky thing.”
How has your experience been working with TeamSLR?
“Last year was my first time with them. I think they’re as professional as it gets. Scott Sr., and Junior are really dedicated to what they’re doing. After a run, we’ll sit down and talk about what happened, and we’ll look at video and look at data and try and see where you’re gaining speed and losing speed and what you can do better.”
Justin Marks, driver No. 99 SLR/M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
You’re back with TeamSLR, this time at Road America after last summer’s run at Nashville. What are your thoughts?
“It’s one of my favorite racetracks ever, and I’ve always seemed to be able to put together good laps there, so I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t sat in a racecar in like eight months, so to be able to come back at a track that I enjoy and that I have a lot of experience at will ease the transition, I think, significantly.”
Is it crazy to think there are 51 cars entered for Sunday’s race?
“It might be a little tricky to get a good qualifying lap in and just be free of traffic but, to me, the more cars, the better. It’s a pretty amazing optic when a series can put that many cars on the racetrack. That’s a lot of action. I think at some point you hope that we get a lot of green-flag running, that we don’t spend a lot of the race under caution. There’s a lot of talent out there. There are so many really, really young kids coming up through Trans Am who have so much speed that it’s going to be fun to race against them.”
You’ve had good runs at Road America throughout your driving career. What is it about the track that suits you?
“I’ve run a bunch of IMSA races there, World Challenge races, and always had good speed. I probably gave away at least two wins there just making my own mistakes. The added element of being able to race on the same weekend where my Trackhouse team is going to race is also pretty cool. It’ll be fun to do the Trans Am race on Sunday morning, then go take a shower in the motorhome and sit on the pit box and watch Daniel (Suárez) and Ross (Chastain) race the Cup race. Hopefully, we take a trophy away from there.”
What makes Road America such a favorite among drivers?
“It’s one of my favorite racetracks just because it’s got a little bit of everything. It’s got some really fast straightaways, it’s got some technical corners, it’s a beautiful layout, the fans are always super, super passionate there, which is nice. It’s got what everybody wants at every racetrack and that’s lots of places to pass. There are like five or six really good passing zones there, so if you need to get back to the front, there are a lot of opportunities to try and make moves and try to win the race, so that’s one of the things that really makes it great. Another thing that’s really great about Road America is that, unlike some of the newer tracks that have been built, like COTA (Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas) and some of the F1 places, it rewards courage because there’s not a lot of runoff. There are braking zones where you can make speed going really, really late, but if you go too late, you’ve got tire walls and gravel traps to deal with. And then there are a couple of corners where taking some risks equals big speed, like the Kink and the last lefthander before the front straightaway, some places where you can really get up on the wheel and get some speed, but there’s some big consequences, and that’s what I like about it.”
How is your experience working with TeamSLR?
“I’ve known Scott (Lagasse Jr.) for a long time. He’s got a lot of talent, he knows racecars really well, he knows racing really well, and they’ve built a great business with superfast racecars. The only other time I’ve been in a TA2 car was in one of Scott’s last year at Nashville and it had a ton of speed and the effort was really good. I enjoy doing these Trans Am races and I don’t suspect I’ll ever do them with anybody else.”
About TeamSLR:
TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr., The father-and-son duo have combined to win more than 100 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. For more information, please visit us online at www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.
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