Trans Am Series Event Preview – Sebring SpeedTour 2025

The Trans Am Series opens its 2025 season at Sebring International Raceway, celebrating its origins from 1966, as part of the Sebring SpeedTour.

Green Flag for the 2025 Season (Photo: Trans Am Series)

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli will kick off the 2025 season at the site of its inaugural race in 1966, Sebring International Raceway, as part of the Sebring SpeedTour. The challenging 3.74-mile track has hosted 29 previous Trans Am races and has served as the season-opener for the series every year since 2013. This weekend, Sebring will host more than 60 cars between the TA/GT race and the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, in addition approximately two dozen Historic Trans Am cars in the HTA races.

Watch LIVE

There are two great free streaming options for watching this weekend’s TA/GT, CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, and Historic Trans Am races. The events will stream live on Trans Am’s YouTube channel, @TheTransAmSeries, as well as on SPEED SPORT 1. SPEED SPORT 1 is the first network dedicated to free, live motorsports, presenting hundreds of live events and thousands of hours of premier motorsport content and lifestyle programming from around the globe annually. SPEED SPORT 1 can be watched on its dedicated app on Android and iOS, as well as Amazon Prime Freevee, PlutoTV, Sling Freestream and more.

TA/XGT/SGT/GT/GT1 – Champions Dominate the Field

Of the 23 competitors driving in this weekend’s TA/GT race, nearly half of the of the entrants are former champions, with 11 past title winners responsible for 20 championships taking the green flag in Sunday’s race. Past TA champions are defending title winner Paul Menard (No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang), Wally Dallenbach Jr. (No. 4 Ultimate Headers Ford Mustang), Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Trench Shoring Chevrolet Camaro), Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) and Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette), while CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series champion Brent Crews (No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro) will compete for the TA title this year. Danny Lowry (No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT4) is a past XGT champion, while last year’s SGT champion Kaylee Bryson (No. 02 Logical Systems Inc. Chevrolet Corvette) and former GT champion Billy Griffin (No. 14 Griffin Auto Care Mercedes AMG GT3) are also joining the XGT class this season. Lee Saunders (No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper) returns to SGT as a past champion, and Chris Coffey (No. 97 Traffic Grafix/Chill Out Motorsports Maserati MC GT4) looks to defend his GT title.

Brent Crews, Nitro Motorsports Joining TA Full Time

It was recently announced that 2023 CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series champion Brent Crews (No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro) will race full time in the TA class in 2025. Crews, who leads the TA2 class in wins since 2022 and took home two-consecutive Young Gun Awards, became the youngest Trans Am champion ever at the age of 15 years, seven months and six days old. Crews will drive for Nitro Motorsports, where he won his title in 2023. In addition to Trans Am, Crews will also be competing part-time in the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season.

CD Racing and 3GT Racing Bringing Pairs

For the first time since 2023, CD Racing will field be a multi-car team at Sebring. Chris Dyson will once again pilot his No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang in pursuit of his fourth TA title, while Humaid Masood will get behind the wheel of the No. 21 allgram Ford Mustang, racing in Trans Am for the first time since COTA in 2022.

Paul Gentilozzi’s 3GT Racing will also unload two cars at Sebring, the first belonging to defending TA champion Paul Menard in the No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang. NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Brandon Jones will get behind the wheel of 3GT’s second car, the No. 31 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang. Jones, who has three previous Trans Am starts and is racing in the series for the first time since 2019, will be pulling double duty this weekend, competing in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway before heading to Sebring for Sunday’s TA event.

Tomy Drissi on a Roll

Tomy Drissi enters 2025 hoping to extend a four-race podium streak, which he has held since the series visited Watkins Glen International last year. He also drives into the new season with two new partners, Trench Shoring Company and Motul, in addition to welcoming back Franklin Road Apparel. Drissi has four top-five finishes in the last five years at Sebring, with a best finish of second in 2020. Drissi’s No. 8 Trench Shoring Chevrolet Camaro will compete alongside teammate Keith Grant at Sebring, who will pilot the No. 5 Trench Shoring Chevrolet Camaro. Grant scored his first TA class podium at Sebring as a rookie in 2023, and finished fifth in last year’s event.

Drissi is also pulling double duty this weekend, competing in Historic Trans Am. He’s piloting the No. 1 Chaparral Racing Chevrolet Camaro. Driven and built by Jim Hall, Drissi’s is one of only three of these cars that were built, and the only one known to still exist.

