Brickyard 400 winner Paul Menard arrived at Charlotte Motor Speedway with dozens of NASCAR starts on the track Oval and Roval configurations, but none on the track in the Trans Am series presented by Pirelli. The race veteran started Round 2 of the TA season at the poles and it seemed like he was just going to drive to victory, but tire problems at halftime put Menard down one lap. Fast work on the pit road by the Showtime Motorsports team and obstacles faced by other competitors allowed Menard to fight his way back to the front. After a fierce battle with Tomy Drissi, Menard earned a place on the podium.
Dem Menard seng Nr. A quick full-run yellow brought in by Menard team owner Ken Thwaits put the field back, but Menard showed his dominance as he maintained his lead, followed by 2021 champion Chris Dyson in his number 20 Altwell Ford Mustang. After running the fastest lap of the race so far in the 7th lap, Dyson looked to challenge Menard, but a flat right-front tire sent his Mustang into the front stretch wall, ending his day prematurely.
The Roval configuration of Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of the heaviest loads on tire construction, and after leading the field for 25 laps, Menard was forced to pull onto Pit Lane, putting his lead over Drissi in number 8 Lucas Oil Mustang abandoned. Drissi led the field for five laps before also requiring a change of tires on the pit road. This allowed two-time TA champion Amy Ruman to take the lead in her No. 23 McNichols Co Chevrolet Corvette.
Ruman led the next eight laps, but with consistently fast lap times, Menard and Drissi were able to close the gap slowly and Dunlap himself, all along the Roman line with only six laps to go. This led to a close battle between Menard and Drissi, the first and second, respectively. Even though Drissi briefly passed Menard in the final laps, the NASCAR Pro was able to regain the top spot, driving its Franklin Road apparel machine into Victoria Lane. The win also earned Menard the ChillOut Cool Move of the Race and the EMCO Top Gear Award. Ruman finished third, followed by Ryan McManus and number 07 McManus agency Chevrolet Corvette. GT winner Natalie Decker in No. 29 PlantFuel Audi R8 finished fifth after starting at the back of the field, and SGT Victory Danny Lowry finished sixth in his No. 42 BridgeHaul Porsche GT3 Cup despite a late race spin.
“It’s really cool to be back on top of the podium,” Menard told Victory Lane. “It was a chaotic race but a fantastic weekend. My crew was great, and my Franklin Road Apparel Camaro was fast every session where we were. Ken Thwaits set up Showtime Motorsports to be a competitor, and I think we showed up today. that we have the tools and we have the speed “.
“That was like a story novel: I got the girl and then I lost her,” said Tomy Drissi. “When we had our issue, my guys kept quiet on the radio and said, ‘Come on, let’s change our right front tire. The next round they told me that I could tackle Menard and that we should both pass the Amy with a few rounds to go. We made it, and we took the lead for a second, but Menard was a pro and he knew where to put his car. Overall this was a good day and we got a lot of points for the championship.
“Tires, tires, tires,” said Amy Ruman in third place. “I tried to be conservative, so we set a more conservative pace while leading to maintain our tires. When we got the lead, I was hoping we could stick to it in the end. I’m glad to be on the podium, but I would like to have the victory.I knew there would be exhaustion today, but I’m glad I did not.
“I came from behind to win my group, and we were fifth overall, so today was amazing,” said GT winner Natalie Decker. “I am exhausted; that was a long course. I’m going to celebrate with my family and my team.
“It was exciting, a little more exciting than I was looking for,” said Danny Lowry, who despite winning a spin at the end of the race won the SGT class. “Luckily it was near the end of the race and I did not hit anything. The car was on fire and we were ready to finish. I’ll be back next weekend and I’m looking forward to a great time with Trans Am on Road Atlanta.
Today’s event will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network on Friday, March 25 at 7:00 PM ET. Yesterday’s TA2 course will be online Saturday, March 26 at 2:30 PM ET.
TA will return to the track next weekend at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
Full results of the race can be found here.
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