Trans Am Arrives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Berryman Brickyard
June 13, 2018
Paul Tracy, Boris Said Amongst 60-car Trans Am Entry
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. [June 13, 2018] – The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli will be in action this weekend in the Berryman Trans Am at the Brickyard, a three day event featuring Trans Am’s 60-car entry tackling the 2.43 mile road course at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway in two competitions: the TA2 class’ Berryman Muscle Car Challenge and the multi-class Berryman Trans American featuring TA, TA3 and TA4.
The event will mark the Trans Am return for 2002 series champion Boris Said, in the No. 21 SRI Performance/ Weaver Dodge Challenger. Said returns in conjunction with longtime chassis builder Pancho Weaver debuting his next generation chassis for the TA class. Indianapolis will be Said’s first Trans Am appearance since 2005 in San Jose, the 14th win of his series career in his 67th start.
Returning for a second taste of Trans Am action in the No. 87 3-Dimensional Services Chevrolet Camaro, will be Paul Tracy, following up on his Trans Am debut in TA2 class competition at Road Atlanta where he finished seventh. Now, Tracy returns with Trans Am to a familiar stage from his open-wheel career, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, ready to take on a TA2 field that spans a total of 28 entries.
TA class points leader and defending champion Ernie Francis, Jr., driver of the No. 98 Frameless Shower Doors Ford Mustang, will be absent for much of the weekend, arriving on site just in time for Sunday’s multi-class race where he will start from the back of the grid.
Francis’ absence spells potential opportunity for the remainder of the TA class, including fellow title challenger Chris Dyson, driver of the No. 20 Plaid Enterprises/ CD Racing Ford Mustang. Dyson, who captured his career-first Trans Am win at Road Atlanta earlier this year, is currently second in the points, 16 behind Francis.
The remainder of the 16-car TA class will also include championship contenders David Pintaric, driver of the No. 57 Kryderacing Cadillac CTS-V, and Lawrence Loshak, driver of the No. 2 Pennzoil/ ETE/ GoShare Chevrolet Camaro, who reside third and fourth, respectively, in the points.
Past TA class champions Simon Gregg, in the No. 59 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette, Amy Ruman, in the No. 23 McNichols Company Chevrolet Corvette, and Tomy Drissi, in the No. 8 GoShare Chevrolet Camaro, will also be in attendance as will longtime Trans Am competitor Paul Fix, returning to TA class competition in the No. 4 StopFlex/Ave Racing Ford Mustang.
TA2 will see points leader Rafa Matos, in the No. 88 3-Dimensional Services Chevrolet Camaro, work towards his sixth consecutive podium finish in Trans Am competition. Matos enters the weekend with a 34-point lead over current points runner-up Tony Buffomante, in the No. 34 Mike Cope Racing Ford Mustang. The two drivers split TA2 victories last round at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
Also challenging towards the top of the points standing is Shane Lewis, driver of the No. 92 Turn Key/ Surphis Chevrolet Camaro. Lewis finished third in TA2 competition at Indianapolis in 2017 after a career drive from the back of the TA2 field. Lewis now campaigns for Napoleon Motorsport alongside Joe Napoleon, driver of the No. 91 Turn Key/ Surphis Chevrolet Camaro.
Joining Tony Buffomante under the Mike Cope Racing tent will be Keith Prociuk, currently fourth in the points in the No. 9 HP Tuners Chevrolet Camaro, Matt Parent, in the No. 14 Mike Cope Racing Ford Mustang, and Lawless Alan, in the No. 26 Auto Park It/ Mike Cope Ford Mustang.
Current rookie of the year leader Ethan Wilson, in the No. 49 Berryman/ Prefix Dodge Challenger, will feature for Stevens-Miller Racing alongside Paul Van Terry, in the No. 12 Paul Terry Trucks/ Prefix Dodge Challenger, Anthony Honeywell, in the No. 76 Honeywell Competition/ Prefix Chevrolet Camaro, and Doug Peterson, in the No. 11 3-Dimensional Services/ Prefix Dodge Challenger.
Jordan Bupp, in the No. 80 Bupp Motorsports Ford Mustang, will look to continue his streak of three consecutive top-five TA2 finishes; while TA2 West points leader Thomas Merrill and teammate Richard Diehl, in the No. 81 and No. 18 Big Diehl Ford Mustangs, are set to mix it up with their East Coast counterparts.
