The TA Cup Cars Make Sebring Debut at Trans Am Test

January 22, 2026

For the very first time, TA Cup cars have hit the track at Sebring International Raceway. The TA Cup class was introduced to the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli in 2025 in the Western Championship, with Ken Sutherland crowned the first title winner at the conclusion of last season. This year, the TA Cup cars are expected to compete in a limited schedule in the National Championship, with their first race at the Sebring season opener.

The class utilizes high-performance spec tube-frame vehicles with silhouette bodies, and the machines are produced by Chris Evans Inc. (CEI), owned by two-time Western Championship title winner Chris Evans. The 2900-pound cars run on 18” Pirelli P ZERO slicks and utilize the previous generation of NASCAR engines.

We caught up with the three drivers testing these powerful racecars at the pre-season test, to get their thoughts on how the cars fare at a track as technical and demanding as Sebring, as well as their thoughts on competing in the National Championship for the first time in Trans Am’s 60th-anniversary season.

Ken Thwaits, No. 9 for Jefferson Racing
“Well, I always love this test in January down in Florida, because it's always cold up north at home, and it gives me an excuse to get out of town. It also gives you a good jump on the season in a relaxed way; everybody's so cool here, you don't have the pressure of a race weekend, and you really get to try the things that you don't get to try during the normal season. It's great having that available to us.

“Having TA Cup here for the first time is awesome. It has a big presence on the West Coast, but the whole goal is to have it run across the whole United States, so this is our introduction to the East Coast. There's a lot of racing going on out here, and these cars are so fantastic. They really slot in between a TA car and a CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series car, and it's a more relaxed kind of situation. It’s for a gentleman driver that has dirt under his fingernails.”

Jordan Bupp, No. 32 for Jefferson Racing
“It's been an exciting test. These are new cars, I've never driven one, and I can't thank Ken Thwaits, Chris Evans Race Cars, and Jefferson Racing enough for allowing me to do it. The cars are absolute animals. They are the fastest thing I've ever driven in a straight line. I liken it to wrestling a gorilla. They are very fun, very fast, but not easy, and not for the faint of heart.

“It's definitely completely different than anything I've driven in Trans Am. I've been driving TA and TA2 cars around here for the last 20 years, and it is so much quicker in a short space. It's an absolute bullet of a car. Everything works so good on it, and it just takes a lot more input. It was an awesome car to drive.

“The testing's gone really well. The guys did a good job of making changes. Those cars came from the West Coast and had never been to Sebring, so it was a big learning curve. But they bounced right back, and we figured everything out that needed to be done and ended the day on a high note.”

Jim Guthrie, No. 62 for Jefferson Racing
“I can’t wait to see if the changes that we made improve the bumpy ride. It's a pogo stick right now and we're short of gear, so we'll come back for the race ready for that. Other than that, things are going well. It's fun to be back in the car.”

See the TA Cup cars race when Trans Am’s 60th-anniversary kicks off at Sebring, February 27-March 1. Tickets can be purchased here.