Yahoo Autos Maddie Aust takes first win in VIR TC America Race 1
The TC America powered by Skip Barber series took to Virginia International Raceway for an action-packed Race 1. Tight battles ensued throughout the race but a few first broke through by the checkered flag. Former cheerleader Maddie Aust, 18, took home her first win in the TCX Class. While Clayton Williams stole the show with a flawless drive, second-place finisher Sally McNulty stole hearts earning a podium finish she had waited for since 2019 when she joined the TC series. In TCA Class Devin Anderson gave locals something to cheer about as he cruised to a win.
TCX
Aust in the No. 09 Fast Track Racing BMW M2 CS took home her first TCX class win in after a dramatic ending for Colin Garrett and Lucas Catania. Catania in his No. 26 Rigid Speed Company BMW M2 CS (Cup) latched on to the bumper of Garrett in the No. 44 Rooster Hall Racing BMW M2 CS (Cup) early on in the race. The two would swap positions several times and with seconds remaining in the race, Catania made contact with Garrett. Both cars continued but not after Garrett half spun and lost several positions and Catania would earn a post-race drive-through penalty for incedent responsibility.
Aust’s teammate Adam Gleason in the No. 21 Fast Track Racing BMW M2 CS took over second place after the checkered flag. Gleason’s second-place finish was his first podium finish in the TCX Class. The third step on the podium went to Joseph Catania in the No. 24 Rigid Speed Racing BMW.
“I’m very excited,” Aust said. “When I had a couple of situations on track, I just kept my head down and stayed consistent. I sort of can’t believe this because I just found out I won 30 seconds before I pulled in. It’s a lot of emotions but I’m super excited.”
TC
Clayton Williams in the No. 60 MINI JCW Team Mini JCW Pro TC earned the win after Jeff Ricca and his No. 78 Genracer/ Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N TC made an unscheduled stop in the pitlane after dominating the race. This is three wins in a row for Williams. Meanwhile, Sally McNulty took home her first-ever podium.
McNulty took second with her No. 780 Genracer/ Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N DCT TC for her first career podium finish. She had her hands full throughout the race with Celso Neto keeping her honest as he fought to make his way past her. Neto in his No. 7 Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type R ultimately finished third.
“We’re extending our lead,” Williams said. “We knew we had to come here and beat Ricca. He’s our main competitor. He had a big lead there so I knew it was going to be really hard to hunt him down but unfortunately, he had an issue which was fortunate for us. I’m just really happy to win and I can’t thank Catalyzer and my family enough.”
TCA
Local Devin Anderson in the No. 22 TechSport Racing Subaru BRZ took the lead from Spencer Bucknum early in the race and cruised to the checkered flag uncontested. Bucknum in the No. 5 LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Si went off and into the tires. The contact brought an early end to what looked like a dominant run.
Anderson’s teammate Shaoyi Che in the No. 23 TechSport Racing Subaru BRZ followed him across the finish line 12 seconds back. Third-place finisher William Lambros in the No. 77 Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si was five seconds back from Che making the TCA Class race perhaps the most clean cut of Race One.
“I don’t think anyone wanted to win this race,” Anderson said. “Spencer had trouble going off in the beginning. PJ Groenke looked like he was catching me in the middle of the race, but he fell off. My teammate Shaoyi Che and I just cruised to a one, two-finish. I want to thank TechSport for an incredible car.”
Race 2 takes place Sunday, June 18 at 8:30am ET. Fans can follow the action on the TC America series website with livetiming, race results, and livestreaming. Or tune in to the livestream on the SRO YouTube page, GT World.
