Sebring Testing Notes & Quotes

January 21, 2026

The off-season is officially over, as teams flocked to Sebring International Raceway to kick off the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s 60th-Anniversary season. The longest-running professional road racing series in North America made its debut at Sebring in March of 1966, and its storied history continues today with new drivers, sponsors and classes.

“Shaking off the rust” and “working out some gremlins” seemed to be the theme of Day 1 of testing, with several teams working through mechanical issues before getting extended track time to test their speed and handling.

Rafa Matos, No. 12 for Stanton Barrett Motorsports
“Things are going well. There’s a list of things we're trying to figure out and test with the cars. My car, in particular, had a bit of an issue this morning. So, I'm driving the other two cars [belonging to Stanton Barrett and Graham Jacobson] and trying to get Graham up to speed. I’m just trying to feel the cars out a little bit after being a few months out. I’m super happy to be back to see everybody. I hope to have a good year.”

Adrian Wlostowski, No. 3 for F.A.S.T Auto Racing
“Every year when you come to a test like this, showing up with your equipment after everything's been rebuilt, we spend the first day just getting all the bugs out of everything, fixing everything that's going to break before we show up for the race. I’m also getting [new drivers Gavin Gleitsman and Preston Peabbles] up to speed, I’m doing a little bit of coaching, a little gremlin searching. Just getting through those gremlins the first day is the toughest part. The second day is usually when we start finding some real speed.”

Cale Phillips, No. 99 for Nitro Motorsports
“It feels good to be back, shaking off some of the rust from the winter break. Testing is going well so far, so hopefully it continues that way. It's always one of the tougher tracks for me, so just trying to learn as much as I can.”

Tomy Drissi, No. 8 for Drissi Motorsports
“Right now, we're glad we came here. There are some things we wanted to try out. One of them worked, the other one, not so much. We're really glad that Trans Am puts on a test for us so we can get the cobwebs off the driver, off the car, off the team. This team's so good. They went through all three cars over the off season and they're all ready to go. Our times are pretty good. Simon Gregg [in the team’s second testing entry] is doing real good. He hasn't been here in four years, and he's already in the hunt, so that's great. We're chasing after [Matthew Brabham in the No. 16 for CD Racing] a little bit. I think we'll have something. We’ve got some thinking to do, engineering-wise. Tomorrow will be a good day. Today we’re just getting the cobwebs off.”

Shaking off the rust is exactly what pre-season testing is for, and by the second half of the day, teams were able to see what their machines were capable of, with more optimistic outlooks for the season ahead.

Simon Gregg, No. 59 for Drissi Motorsports
“The test is going well. It's been a few years since I've been here, because I've been away from the series, but it's great to be back and the car is running good. It seems fast and reliable. I'm just now getting up to speed. I think I should be able to get my lap times even more competitive. I’m having a good time out here.”

Jared Odrick, No. 00 for TRB Autosport
“Overall, I think we're in a really good spot. This is probably the most precise I've been able to be with testing and being in the car. We’ve got a lot of new people over here at TRB that are in new positions, new teammates, and we're dialing that all in. We're getting the flow right now in the paddock with some new haulers and some new equipment, and I think, in general, we feel we feel pretty good. We're getting some Florida sun, compared to the Pennsylvania blizzard that's happening right now, so I can't complain.”

Stanton Barrett, No. 88 for Stanton Barrett Motorsports
“I love Sebring. It's such an awesome place, and the dynamics of the track are just really fun for a driver. I always love coming here. I ran a TA car here back in 2017, as well as different sports cars and stock cars and the vintage stuff. So, it is a track that I really enjoy. I'm not too worried as far as getting out and being adapted to these cars.”

Sam Corry, No. 20 for Nitro Motorsports
“It’s a good first day back in a CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series car for sure. It's good to be back in the new year. We're at Sebring, so it's a lot of character at this place. It's bumpy, it's fun, it's fast, it’s all of it. I’m looking forward to getting back here for the race here in a month or so. And we’ve got TA cars ripping by us right now. I’m just happy to be back, for sure.”

Some drivers are trying new things in 2026, with Kaylee Bryson stepping up into the TA class this season, and newcomers like Jackson Tovo getting their first experience in a CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series car.

Kaylee Bryson, No. 2 for Team Weaver Racing
“I first saw the TA class when I came to Trans Am a couple years ago, and I've always been infatuated with the cars. I got the opportunity to go run with Pancho Weaver, and it's been really exciting to move up a class and experience new speeds, meet new people. It's just been really fun to see how this has gone so far. It's nice to come to Sebring because I know the track and I'm trying to learn a new car, so it's nice to just focus on the car. I already know the track. This place is super cool. It's one of the first places I ever came to race on a road course. So far, testing has been going really well. We're working on getting comfortable and just getting comfy in the car, getting used to it. I’m getting to know my crew and looking forward to seeing what's to come.”

Jackson Tovo, No. 30 for Nitro Motorsports
“It's been great. I've been learning a lot, we've been on old tires the whole time, and I'm just trying to soak up everything we can for race pace.”

Joining the Trans Am Series in the broadcast booth this year is award-winning broadcast veteran Allen Bestwick, who offered his thoughts after spending his first day in the Trans Am Paddock.

Allen Bestwick, Racing America
“I knew before I got here that Trans Am has a good vibe in the paddock. It's a good group of people that I knew would be a lot of fun to work around. As you can imagine, this is kind of the first day of school and there's a lot of homework. My piles of paper are full of notes. I've taken and traded more phone numbers today than I probably have on any single day in years. But it'll be a lot of fun. The cars are great, the people are great. There's a lot of good here and you can work with that. A lot of familiar faces too. I'm shocked, but I'm not shocked at the number of people that I knew from NASCAR for years that are in this paddock now.”