CROSSED FLAGS: 2023 Mid

Oct 08, 2023

When the checkered flag waved at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last month, all of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s National Championship classes were officially past the halfway point of the 2023 season. While there’s still plenty of racing to go before Circuit of The Americas, here’s an update on the points battle in each class and a review of the season so far.

TA Mid-Season Points Update2021 and 2022 champion Chris Dyson in the No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang currently leads the standings in the TA class after six of 11 events, earning victories at NOLA Motorsports Park, Road Atlanta and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Dyson has only one finish off of the podium, with a 10th-place result at Sebring International Raceway following mechanical issues. With a 2.8 average finish, Dyson is on track to battle for his third-consecutive championship.

Dyson’s CD Racing teammate Matthew Brabham in the No. 20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang is not far behind his team owner, sitting second in the standings, only 11 points back. Brabham kicked off the year with a win at Sebring and also scored a victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Earning an average finish of third, Brabham only has one finish off of the podium as well, finishing ninth at Road Atlanta due to motor issues.

Tomy Drissi in the No. 8 Lucas Oil Ford Mustang occupies the third position with consistent top-five finishes. The TA veteran is yet to score a win but earned a podium finish at Road Atlanta with a best finish of third.

David Pintaric in the No. 57 Kryderacing Ford Mustang is just behind Drissi in fourth. Pintaric has a best finish of fourth, which he achieved at both NOLA and Lime Rock Park.

Two-time champion Amy Ruman in the No. 23 McNichols Co. Chevrolet Corvette rounds out the top five. Ruman also has a best finish of fourth, which she achieved at Road Atlanta.

Of note, Justin Marks in the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet Camaro sits sixth in points despite missing two events due to scheduling conflicts. Marks has earned three podiums, including one dominating win at Lime Rock Park, and three Motul Pole Awards.

XGT Mid-Season Points UpdateDanny Lowry in the No. 42 BridgeHaul/Bennett Family of Companies Mercedes AMG GT3 currently leads the XGT standings following victories at Sebring International Raceway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He is followed by 2022 SGT Western Championship title winner Chris Evans in the No. 92 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang, who won the race at NOLA Motorsports Park. Nathan Byrd in the No. 88 Sonesta/Tilson/Hopegivers Porsche 911 GT3 is third in points with one victory at Lime Rock Park. Randy Hale in the No. 31 Hale Motorsports/Marsh Racing Chevrolet Corvette sits fourth, and Will Rodgers in the No. 32 Chris Evans Race Cars & Design Ford Mustang is fifth. Rodgers scored the win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in his first-career National Championship start. Rodgers also has two victories in the Western Championship’s XGT class, winning at Sonoma Raceway and Laguna Seca from the pole, the first of which was his Trans Am debut.

SGT Mid-Season Points UpdateLee Saunders in the No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper has been dominating the SGT class, earning four victories in six starts. Saunders currently holds the record for most SGT victories ever with 18. Ricky Sanders in the No. 18 BridgeHaul/Bennett/Pitboxes.com Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup is second in the standings, winning the races at NOLA and Road Atlanta. 2022 champion Milton Grant in the No. 55 Springhill Suites/Sentry Self Storage Porsche 991.1 is third in the standings, followed by his son Carey Grant in the No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup. Kaylee Bryson in the No. 26 AP Driver Development/LSI Racing Chevrolet Corvette is fifth.

GT Mid-Season Points UpdateThe GT class has been a hard-fought battle between leader Michael Attaway in the No. 91 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Audi R8 and second-place Billy Griffin in the No. 14 Griffin Auto Care/Sheehan Towing Ford Mustang, who won the championship in the class in 2022. Attaway has one win in the class, which he achieved at NOLA, and Griffin has victories at Road Atlanta and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jack Rinke in the No. 12 Chevrolet Performance/Turn Key Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro sits third in the points.

TA2 Mid-Season Points UpdateWith seven of 12 races complete in 2023, the points race in the Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series is a tight one. The top four in points are the four drivers who have won all of the races so far this season.

NOLA Motorsports Park and Detroit Grand Prix Race 1 winner Brent Crews leads the standings in his No. 70 Franklin Road/Mobil 1/GEARWRENCH Ford Mustang. In addition to his two victories, the 15-year-old Young Gun has an average finish of 4.2 and has finished no worse than 11th (Detroit Grand Prix Race 2) this season. In addition to leading the points, he also sits atop the Young Gun Award standings.

2022 champion Thomas Merrill in the No. 26 Bennett/HP Tuners/Mike Cope Race Cars Ford Mustang is second in points. Merrill won the event at Lime Rock Park and has also shown incredible consistency this year with an average finish of 4.8 and a worst finish of 10th in Race 2 of the Detroit Grand Prix.

Two-time champion Rafa Matos in the No. 88 3-Dimensional Services Group Ford Mustang is a two-time winner this year, kicking off the season with a win at Sebring International Raceway and most recently earning a victory from the pole at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. With five podiums so far, Matos has an average finish of seventh due to a 13th-place finish at Lime Rock and a 26th-place finish after a hard crash in the second race of the Detroit Grand Prix.

16-year-old Connor Zilisch in the No. 7 Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro holds the fourth spot in the points after earning his first-career win at Road Atlanta and following that up with a victory in the Detroit Grand Prix Race 2. However, Zilisch has faced some bad luck as of late. He finished 24th in Race 1 of the Detroit Grand Prix after a crash, and in the most recent outing at Mid-Ohio, he completed only one lap due to an electric issue at the start of the race.

Rounding out the top-five is Dillon Machavern, driver of the No. 17 SLR-M1 Race Cars Ford Mustang. Machavern has had an up-and-down season, missing NOLA due to illness and facing troubles in the second race of the Detroit Grand Prix, which resulted in a 22nd-place finish. However, he has demonstrated consistency otherwise and earned his first podium of the season at Mid-Ohio.

Behind Machavern sits Young Guns Darin Mock, Austin Green, and Thomas Annunziata. Adrian Wlostowski is ninth and 18-year-old Caleb Bacon is 10th. Seventh-place Green leads the Wilwood Rookie of the Year standings.