David Pintaric edges out Paul Fix for Watkins Glen Pole

Bob Stretch leads TA2 while setting track record; David Seuss sets pace for TA3

David Pintaric, Trans Am Watkins Glen pole setter.  If you were to ask Pintaric, he’d tell you those were words he dreamed about as a fan, racing fantasies played out in his head again and again; thinking that one day Pintaric would be next to Kendall, Sharp, Schroeder, Tullius and Donohue.  And that is what is was, a dream—at least until today.  Unlike other racing fans Pintaric finds himself in an interesting position—his dream came true.   

“It’s overwhelming,” Pintaric said.  “To put my name as a winner of a pole, considering all the people who have come before me, it’s overwhelming.” 

Pintaric set a time of 1:50.141 in the #57 Kryderacing/WRP Investments Chevrolet Corvette just beating out Paul Fix and the #4 StopFlex/Beebe Racing/PME/Lamers Chevrolet Corvette, who timed in at 1:50.161.  Pintaric’s time was just two tenths of a second off of the track record. 

“The gap between Paul and I, that just shows the quality of the competition,” Pintaric said.  “It makes you feel like you earned something.  The closer the times are the more rewarding it is.” 

Pintaric has finished fourth in the last two Trans Am races, just missing out on podium.  He sees Watkins Glen as an opportunity to break into the top three.

“I like this track a lot.  I’ve raced here countless times; I’ve had success in the dry, success in the wet—but I’m going to let the race come to me.  It’s 100 miles.  A lot of things can happen.  Patience is going to be key—we’ll see what happens.”

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Rain prevails at Watkins Glen, slows second practice session

Paul Fix puts in fast lap for session at home track

The first practice session of the weekend fell victim to a wet track and so was the second, as the mist slowly turned into rain, resulting in a slick track at Watkins Glen.

Twenty six drivers still took the opportunity to test out rain tires, iron out mechanical issues and practice switching out tire sets; but very few pushed their cars in the less than ideal conditions.

Paul Fix in the #4 StopFlex/Beebe Racing/PME/Lamers Chevrolet Corvette logged the fast lap of the session, turning a 2:15.883.  Fix considers Watkins Glen his home track and has put in countless hours on the surface as a racer and driving instructor.   His expertise at Watkins Glen showed as he led the session and was the only TA car to finish with a faster lap than the TA2 trio of Robert Huffmaster, Cameron Lawrence and Bob Stretch.  Following Fix was the #15 Gateway Racing Corvette of Allan Lewis and the #55 Advanced Composite Chevrolet Corvette of Kerry Hitt.  

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Rain follows Trans Am to Watkins Glen as drivers deal with wet track during practice session

John Baucom leads practice session with time of 2:04:074

After a rain-logged weekend at Lime Rock Park, the Trans Am Series was hoping for a change in weather as it returns to Watkins Glen; however, a constant mist left the track damp and slick for Trans Am’s first on track session of the weekend. 

The conditions did not prevent 24 members of the 33-car Trans Am field from taking to the track to get a feel for the legendary Watkins Glen course.   

Leading the session was the #86 Baucom Motorsports/Roadraceparts.com Ford Mustang of John Baucom, who is making his Trans Am return after an unfortunate fire during the season opener at Sebring.  His first session back resulted in the fast lap of the session with a time of 2:04.074, a good three seconds faster than runner-up David Pinatric and the #57 Kryderacing/WRP Investments Chevrolet Corvette. 

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