Bryson and Griffin Join XGT

PMH Powering Diversity Scholarship recipient Kaylee Bryson, who claimed the SGT title in 2024 and became the third female champion in Trans Am history, is bringing her No. 02 Logical Systems Inc. Chevrolet Corvette to the XGT class this season, competing for the title full time.

After making his debut in the class last season at VIRginia International Raceway, two-time GT champion Billy Griffin will be competing for the XGT championship in 2025, piloting the No. 14 Griffin Auto Care Mercedes AMG GT3. He will compete alongside teammate and two-time XGT champion Danny Lowry in the No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT4.

Paul Tracy Back in Trans Am

Paul Tracy returns to the Trans Am Series, driving for Chicago Performance and Tuning Co. for the first two events of 2025. Tracy will get behind the wheel of the No. 10 Race Cars For You Innovation IRC GT at Sebring and Road Atlanta, competing in the series for the first time in five years. The IRC team first showcased the car in open testing at VIRginia International Raceway last fall, then worked with Trans Am’s technical team to homologate the car for XGT class competition. Tracy and the team hope to expand the effort into a full-time championship run.

On a personal note, Tracy is coming into Sebring as a newlywed after marrying his wife Lisa on Valentine’s Day.

GT1 Challenge Makes Debut

Debuting in 2025 is the GT1 Challenge. The GT1 Challenge is a class that focuses on offering vehicles competing in the SCCA Club GT1 class a way to easily cross over to Pro racing in the Trans Am Series. The GT1 Challenge allows drivers to compete in a maximum of nine races per season, with their five highest points-scoring races making up their championship points total. The driver with the most points accumulated in their five best races will be recognized and awarded a championship trophy at the year-end Trans Am Awards Gala in November. The first entrant in the class is John DeGaynor, who will drive the No. 04 Speed Dream’n Racing Ford Mustang, a car previously raced by Trans Am Hall of Famer, Ron Fellows.

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series

Matos Joins Silver Hare Racing

When the checkered flag waved at Circuit of The Americas, Rafa Matos (No. 57 Concord American Flagpole/SHR Chevrolet Camaro) became the first three-time champion in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series. The Brazilian driver returns to TA2 in 2025, but under a different banner. Matos joins Silver Hare Racing this season, a team he previously drove for in 2020, earning one win and six podiums in nine races. TA2’s winningest driver with 25 victories, Matos will be racing alongside new teammate Noah Harmon (No. 7 Streetside Classics/Flanagan’s Chevrolet Camaro). Harmon comes to Trans Am as an accomplished driver in the Spec MX-5 and MX-5 Cup series and is a freshman at the University of Central Florida.

Making Moves

In addition to Rafa Matos, a few other drivers are hanging their helmet in a new shop this season. Boris Said Jr. (No. 60 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang), Julian DaCosta (No. 30 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang), and Gian Buffomante (No. 95 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) have joined Nitro Motorsports, the team which has won the championship the last two-consecutive seasons. The trio will be joined at Sebring by Tyler Gonzalez (No. 10 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang), newcomer Mia Lovell (No. 40 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang), Sam Corry (No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang), who won the Pro/Am Challenge race in his Trans Am debut in the season finale at Circuit of The Americas, Thomas Annunziata (No. 90 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang), who is racing full time for the title this season, and Cale Phillips (No. 99 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang), who is competing in the Pro/Am Challenge.

Jared Odrick (No. 00 Black Underwear Ford Mustang) has moved to TRB Autosport, joining Jacob Yesnick (No. 43 McLeod/Silver Sport/Sidley LLP Ford Mustang). Odrick will once again compete in the Pro/Am Challenge, while Yesnick will pursue the National Championship. TRB Autosport also has an entry in the SGT class driven by Patrick Utt (No. 49 RaceQuip/Driven Racing Oil Chevrolet Camaro).

TeamSLR Brings a Handful

TeamSLR heads to Sebring with a full stable, entering five uniquely-skilled drivers in this weekend’s event. 2020 TA2 champion Mike Skeen returns to competition this weekend, driving the No. 48 CUBE 3/Franklin Road/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro for TeamSLR. This will be Skeen’s first start at Sebring since 2023. Barry Boes (No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) returns to the Pro/Am Challenge to defend the title he earned on the strength of seven victories, including the season opener at Sebring. 14-year-old Tristan McKee (No. 28 Spire Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) will contend for the championship full time this season after making his debut in the SpeedTour All-Star Race alongside Scott Speed last year. Hendrick Motorsports development driver Corey Day (No. 17 HendrickCars.com/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) is making his TA2 debut, as is Carson Brown (No. 8 Pay Café/Ebb Logistics/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro), who was last year’s Asphalt Pro Late Model champion at Five Flag Speedway and recently won a pair of Super Late Model races at New Smyrna Speedway during Speedweeks.

