Yahoo Autos Menard wins wet and wild third straight Trans Am race at Mid-Ohio
Paul Menard once again drove to GYM WEED Winners Circle, this time navigating his No. 3 Menards/Masterforce Ford Mustang through heavy rain to win his third-straight race and fourth of the season. While Chris Dyson had the strategy to beat, early troubles for the three-time champion opened the door for Menard to win the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and increase his advantage in the point standings.
With a dry track before the start of the race, competitors in the TA/XGT/SGT/GT race were all starting on slick tires. However, just as the command to start engines was given, light rain began to fall over the track. While the field made its first pace lap, Dyson made the decision to bring his No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang to pit road for rain tires, sacrificing his second-place starting position for treaded tires, betting on worsening rain. And worsen, it did. Polesitter Menard led the field to the green flag, but racing was slow going as competitors struggled to get up to speed on the slippery surface.
With grip on his side, it only took three laps for Dyson to race his way from the back and into the lead. As cars in every class began to dive to pit road for rain tires, Ohio driver Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette) went off the track surface and into the gravel trap, bringing out a full-course caution on lap five. This allowed the remainder of the competitors on slicks to come to pit road for wets, and racing finally began in earnest when green-flag racing resumed on lap 10. Dyson led Menard and Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro) for the next five laps, but on lap 16, Dyson’s rear locked up, taking him off the racing surface and into a tire barrier. Despite the hard hit, Dyson was able to resume racing, but the heavy front-end damage required him to make a stop on pit road for body work. Fortunately, he was able to remain on the lead lap, but he trailed well behind once-again leader, Paul Menard, and second-place Tomy Drissi.
The three ran in that order until lap 33, when two competitors experienced major issues simultaneously. The No. 17 Top Liner/Go Share Chevrolet Camaro of Adam Andretti experienced an engine failure, bringing his car to a halt and oiling down the frontstretch. Meanwhile, Drissi went off course and got stuck in a gravel trap, allowing Dyson to pass him for second place. However, due Andretti’s inability to continue and the remainder of the TA competitors in the garage, Drissi was able to salvage the last spot on the podium. With the clock running out, Menard took the checkered flag and double yellow flags together, claiming his third-consecutive victory and fourth of 2024.
“It was a lot of fun, obviously; we wound up on top,” said Menard. “I just don’t have any experience [racing in the rain], but I learned a lot. I was running decent times, and I felt like the wetter it got, the better we were. But I was just learning out there; learning how to use the brake under wet conditions, and to set the car. Using the throttle is super tricky, but after running high-horsepower cars on skinny tires for years in NASCAR, you have to have an eggshell under your foot. So that wasn’t bad. It was all about the braking for me to gain my speed in the rain. Hats off to all these guys at 3GT. The car was so fast in the dry. I think [Chris] Dyson was a little faster than us in the wet, for sure. But we didn’t put a tire wrong, and the guys just did a hell of a job all weekend.”
The SGT race was an exercise in patience, as competitors balanced right on the edge of control in the wet conditions. First-place starter Kaylee Bryson (No. 02 Logical Systems Inc./Sam Pierce Chevrolet Corvette) was quickly passed after the green by second-place starter Lee Saunders (No. 84 LandSearch LLC Dodge Viper), and Saunders’ lead opened up further when Bryson, Richard Forsythe (No. 58 GSpeed/Sambuca Restaurant Chevrolet Corvette) and Milton Grant (No. 55 Sentry Self Storage/Springhill Suites Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup) came to pit road for rain tires. Saunders opted not to make the switch, which eventually caught up to him. On lap 21, Bryson made her way around Saunders, followed closely by Forsythe. Bryson and Forsythe battled hard for the next two laps, with Forsythe ultimately emerging with the lead. The following lap, Saunders found he was unable to continue on his slick tires and pulled onto pit road. As the race came to a close, Forsythe led Bryson across the line, with Grant earning the final podium spot.
“It was quite a battle, and you had to be patient in the rain,” said Forsythe. “We were just doing everything we could to not hit each other or slide off the track, because everybody around us was. So, it was not easy. Kaylee is a phenomenal driver; it was an amazing pole position for her. It’s such an honor to race with somebody of her caliber, with a past dirt track background like myself, actually. I have, fortunately, some rain experience in other series. You guys should know how thankful I am for G-Speed, Louis, Ian, Corey, Jason, Mike, Sandy, and all the background people that helped me out so much. I’m very thankful. I couldn’t do this without you, and you guys are awesome. Thank you so much.”
The GT race was a battle of endurance between David Hampton (No. 14 AR Motorsports/Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport) and Chris Coffey (No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GT4). Coffey was the fastest qualifier in yesterday’s session, but was forced to start the race in the back due to mechanical repairs, leaving Hampton with the point position when the green flag waved. Immediately after the race start, Hampton came to pit road for rain tires, putting Coffey in the lead until lap eight. Coffey then came to pit road, not just for rain tires, but also to replace brake rotors, which briefly gave Jack Rinke (No. 12 Ed Rinke Chevrolet/Chevrolet Performance Camaro) the lead. However, Rinke was without rain tires, and his slower pace allowed Hampton to regain the lead on lap 18. Once Coffey’s repairs were done on pit road, he had incredible speed, and he was able to work up to second by lap 19. For the second half of the race, Coffey relentlessly chased Hampton and seemed on pace to pass him, but Hampton was ultimately the victor. He was followed across the line by Coffey and Rinke.
“Well, we took the first [pace] lap and it started raining,” said Hampton on the podium. “As soon as it started raining, the guys said, ‘come in,’ so we came in. We did NASCAR pit crew stuff. They just went at us, started changing tires, and away we went. And the car is really, really fun to drive in the rain. I just had a great time. This is pretty amazing, sort of an incredible thing for us to do. I’ve got to thank my crew that worked so hard. Thanks to my coach, Thomas Merrill, and my wife, for all the support that they give me. We just drove. I just kept trying to drive as fast as I could and not fall off the track. It was just absolutely incredible. I’ve been watching [Chris Coffey] on television, and all of a sudden, I’m beating him, which is a pretty cool bucket list deal. And Paul Menard, I do business with him. This is just like, ‘pinch me.’ This is crazy stuff here. So, thank you all. This has just been a heck of a lot of fun.”
The full broadcast of Sunday’s race will re-air Sunday night on MAVTV at 8:30 p.m. ET. Highlights will air on MAVTV on Thursday, June 27 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
The Trans Am Series TA/XGT/SGT/GT classes head to Road America next week for the Road America SpeedTour, June 27-30 Tickets can be purchased here on SpeedTour.net.
