Trans Am heads down south for NOLA debut as Ruman, Fix showdown looms

October 7, 2015

Lawrence holds TA2 lead with three races remaining, Saunders and Francis eye potential title clinches

AVONDALE, La. [October 7, 2015] – With only three races remaining in the 2015 Trans Am Championship, the Series now heads south to the relative unknown and its NOLA Motorsports Park debut with Championship races in full swing. The facility, recently opened in 2011, is new territory for the vast majority of the Trans Am paddock; but with the season coming to a close and points at a premium, competitors will have to learn the 2.75-mile, 16 turn road course on the fly.

For some drivers the implications are less severe; but for Amy Ruman, driver of the No. 23 McNichols Company Chevrolet Corvette, and Paul Fix, driver of the No. 4 StopFlex.com/TheCarCoach.com Chevrolet Corvette, their respective abilities to hit the track running come Sunday’s 101.75 mile race could make all the difference in the Trans Am Championship. Both Ruman, the current points leader, and Fix are the front runners for this year’s TA class Championship and are only separated by 14 points headed into Round 10 at NOLA.

Together the Championship rivals have set the tone for the TA class in 2015, capturing every race victory but one. Ruman began the year in near untouchable form, winning five of the first six events, while Fix now seems to be the one in form with two wins in the past three races—including the last round at VIR. Together, they seem set to battle down to the wire come the 2015 finale at Daytona and with the current margins being so slim, a strong finish at NOLA could play a pivotal role at year end.

Doug Peterson, driver of the No. 87 3Dimensional.com Cadillac CTS-V, remains third in the Championship hunt, 54 points down and currently in a battle with John Baucom, in the No. 86 RoadRaceParts.com Ford Mustang, for third on the year end podium. Likewise, Jim McAleese, in the No. 03 McAleese & Associates Chevrolet Corvette; Kerry Hitt, in the No. 19 Advanced Composite Components Cadillac CTS-V, and Simon Gregg, in the No. 59 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette, are all looking to solidify potential top five finishes on the year and will look to capitalize on the absence of usual podium contenders Cliff Ebben and David Pintaric.

In the TA2 class, contenders will be set on a singular goal— catching Cameron Lawrence and the No. 1 MOPAR Dodge Challenger. The two-time TA2 Champion comes into NOLA with momentum in his favor, fresh off a win at VIR and capturing a North American Endurance Championship. The two leading challengers to Lawrence’s long held throne are rookie Gar Robinson, in the No. 74 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, and the familiar face Adam Andretti, in the No. 44 Engineered Components Chevrolet Camaro, who finished second to Lawrence in the 2014 TA2 Championship.

While only four points, 206 to 202, separate Robinson and Andretti, Lawrence remains a considerable 30 points ahead of his title rivals—not an insurmountable gap, but one that will need to be narrowed immediately if any driver is going to wrestle the crown away from Lawrence this year.

Still, there are plenty of other drivers within the TA2 class that could thrust themselves into the limelight on race day. Dillon Machavern, in the No. 24 Heritage Motorsports Ford Mustang, is currently fourth in the Championship points, 19 back from Andretti, and would be happy to claim his second win of the year. Shane Lewis, Robinson’s teammate and driver of the No. 72 74 Ranch Resort Chevrolet Camaro, who has a pedigree as impressive as any in the TA2 paddock, is yet to reach the top step of the podium despite winning multiple races—NOLA may provide that opportunity. Likewise, Tony Buffomante, in the No. 34 BestLine Superior Lubricants Ford Mustang, and Tommy Archer, in the No. 54 c3Controls Chevrolet Camaro, are eager to make their marks. Lawrence Loshak, in the No. 5 Raybestos Powertrain Ford Mustang, and the seemingly ever-improving Joe Stevens, in the No. 11 MOPAR Dodge Challenger, are well overdue for podium appearances as well—such is the nature of competition in TA2.

Either way, NOLA represents one of the last gasp opportunities for drivers to thrust themselves into the reckoning for end of the year honors, or complete their podium ascension. And with the clock ticking, it is fair to say that once more the road to the TA2 Championship goes through Cameron Lawrence and Miller Racing.

In TA3, Champions may be crowned sooner than later. Both Lee Saunders, in the No. 84 Landsearch LLC Dodge Viper, of the International Group and Ernie Francis, Jr., in the No. 98 Breathless Racing Chevrolet Camaro, of the American Muscle Group could potentially clinch their respective titles at NOLA.

For Saunders, the potential outcome seems more likely than not with his primary title rivals not in attendance and an 81-point lead secure entering the event. Barring any last minute entries from other competitors, Saunders will claim the TA3 International Championship for himself and Dodge by simply taking the green flag.

For Francis, the mathematical calculations are more complex—clinching a second title remains a possibility for the defending Champion; however, the presence of his main rival for the title, Todd Napieralski, in the No. 39 Tremec/SKF/Backstreet Chevrolet Camaro, makes Francis’ chances far less likely.

Down 52 points, Napieralski will need to make up immediate ground on Francis in a big way to stand a chance at wrestling the title from the defending Champion—but barring mechanical issues for Francis in the remaining three races, time might just be running out on Napieralski’s title hopes.

Still, victory circle silverware remains up for grabs this weekend; and there are plenty of other drivers in the TA3 class ready to race for the win, including the Lux Performance duo of Cindi Lux and Steve Streimer in the International Group. Both Lux and Streimer have landed their rides on the top step of the podium so far this year; now they’ll once more try and lead the No. 45 and 42 Lux Performance Group Dodge Vipers to victory lane. Likewise, Spencer Caudle, John Gutleber, Carey Grant, Frenando Seferlis and Mel Shaw will do their best to capture Trans Am silverware in Trans Am’s production-based groups.

The Trans Am Series will be joined at NOLA by SVRA, the Sports Car Vintage Racing Association, in a celebration of both motorsport’s present and past over the course of the weekend. In total, Trans Am will partake in six on-track session throughout the event, not including a full test day on Thursday.

Full Schedule for Round 10 at NOLA Motorsports Park:

Friday, October 9, 2015:
10:45 AM – 11:15 AM Practice 1
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM TA Class “Fast Five Qualifying”
3:50 PM – 4:05 PM TA2 Class “Fast Five Qualifying”
4:10 PM – 4:25 PM TA3 Class “Fast Five Qualifying”

Saturday, October 10, 2015:
10:20 AM – 11:00 AM Practice 2
11:05 AM – 11:20 AM Second Chance to Qualify

Sunday, October 11, 2015:
8:15 AM – 8:30 AM Trans Am Warm Up
12:45 PM Trans Am Race – 101.75 miles/ 37 laps/ 70 minutes

Fans can keep up with the action throughout the weekend at www.gotransam.com, on Facebook at Facebook.com/gotransam and on Twitter at @gotransam.