Menard storms to sixth Trans Am win, heartbreak for Dyson at VIR
Chris Dyson needed to have the perfect race at VIRginia International Raceway to have a shot at claiming his fourth consecutive title in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s TA class. He started the weekend on the right foot by securing the pole in Saturday’s qualifying session, but he was plagued by issues from the moment the green flag waved. After Paul Menard claimed the lead from him on the initial start, Dyson experienced a mechanical failure on lap seven, forcing him to retire early and allowing Menard to cruise to his sixth victory of the 2024 season.
Rolling to the starting line in the first position in his No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang, Dyson’s troubles began when the green flag waved and he spun his tires on the start, allowing Menard to capitalize and take the lead in his No. 3 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang. Dyson rallied after the start and defended the second position against Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette) and Keith Grant (No. 40 Drissi Motorsports/Franklin Road Chevrolet Camaro) behind him. Dyson chased Menard for the next few circuits, but on the final turn of lap seven, the back end of Dyson’s car stepped out on him, causing him to skid off the racing surface. After limping to the paddock, the CD Racing team determined that Dyson’s machine had a broken shock absorber, forcing him to retire from the race and relegating him to a seventh-place finish in the class.
A lap 12 restart gave second-place Grant an opportunity to challenge Menard for the lead, but he was unable to complete the pass, opening the door for Ruman to get past him for second. Behind him, Grant was joined by Tomy Drissi in the No. 8 Drissi Motorsports/Lucas/Mission Chevrolet Camaro, who had raced his way through the field after a pre-race penalty forced him to start the race from the back.
While Menard handily led, the action continued behind him. On lap 19, Grant was able to get back past Ruman. A lap later, with Drissi on her rear end, Ruman spun, bringing both herself and Drissi to a temporary stop on the racetrack. Drissi was the first to recover, and he took over the third position while Ruman chased him. As the laps ticked by, the two were able to catch up to Grant, and the three were nose to tail in the closing laps. Unfortunately, after taking the white flag, Grant had an issue on the racetrack, allowing both Drissi and Ruman to pass him. Menard took the checkered flag, and Drissi and Ruman followed him across the line for podium positions. Grant was fourth, and his father, Richard Grant in the No. 30 Grant Racing Chevrolet Camaro, was fifth.
“We had a great race,” said Menard in GYM WEED Winners Circle. “I hate that Chris [Dyson] had his issues. We got a good launch at the start. Chris is notorious for low air pressure, kind of sluggish starts at the beginning, but then he comes on hard at the end, so I was trying to build a gap to conserve the lead for when the tires fall off. These guys built the car twice this weekend. We just had a couple of little gremlins, and they fixed it for qualifying. The car went from uncomfortable to OK to ‘now we can go race’ after qualifying. It was really solid all day. We played with the sway bars just to try stuff, but really didn’t have to adjust the car at all from the inside. I can rest a little bit easier going into COTA now with points, but we’re still going to COTA to win.”
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Brian Lock in the No. 68 Helium Mobile/JDI/Blockjoy Porsche GT3 R led the XGT class to green in his Trans Am debut and never looked back once the action started. He carried incredible speed, leading every lap on his way to his first-career Trans Am victory. He was followed across the finish line by Danny Lowry (No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/PitBoxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3) and Billy Griffin (No. 43 BridgeHaul/Bennett/PitBoxes.com Mercedes AMG GT3), who ran second and third, respectively, for the entirety of the race.
The SGT class race was a competitive one, with multiple lap leaders and a very late-race pass for the victory. Eric Foss, who was making his Trans Am debut in the No. 54 South Dallas Turf Chevrolet Corvette, started the race from the point position and led nearly the entire race, only briefly acquiescing the lead to Josh Carlson in the No. 36 Enseva/TC Fab/Diercks Ltd. Ford Mustang late in the event. Foss was back in control by the restart on lap 28, followed by Carlson and Kaylee Bryson in the No. 02 Logical Systems Inc./Sam Pierce Chevrolet Corvette. The restart was a wild one, and Bryson was able to pass Carlson after the green flag to secure second. One lap later, she was able to hunt down Foss, making the pass to score the victory and claim the 2024 SGT National Championship title.
“You know, it’s my first time at VIR, and I definitely rank this one at the top of my list,” said Bryson. “That was the race of my life right there; I never gave up. We started third and really, really had to chase down the guys. I think once we got the fuel load off, the car really came to life at the end. I can’t thank my fellow competitors enough for racing me clean. We were side by side and never touching, having to run qualifying laps every single lap, and that was really awesome. It’s cool to be a champion in this series. This whole LSI, Logical Systems Inc. team does so much to make this possible. Thank you to Sam Pierce Chevrolet, AP driver Development, RE Enterprises. There are so many people who make this Corvette fast and I can’t thank them enough.”
Chris Coffey in the No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GT4 took the green flag first in class and maintained that lead for nearly the entire race. A late-race restart bunched up the field enough to allow Michael Saia (No. 13 KMC/Rapid Performance Management/Motul Porsche 997.1 GT3 Cup) to make the pass on Coffey with one lap remaining, but the two fought hard for the position. Coffey and Saia ultimately made contact, which dropped Saia back to the fourth position and allowed Coffey to take the victory. He was followed across the finish line by Remy Faird (No. 53 KMC/Rabid Wraps Porsche 718 GT4 Clubsport MR), who earned his first-career podium, and Colin Cohen in the No. 38 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GT4.
“Unfortunately, me and Michael [Saia] came together and we had a little conversation about that,” said Coffey. “I feel terrible that it happened, but we’ll talk about it. We’ll talk our way through it and see what happens. I want to thank Colin Cohen here first. Without him, I couldn’t be here. My crew, Xavier and Alex. My shop, Norwood Auto Italia. My wife, Morgan, and my son, Sam. Thank you.”
The highlight show of Sunday’s race will air on MAVTV on Thursday, October 10 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
The Trans Am Series will next hit the track for the season finale at Circuit of The Americas, November 1-3.
RESULTS
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