Trans Am continues West Coast swing at Laguna

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli follows up last weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway with the second of two back-to-back races in California. The series heads to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the Mission Foods Laguna Seca SpeedTour, another combination event for the National Championship and Western Championship. The National Championship has held 19 previous races at the Salinas track and last visited in 2022, while the Western Championship has taken the green flag at Laguna Seca eight times, with their most recent stop completed last season.

Laguna winners

10 entrants in this weekend’s event have stood on the top step of the podium in Trans Am competition in the past. No driver in this weekend’s field has scored more than one victory at the track. Chris Dyson and Mike Skeen are the two most recent winners in the National Championship, while Western Championship competitors Michelle Nagai and Kyle Kelley drove to GYM WEED Winners Circle last year in the XGT class and CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, respectively.

TA

Tomy Drissi, No. 8 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro: 2021

Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang: 2022

TA Cup Western Championship

Michelle Nagai, No. 72 Nagai Racing/Berkeley Jet Drive Chevrolet Camaro: 2024 (XGT)

Chris Evans, No. 92 Central Welding Supply/Pinnacle Alloys Ford Mustang: 2022 (SGT)

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series

Mike Skeen, No. 2 Guthrie’s Garage Chevrolet Camaro: 2022

Thomas Merrill, No. 26 HP Tuners/Franklin Road/Cope Chevrolet Camaro: 2019

Rafa Matos, No. 57 Concord American Flagpole/SHR Chevrolet Camaro: 2021

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Western Championship

Tim Lynn, No. 17 RoofOptions Ford Mustang: 2021

JC Meynet, No. 28 B-Bar Ranch/Killer Shrimp/RTR Chevrolet Camaro: 2023 (GT)

Kyle Kelley, No. 80 UPR.com/PKK Motorsports Ford Mustang: 2024

Local heroes

Nearly a third of the competitors in this weekend’s event hail from the Golden State. 2022 CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series champion Thomas Merrill is the most local driver, hailing from Salinas. Merrill lives so close to the track that he can hear the roar of the racecars from home.

TA

Tomy Drissi, No. 8 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro (Los Angeles)

TA Cup

John Moore, No. 27 JM Environmental Ford Mustang (Roseville)

Michelle Nagai, No. 72 Nagai Racing/Berkeley Jet Drive Chevrolet Camaro (Newcastle)

Cole Moore, No. 99 Moore Motorsport/JM Environmental Ford Mustang (Orangevale)

Derek Thorn, No. 08 DTR Marketing/Power Grade/PJR/CEI Ford Mustang (Bakersfield)

SGT

JD Koos, No. 12 Nicole Douglas Design Porsche GT3 Cup 991.1 (Murrieta)

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series

Thomas Merrill, No. 26 HP Tuners/Franklin Road/Cope Chevrolet Camaro (Salinas)

Boris Said Jr., No. 60 Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry (Encinitas)

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge

Bob Accardo, No. 39 Guthrie’s Garage/Race Marketing USA Ford Mustang (Livermore)

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Western Championship

Tim Lynn, No. 17 RoofOptions Ford Mustang (Kentfield)

JC Meynet, No. 28 B-Bar Ranch/Killer Shrimp/RTR Chevrolet Camaro (Woodland Hills)

Michael LaPaglia, No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto/Howe Ford Mustang (Murrieta)

Troy Ermish, No. 38 Ermish Racing Ford Mustang (Tracy)

Tim Carroll, No. 46 CRDMFG.com Chevrolet Camaro (Santa Ana)

Kyle Kelley, No. 80 UPR.com/PKK Motorsports Ford Mustang (Huntington Beach)

Viktor Czapla, No. 88 CoolBoxx Dodge Challenger (Huntington Beach)

Cole Moore, No. 99 Moore Motorsport/JM Environmental Ford Mustang (Orangevale)

Watch LIVE

There are two great free streaming options for watching this weekend’s TA/GT and CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series 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 Amazon Prime Video, Roku, PlutoTV, Sling Freestream and more.

Menard takes points lead

2024 TA champion Paul Menard is once again in the lead, taking the top spot in the point standings from Adam Andretti following his win at Sonoma Raceway. With two victories in three events this season, Menard looks primed to pilot his No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang to a second title. However, Menard will face an immense challenge this weekend, as he is the only competitor in the TA class that has not raced at Laguna Seca before. With no test day for this event, Menard will have only a single 25-minute practice session to figure it out before it’s time to qualify.

Dyson returns 

The 2025 season had been off to a difficult start for Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang), who suffered a hard crash in the season opener at Sebring International Raceway and subsequently missed Round 2 at Road Atlanta to recover from injuries. Making his return at Sonoma Raceway, the three-time champion had an excellent weekend, showing incredible speed and finishing second to Paul Menard by a mere 0.291s. This weekend, he heads into the race with confidence, as he visited GYM WEED Winners Circle the last time the National Championship raced at Laguna Seca, winning from the pole.

Drissi a Laguna Seca podium regular

After earning his first podium of the 2025 season last weekend at Sonoma Raceway, Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro) heads into this weekend with a podium streak at Laguna Seca. Drissi has finished on the podium in each of the past three Trans Am National Championship events at Laguna Seca. Drissi was victorious at the track in 2021, and scored third-place finishes in 2019 and 2022.