The 11-car TA3 class field will see the Fall-Line trio of defending champion Mark Boden, Tim Kezman and Tom Herb return to competition. Boden, in the No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports Porsche 991 GT3 Cup, won the class competition in Indy last year, with Kezman finishing second in the No. 44 Fall-Line Motorsports Porsche 991 GT3 Cup. Kezman will also debut in TA2 this weekend in the No. 04 Fall-Line Motorsports Ford Mustang.
Dave Ricci, currently second in the TA3 class points in the No. 71 Breathless Pro Racing Chevrolet Camaro, makes his Indianapolis Motor Speedway debut this weekend, while sports car veteran Cindi Lux, in the No. 45 Lux Performance Dodge Viper, returns to Trans Am action— ready to prove the V10 prowess of the Viper platform on the IMS course.
Trevor Janke, in the No. 31 Speedway Motors Garage Chevrolet Camaro, will make his second Trans Am appearance; while Alline Cipriani, in the No. 60 Ginetta USA Ginetta G55, continues her debut season in Trans Am, currently fourth in the points.
The TA4 class will feature a five-way battle with the Total Performance Racing team of Todd Napieralski, in the No. 39 Tremec/ SKF/ BSP Chevrolet Camaro and Bill Baten, in the No. 38 Priority Comm./ Van Winkle Chevrolet Camaro, facing off against West Coast points leader Dane Smith, in the No. 28 Bob Smith Motors Ford Mustang, Joe Boegetich, in the No. 65 Westover Controls/ Bogie Chevrolet Camaro, and Warren Dexter, making his Trans Am debut in the No. 61 Joe’s Hand Cleaner/ Dexter Racing Ginetta G55.
The event is Trans Am’s second-ever appearance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and will feature the TA2 class’ Berryman Muscle Car Challenge Saturday June 16 at 2:40 PM ET and the TA, TA3 and TA4 classes’ Berryman Trans American Sunday June 17 at 3:15 PM ET. Also in attendance will be the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association holding their Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational.
Fans can catch the action from Trans Am’s two races through live streaming, free on Motor Trend On Demand, with replays of the stream available following the event for Motor Trend On Demand subscribers.
The weekend will also be showcased at CBS Sports Network Sunday July 1 at 2:00 PM ET in a 60-minute highlight show and weekend recap.
Trans Am also partners on the weekend with the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association, holding their Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational, bringing the best of motorsport, past and present, to Indianapolis.
Tickets:
Tickets for the event can be purchased online at www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com or at www.gotransam.com/events
Berryman Trans Am at the Brickyard Event Schedule:
Friday June 15, 2018
11:45 AM – 12:10 PM TA2 Practice
5:30 PM – 5:55 PM TA2 Qualifying
Saturday June 16, 2018
11:00 AM – 11:25 AM TA/TA3/TA4 Practice
2:40 PM – 3:55 PM Berryman Muscle Car Challenge
4:00 PM – 4:15 PM TA Qualifying
4:20 PM – 4:35 PM TA3/ TA4 Qualifying
Sunday June 17, 2018
3:15 PM – 4:25 PM Berryman Trans American
All times eastern
Session Coverage:
Live Timing: All on-track sessions can be followed at www.gotransam.com and on the Race Monitor app available on Windows, Android, iOS and OSX.
Text Commentary: Updates provided throughout sessions on Twitter at @gotransam.
Live Streaming on Motor Trend On Demand:
Berryman Muscle Car Challenge – June 16, 2:40 PM ET – 3:55 PM ET
Berryman Trans American – June 17, 3:15 PM ET – 4:25 PM ET
Broadcast:
Trans Am’s races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be broadcast, tape delayed, on CBS Sports Network.
Berryman Trans Am at the Brickyard Recap – July 1 at 2:00 PM ET
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About The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli:
The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli began igniting the passion of motorsports fans across the world in 1966 and has been home to some of the greatest names in road racing. Today, Trans Am continues to honor its legacy, while challenging the status quo in racing, through meaningful racing platforms and a driver-oriented focus. The Trans Am Series is operated by The Trans Am Race Company, LLC (TARC), and oversees the management and marketing of the Trans Am Series, presented by Pirelli. SCCA Pro Racing sanctions Trans Am events and provides operations services to the Series.
2017 Champions include: Ernie Francis, Jr. (TA), Gar Robinson (TA2), Mark Boden (TA3) and Brian Kleeman (TA4).
For more on the Series visit www.gotransam.com, “like” Trans Am on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gotransam, or follow Trans Am on Twitter @gotransam
