Once Outmatched, Eric Cayton Now Coming Into His Own In TA2

April 13, 2026

Eric Cayton remembers his initial start in TA2 and feeling completely out of his element. A couple of years later, he's become a consistent competitor and is looking to take another step forward in the paddock.

When Eric Cayton rolled into the paddock for his first CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series start at Road Atlanta in 2023, it didn't take the aspiring race car driver long to realize the tall mountain he was about to attempt to scale.

"We showed up in, I think my trailer at the time was a 2003 Haulmark, 28-foot, really beat up behind a 2010 [Ford] F-350 Dually that had like 250,000 miles on it," Cayton recalled. "I mean, we were the smallest rig. We were like, the beat-up support for, you know, somebody else's team kind of is what our trailer looked like."

Cayton continued, "But it was an eye opener on how truly outgunned we were to be completely honest."

Fast forward to today, and Cayton is no longer trying to survive in one of road racing's most competitive arenas; he's actually starting to fight near the front of the field.

Unlike many of his fellow TA2 competitors, Cayton didn't grow up on karting tracks or climb a traditional racing developmental ladder. Instead, his introduction to speed came later in life, and on two wheels.

"I did some motorcycle track days when I was in my late 20s," Cayton said. "Before that, I'd gone down to Deals Gap and run with some friends, and they were always kind of like, 'Man, Cayton, you're pretty quick for never having been on a bike before.'"

The natural ability that oozed from Cayton on two wheels eventually translated to four-wheel competition, again, not in a traditional way, but instead one that mirrored his hands-on, self-built personality.

Cayton started by building a BMW E30 for endurance racing, competing in grassroots series like the 24 Hours of Lemons, and ChampCar before moving into a Corvette program. It wasn't glamorous by any means, but it laid the foundation for Cayton's road racing development.

According to Cayton, his first true breakthrough came in a National Auto Sport Association event at the Corvette Museum track in Bowling Green, KY.

"There weren't very many people there, but I won by a landslide," Cayton said.

Little did Cayton know that the run would help open the door to something bigger.

Cayton's transition into TA2 competition wasn't gradual. No, he straight plunged into the deep end of the pool, and considering the conditions he faced in his first race, it's a miracle that he didn't drown.

Cayton's baptism by fire came at Road Atlanta.

"My first, you know, basically lap in a TA2 car, under green flag was on rain (tires) in the rain at a track that I had, I mean, it was so many black flags," Cayton said. "I think I had like 20 green flag laps on it before the green flag dropped on rains."

Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, Cayton found his way.

"I was pretty intimidated then, but we actually did pretty good in the rain. You know, the car had more traction than I thought."

Still, Cayton's biggest realization that day wasn't about the on-track conditions; it was about the competition.
With TA2 serving as the launching pad for aspiring NASCAR and IMSA drivers in recent years, the series has become one of the toughest proving grounds in American road racing. In addition to the rising stars, there is a peppering of grizzled veterans in the field. For Cayton, the adjustment wasn't just physical; it was also mental.
"Undescribably competitive, undescribably," Cayton said. "I mean, it's just amazing how fast these young kids are."

But Cayton notes, it's not just the up-and-comers that have impressed him.

"You got Mike Skeen, and you've got Adrian Wlostowski; he is just so talented. So, to be able to even like sniff at some of these guys, in the beginning, I was really hard on myself about it."

That perspective has evolved as Cayton's on-track performance has improved.

"Now, as I'm getting a little bit faster and my racecraft is starting to improve, I do feel maybe a little bit of pride," Cayton explained. "Not just me, but what the team has accomplished."

Two races into the 2026 season, the results are truly beginning to reflect that progress.
Cayton has opened the year with back-to-back top-10 finishes, halfway to matching his career-best total for a full season.

"I do," Cayton said when asked if he feels confident about the direction of his season. "Because this year, the entries are up, and the level of competitiveness, it is definitely very rewarding for sure."

While finishing positions are good, Cayton is happy that he's earning the runs based on his pace, and not through a lot of luck or attrition.

For the first time in his racing career, Cayton is not just inheriting positions on track; he's earning them.

Every driver has a moment where the light bulb goes off, and things start to make sense. For the 46-year-old, that realization came this season.

"It really was Sebring this year when we made some passes on some faster guys that were, again, not just gimmicky because they wrecked or were having issues," Cayton said.

But one battle in particular stood out for Cayton.

"Probably my biggest moment was catching up to Thomas Merrill and Lanie Buice," Cayton admitted. "I mean, I caught them straight-up."

For true racers, that distinction matters.

"It wasn't because they were wounded, it was -- they were up there, you know, dog fighting one another, and we were able to catch them," Cayton explained.

For a driver who once felt outmatched, it was confirmation that he is ascending.

"That's probably really the finding moment where we're like, man, we got a little bit of juice here," Cayton said.
Integral to Cayton's rise in the paddock is a partnership that goes far beyond logos on his race car.

Since entering TA2, he has been backed by the Ray Skillman Auto Group, a relationship that is rooted in years of trust and shared history.

"They aren't like family to me, they are family to me," Cayton stated.

Cayton began his career with the organization as a technician before working his way up into management. Along the way, he built a lasting connection with Ray Skillman himself.

That relationship eventually translated into an opportunity on track, but it's the belief behind the on-track opportunity that means the most.

"I've never had a single thing handed to me," Cayton said. "So, how do I repay what they've done for me? I mean, there's no way that I ever can other than supporting them."

The bond between Cayton and the Skillman family is built on more than racing; it's built on shared values.

"Ray is 100% self-made. Nobody gave him anything. It was him just working hard in grit," Cayton explained.

That mindset mirrors Cayton's own journey, and it's one of the reasons that the partnership works.

"They are by far the most generous people that I have ever come in contact with," Cayton added.

From charitable efforts supporting hundreds of children each year to investing in his racing career, the relationship carries weight on and beyond the racetrack.

"It's nice to be around those people," Cayton said.

So, what's next for Cayton?

With momentum building and confidence growing, Cayton isn't shying away from setting ambitious goals.
"A true success would be top-five in points," Cayton said. "I think that is a tall order with the competition, but I don't think it's too outlandish."

It's a target that reflects both realism and belief; something that didn't exist in Cayton's early days of feeling outmatched in the TA2 Series.

Now, with experience, support, and speed all coming together, Cayton is starting to look less like an underdog and more like a driver on the rise.

And in a series as unforgiving as the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, that might be the biggest accomplishment of all.