Yahoo Autos Trans Am Series Western Championship event preview: Sonoma
The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Western Championship is back in action this weekend for Round 2 of the 2023 season with the Mission Foods Sonoma SpeedTour at Sonoma Raceway. Sunday’s race kicks off back-to-back California weekends for the Western Championship. With 28 cars currently on the entry list, the field is sure to be packed with tough competition and tight battles.
23 of the cars in this weekend’s race are Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series entries, setting a new record for the most cars in that class in a single Western Championship event. The previous record of 20 was established at Sonoma in 2021. To show how much growth TA2 has seen on the West Coast, 23 is the total number of Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series participants entered the entire first season of Western Championship competition in 2017.
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Golden Gate Challenge
This weekend at Sonoma Raceway kicks off the inaugural Golden Gate Challenge, a two-event points race in which the competitor who tallies the most points will be awarded a special custom trophy. The challenge will conclude next weekend following the checkered flag at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
A few drivers typically competing in the National Championship have made the trek west to compete in the challenge, including Jack Wood (No. 8 SLR-M1 Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro), Brad McAllister (No. 24 Straumann and Zimbis Ford Mustang), and Barry Boes (No. 32 Accio Data Ford Mustang), as well as the entire TeamSLR fleet.
TeamSLR crossing the country
One team which does not typically compete in the Western Championship is TeamSLR, but the St. Augustine, Florida-based organization owned by Scott Lagasse Sr. and Scott Lagasse Jr. is bringing three cars across the country to field Sammy Smith, Sean Hingorani and Jack Wood.
18-year-old Smith, who has competed in nine NASCAR Xfinity Series races in 2023, got his first-career NASCAR win at Phoenix Raceway in March. Smith has made two previous Trans Am starts with a best finish of second, which he scored at Road America last year.
Sean Hingorani, who is 16 years old, is making his Trans Am debut this weekend.
22-year-old Wood has made seven Trans Am starts since 2021, and has one start at Sonoma Raceway, where he finished 16th last year.
Wine Country winners
Only two drivers in this Sunday’s field have previous Western Championship victories at Sonoma Raceway, and neither of those drivers have won in the same class as they are competing in this weekend.
TA2
Joe Bogetich, No. 65 Westover Controls Chevrolet Camaro (GT, 2020)
XGT
Chris Evans, No. 92 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang (SGT, 2022)
California drivers dominate entry list
Exactly half of the drivers entered in this weekend’s race are from the state of California. Tim Lynn’s hometown of Kentfield, California is the closest to the 2.52-mile track in wine country, just 45 minutes away from Sonoma. Jack Wood, Greg Tolson, Bob Accardo Jr., Michael Fine and Roy Fulmer IV are all from within two hours of the track.
In addition to those below, Michelle Nagai in the No. 72 Nagai Racing/Berkeley Jet Drive Chevrolet Camaro considers Havasu City, Arizona to be her hometown, but grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, attending high school in San Rafael, just 15 minutes from Sonoma Raceway. In those days, Nagai was a pro Jet Ski racer and trained under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz, making the Golden Gate Challenge particularly close to her heart. Nagai was the Western Championship TA Rookie of the Year in 2019 and is competing full-time for the first time since that season.
GT
JC Meynet, No. 28 Killer Shrimp Racing Chevrolet Corvette (Woodland Hills)
Kevin Michaels, No. 98 Killer Shrimp Restaurant Chevrolet Corvette (Malibu)
TA2
Sean Hingorani, No. 7 SLR-M1 Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro (Newport Beach)
Jack Wood, No. 8 SLR-M1 Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro (Loomis)
Tim Lynn, No. 17 RoofOptions Ford Mustang (Kentfield)
Mitch Marvosh, No. 29 Wolf Entertainment RAWsport Motors Mustang (Santa Barbara)
Michael LaPaglia, No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto Ford Mustang (Murrieta)
Greg Tolson, No. 38 GT Auto Lounge Chevrolet Camaro (Rancho Cordova)
Bob Accardo Jr., No. 39 Accurate Arms/Race Marketing Chevrolet Camaro (Livermore)
Tim Carroll, No. 46 Carroll Racing Development Dodge Challenger (Santa Ana)
Michael Fine, No. 66 Architectural Glass Systems Inc. Chevrolet Camaro (Orangevale)
Kyle Kelley, No. 80 UPR.com/PK&K Chevrolet Camaro (Huntington Beach)
Roy Fulmer IV, No. 86 Fulmer’s Auto Body/Caulk Lok Chevrolet Camaro (Placerville)
Ricky Leigh, No. 09 1909 Gastropub Temecula CA Chevrolet Camaro (Murrieta)
News & notes
Two drivers will be making their Trans Am Series debuts this weekend at Sonoma Raceway: Sean Hingorani in No. 7 SLR-M1 Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro in the TA2 class, and Will Rodgers in the No. 42 Central Welding Supply Ford Mustang in the XGT class.