New ride for Pintaric

Following a wild crash at Sonoma Raceway with Adam Andretti that caused heavy damage to his Ford Mustang, David Pintaric will get behind the wheel of the No. 70 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at Laguna Seca. This is the same Ave Riley machine that was driven by Brent Crews in the first two races of the 2025 season and was also piloted to the victory in 2023 by Gar Robinson at Circuit of The Americas. Pintaric was the first customer to take delivery of an Ave Riley chassis when they debuted and has worked closely with the builders in the past.

Sutherland comes with trophies

TA Cup competitor Ken Sutherland (No. 85 Kallberg Racing Dodge Challenger) scored his second-consecutive podium of 2025 when he finished third at Sonoma Raceway. This weekend he heads into a track where he has taken multiple trips to victory lane. The Oregon native has won at Laguna Seca in the past in both SCCA and SVRA.

Carlson and Coffey continue streaks

SGT competitor Josh Carlson (No. 36 Enseva/Diercks Ltd./TC Fab Ford Mustang) and GT driver Chris Coffey (No. 97 Traffic Grafix/Chillout Motorsports Maserati MC GT4) continued their wining streaks at Sonoma Raceway, with Carlson earning his third win of the year and fourth-consecutive victory dating back to last season, while Coffey is also undefeated this season and is on a seven-race win streak reaching back to Road America last June.

New sponsor for Koos

Following his second-place finish in the SGT class at Sonoma Raceway, JD Koos is welcoming a new sponsor for his No. 12 Porsche GT3 Cup 991.1. Advertising and display solutions provider Modus comes on board as a primary sponsor for this weekend’s event. Koos’ car will promote the company’s flagship product, the Spotlight Influencer, a unique barrier system that combines crowd control and communications to unlock new branding and advertising opportunities in busy venues, trade shows and retail spaces.

Nitro Motorsports, Toyota keep on winning in TA2

Last weekend at Sonoma Raceway, Nitro Motorsports secured its third-consecutive victory of the season in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series when Brent Crews piloted the No. 10 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry to victory lane. Nitro is undefeated this season, with Thomas Annunziata (No. 90 Gazoo Racing/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry) taking the first two wins of the year. The victory is also the second in a row for the new Toyota Camry, which debuted at Road Atlanta in March.

Merrill coming home

Salinas, Calif., native Thomas Merrill is the hometown hero heading into this weekend’s event at Laguna Seca. Merrill, who won in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series at the track in 2019, lives so close to the racetrack that he can hear the cars from his house. Merrill returns to action after missing the last two races at Road Atlanta and Sonoma Raceway. The 2022 champion was forced to withdraw from the Road Atlanta event due to engine issues and missed last week’s Sonoma race because he was competing in the Pirelli GT4 America Lone Star Enduro at Circuit of The Americas. Merrill and his co-driver Adrian Comstock finished second in that event.

Laguna Seca special for LaPaglia

In addition to being an important round in the Western Championship, Laguna Seca is a track that is extra special for Murrieta, California’s Michael LaPaglia (No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto/Howe Ford Mustang) and his family. LaPaglia’s parents, Mike and Tracy, went on their first date at the track. Originally from Northern California, the two met while working at an insurance company, and Mike took Tracy to an IndyCar race at Laguna Seca in 1985. Tracy will be flying up to watch her son take on the iconic circuit, joining LaPaglia’s dad, who works on the race team.

Western trifecta

The podium has had a very similar look to it in the first two races of the Western Championship this season, with the same three drivers occupying the podium steps in both events. Brody Goble (No. 69 Brown Bos. Ford Lincoln Ford Mustang) won the opening event at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, with Mia Lovell (No. 40 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) finishing second and Barry Boes (No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) finishing third. This past weekend, it was Boes who captured the top step, running for points in both the Western Championship and Pro/Am Challenge and winning them both, with Goble finishing second after mounting an incredible comeback from the rear, and Lovell who finished third. The points race between the three is an incredibly tight one, with Goble currently leading Boes by seven points, and Lovell just four points behind Boes.

Accardo’s special guest

Bob Accardo (No. 39 Guthrie’s Garage/Race Marketing USA Ford Mustang) will once again be hosting a special guest from the Make-A-Wish Foundation this weekend, thanks to a partnership with Jim Guthrie and Guthrie’s Garage. This weekend, Accardo will be joined by five-year-old Ezekiel and his family at Laguna Seca. Ezekiel was diagnosed with retinoblastoma at two years old. He was in treatment for a year and a half, but it was ultimately unsuccessful and he ended up losing his vision in the right eye. Ezekiel had his right eye enucleated around his fourth birthday, but his family is grateful that he is now cancer free.

Cole Moore pulling double duty

Last weekend, John Moore pulled double duty at Sonoma Raceway, running in both TA Cup and the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, but this weekend, his son Cole Moore will take up the mantle for the family. Cole will first get behind the wheel of the No. 99 Moore Motorsport/JM Environmental Ford Mustang in Saturday’s TA2 race, then join his father in Sunday’s TA/GT race, piloting a different No. 99 Moore Motorsport/JM Environmental Ford Mustang.

Shrader knows how to win at Laguna

TA2 Western Championship competitor Caleb Shrader (No. 66 Consonus Healthcare Chevrolet Camaro) has yet to visit victory lane in the Trans Am Series, but he knows what it takes to win at Laguna Seca. Shrader has captured the checkered flag in SCCA racing in both Formula Enterprises 2 and Spec Racer Ford. Shrader is a two-time winner in SRF3, earning victories in IndyCar-support races at the track.