Surprise entrant Rodgers storms through to win Trans Am overall at Thunderhill

Will Rodgers was a surprise competitor in race two at Thunderhill Raceway Park, where his No. 2 Chris Evans Race Cars Ford Mustang was entered after race one, forcing him to start last in the field. However, Rodgers took little time navigating his XGT car to the front of the field and checked out, winning race two of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Western Championship’s season opener.

Michael LaPaglia in the No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto Ford Mustang had a stellar points weekend, winning the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series race today after finishing second in Saturday’s event, leaving Thunderhill with the points lead. After winning Saturday, both Michelle Nagai in XGT and Tim Barber in TA2 faced issues early on, forcing both to retire and finish in the last two positions, respectively.

After facing mechanical issues in Saturday’s first, team owner Chris Evans withdrew his No. 92 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang from Sunday’s event. However, he had his team’s driver coach, Will Rodgers, on hand to pilot a backup entry, which was given a 22nd-place starting berth. Taking the green flag from the last position, Rodgers posted lap times that eclipsed his competitors, making his way up to seventh overall and first in the XGT class before a lap three full-course caution. After the restart on lap seven, it only took one lap for Rodgers to take the overall lead. With a race that remained green until the finish, Rodgers drove away from the rest of the field, dominating until he took the checkered flag with an impressive advantage over second place.

That second-place competitor was Rick Wright in the No. 45 AR Motorsports Audi R8 LMS GT3, who started first in class and ninth overall. With 2022 TA2 champion Thomas Merrill coaching him in his ear once again, Wright also picked through the field with impressive speed, moving into second place overall on lap 17. He handily fended off any competitors going forward and maintained his position through the remainder of the race. Rob Gordon in the No. 79 Chris Evans Race Cars Ford Mustang finished third in class and eighth overall, while Tim Rankin in the No. 5 TCR IT Solutions Ford Mustang finished fourth.

Michelle Nagai in the No. 72 Nagai Racing/Berkeley Jet Drive Chevrolet Camaro, who won Saturday’s race and started second in the XGT class Sunday, went off course with a flat tire on lap two following a multi-car bunch-up at the front of the field during the opening lap. Forced to retire, she finished last in class.

“That first turn incident, that was pretty hairy; I don’t know what the heck happened there,” said Rodgers. “I’m real bummed out for our teammate, Michelle [Nagai]. I really wish she was up here on the podium with us. Maybe we’ll get Rick [Wright] in a [Chris Evans] XGT car later in the year. We can have a team XGT podium. Hats off to Chris Evans Racing, Jeff Jefferson, everybody on this team. It’s the only reason I’m here. I feel very fortunate to be the exclusive coach for Chris Evans Racing and to be able to represent them behind the wheel, so thank you, Chris. We had a good race. We’ll go to Sonoma and hopefully do it again.”

The CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series competitors had a challenging race, with several hopeful contenders experiencing trouble in the 35-lap event. Saturday’s race winner and fourth-place starter Tim Barber in the No. 33 DIG Motorsports Ford Mustang faced a mechanical issue before the green flag waved, pulling into the garage and finishing last in the field.

With the grid set by fastest times in the first race, Ken Sutherland in the No. 68 Kallberg Racing/Wyatt Fire Chevrolet Camaro started the race from the point position and maintained the lead through most of the first 10 laps, only facing a brief challenge from Bobby Hodges in the No. 54 NATC Ford Mustang. Unfortunately, Sutherland and Michael LaPaglia in the No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto Ford Mustang made side-by-side contact while LaPaglia was attempting a pass, which led to Sutherland spinning off course. The driver of the No. 68 was able to resume his race, but had dropped back to the eighth position.

LaPaglia took the class lead, quickly building a gap between his car and second-place Hodges. Behind them, Barry Boes in the No. 32 Accio Data/TRB Autosport Ford Mustang, Tim Lynn in the No. 17 RoofOptions Ford Mustang and Troy Ermish in the No. 38 Ermish Racing Ford Mustang jockeyed for positions in the top five. Ermish worked his way into third, followed by Lynn and Boes. The top five remained the same until lap 24, when Hodges spun, dropping down to fifth in class. Once Ermish and Lynn settled into second and third, respectively, they held their positions for the remaining 11 laps.