G’Day to Thornburrow

Australian driver Edan Thornburrow is making his CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series debut this weekend, driving the No. 15 Owosso Speedway Ford Mustang for Adrian Wlostowski’s F.A.S.T. Auto Racing. Although this will be his first time racing in TA2 stateside, he has 72 starts in the Australian TA2 National Series, with a best finish of second in the championship standings in 2021. The 21-year-old, who plans to compete in about half the races this season, is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Nathan Herne and Matthew Brabham, who have both found success in the Trans Am Series in the United States. Thornburrow, who was named the 2019 Motorsport Australia Young Driver of the Year, was the 2018 and 2019 Porsche 944 Champion, and won the Toyota 86 Racing title in 2019 and 2021 in his home country. Thornburrow hails from Concord West, New South Wales near Sydney.

Welcome Mia Lovell

This year marks the rookie Trans Am season for Mia Lovell, who will pilot the No. 40 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang full time for Nitro Motorsports. Adopted from China, Lovell grew up as a professional skateboarder and had never raced a kart or car until 2023. That season, she competed in the Toyota GR Cup and was the first female driver to finish in the top 10 and the fastest female overall for two seasons.

Young Gun Race

14 drivers competing at Sebring will be eligible for the 2025 Young Gun Award, which recognizes the top driver in the National standings under the age of 25 with a $20,000 prize at the year-end gala. Always one of the most competitive contests of the season, the award was won by Brent Crews in 2022 and 2023 and Thomas Annunziata in 2024. Below are all of the eligible drivers competing this weekend:

Noah Harmon, No. 7 Streetside Classics/Flanagan’s Chevrolet Camaro (19)
Carson Brown, No. 8 Pay Café/Ebb Logistics/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro (16)
Tyler Gonzalez, No. 10 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (20)
Edan Thornburrow, No. 15 Owosso Speedway Ford Mustang (21)
Corey Day, No. 17 HendrickCars.com/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro (19)
Tristan McKee, No. 28 Spire Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro (14)
Julian DaCosta, No. 30 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (17)
Mia Lovell, No. 40 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (18)
Dominic Starkweather, No. 47 Beacon Building Products Ford Mustang (23)
Boris Said Jr., No. 60 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (21)
Sam Corry, No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (17)
Austin Green, No. 89 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang (23)
Thomas Annunziata, No. 90 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (19)
Gian Buffomante, No. 95 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang (17)

Full Pro/Am Challenge Field

16 drivers are entered this weekend in the Pro/Am Challenge, the TA2 race-within-a-race which allows drivers to take their nine best finishes and compete for a championship. 2024 Pro/Am Challenge champion Barry Boes (No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) returns to the class, as do other 2025 race winners Keith Prociuk (No. 9 HP Tuners/Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang), Tom Sheehan (No. 97 Vixen Cycle Co./LTK/Cope Ford Mustang) and Jared Odrick (No. 00 Black Underwear Ford Mustang). New to the program—and the series—this year are Jordan Menzin (No. 18 Performance Tech Motorsports Ford Mustang), Maciej Tuniewicz (No. 29 New Granite & Marble/F.A.S.T. Auto Ford Mustang), Will Robinson (No. 51 DPS Racing LLC/Cope Cars Ford Mustang) and Matt Griffin (No. 67 Griffin Concrete Construction Chevrolet Camaro). After an incredibly tight points hunt last year, the large field means the Pro/Am Challenge will only get more competitive in 2025.

TA2 News & Notes

This year we say ‘Hola!’ to Valentin Aguirre (No. 12 Memo Corse/CAN/Elf Oil Ford Mustang), from Arrecifes, Argentina.

Adam Andretti will be pulling double duty this weekend, competing in both Saturday’s TA2 race and Sunday’s TA/GT race. On Saturday, Andretti will pilot the No. 41 Ultimate Headers Chevrolet Camaro, and on Sunday, he will be behind the wheel of the No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro.


Trans Am Series | Photo: Trans Am Series