Event Preview: Trans Am at VIR SpeedTour

VIRginia International Raceway

VIR SpeedTour

Buy Tickets Here

Track Facts:

Opened: 1957

Length: 3.27 Miles

Layout: 17-Turn Road Course

Entry List: View

VIRginia is for (Racing) Lovers

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli will enjoy the last days of summer at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) with the VIR SpeedTour. VIR is a venue that the Trans Am Series visited in its inaugural 1966 season, and it has included the track on its schedule every year since 2013, with a total of 27 previous events held at the 3.27-mile road course. This year, the track celebrates its 25th Anniversary Reborn, marking 25 years since reopening in the year 2000, following its original 1974 closure. The track has since been restored and modernized, and is a favorite of many Trans Am competitors. 

Victorious at VIR

There are nine drivers on this week’s entry list who have previously driven into GYM WEED Winners Circle at VIR. 

TA
Paul Menard, No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang: 2024

Chris Dyson, No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang: 2021

Adam Andretti, No. 17 TOP LINER Chevrolet Camaro: 2014 (TA2)

XGT
Billy Griffin, No. 14 Griffin Auto Care Mercedes AMG GT3: 2020 Race 1 (GT), 2022 (GT)

Danny Lowry, No. 42 Bennett/BridgeHaul/Pitboxes.com Mercedes AMG GT4: 2022, 2023

Kaylee Bryson, No. 02 Logical Systems Inc. Chevrolet Corvette: 2024 (SGT)

SGT
Carey Grant, No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche GT3 Cup: 2022

GT
Chris Coffey, No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GT4: 2023, 2024

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series
Adrian Wlostowski, No. 3 CMI/Spot-On Services/AMT Motorsports Ford Mustang: 2020 Race 2 (SGT)

VIR Locals

There are a handful of drivers and teams entered this weekend that consider VIR to be a home track. TeamSLR drivers Tristan McKee (No. 28 Spire/Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) and Carson Brown (No. 2 PayCafé/Ebb Logistics/SLR-M1 Toyota Camry) were born and raised in the Virginia towns of Williamsburg and Chesterfield, respectively, before relocating to North Carolina. Cale Phillips (No. 99 Mincey’s Graphics/SNP Inc. Ford Mustang) hails from nearby Durham, N.C. and has plenty of experience at the Alton, Virginia track. Finally, Silver Hare Racing is located in nearby High Point, N.C., and team owners Maurice and Laura Hull own and operate Waukegan Farms, located just six miles southeast of the track.

Boes Memorial Planned for VIR

Those wishing to pay their respects to late CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge Champion Barry Boes will have the opportunity this weekend, as the series will be hosting a celebration of life on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at the Trans Am Series hauler. The memorial will be hosted by Road Race Ministries chaplains Marvin Gray and Bill Knox. 

Join the Checkered Flag Challenge

The SpeedTour Sim Trailer will be on site at VIRginia International Raceway, and drivers and fans alike can test their driving skills in the Checkered Flag Challenge, a sim racing face-off. With the experience free to all spectators and participants, everyone is invited to stop by the SpeedTour Sim Trailer to try the SimShop racing simulators and spin the prize wheel to win free swag. It will all be happening in the SpeedTour Town Center at the entrance to the North Paddock.

Watch LIVE

There are two great free streaming options for watching this weekend’s TA/GT and CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series races. The events will stream live on Trans Am’s YouTube channel, @TheTransAmSeries, as well as on SPEED SPORT 1. SPEED SPORT 1 is the first network dedicated to free, live motorsports, presenting hundreds of live events and thousands of hours of premier motorsport content and lifestyle programming from around the globe annually. SPEED SPORT 1 can be watched on Amazon Prime Video, Roku, PlutoTV, Sling Freestream and more. For more information on how to watch, click here.

Menard and 3GT Racing On Top

With five victories so far this season, Paul Menard (No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang) continues to lead the point standings for the TA class, holding a 37-point advantage over second-place Adam Andretti (No. 17 TOP LINER Chevrolet Camaro). The 2025 champion has three races remaining to top last year’s win tally of six, and he has the stats on his side. Not only did Menard take the checkered flag in last year’s race at VIR, but he has seen more clean air in front of him than any other TA competitor. Out of 361 laps this year, Menard has led 182, holding the point position for just over 50% of competition this season. 

This weekend, Menard is joined by teammate Brandon Jones (No. 31 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang), who raced with the team earlier in the season at Sebring International Raceway and Road America. A driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Jones finished fifth in the Xfinity Series regular season as one of 12 drivers to make the Playoffs. He is currently sixth in standings after the first playoff event. 

Dyson Wants To Be Number 2

Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) currently sits third on the all-time National Championship TA win list with 28 victories, tied with fellow Trans Am Hall of Fame inductee Tommy Kendall. A win this weekend would tie Dyson for second, placing him in good company with another Hall of Famer, Mark Donohue, at 29 victories. Dyson is no stranger to GYM WEED Winners Circle at VIR, as he took the checkered flag at the track in 2021. He also shared a victory with Andy Wallace in 2002, winning the VIR 500, the track’s first international event in more than 30 years after reopening in 2000.

Bryson Returns, Poised to Make History

After taking a brief hiatus to focus on her other racing efforts, Kaylee Bryson returns to the XGT class this weekend in her No. 02 Logical Systems Inc. Chevrolet Corvette. Bryson, who currently leads the XGT standings with two victories this season, recently took a detour from road courses to visit a bullring, making her ARCA Menards Series debut at the half-mile Madison International Speedway three weeks ago and finishing an impressive eighth. Bryson is en route to win her second-consecutive title in the Trans Am Series, which would make her the first female driver to win championships in two different classes (XGT and SGT), and just the second woman in series history to claim two championships. TA’s Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette) was the first, winning back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016. 

Carlson On The Verge

With a 245-point lead, SGT’s Joshua Carlson (No. 36 Enseva/Diercks Ltd./TC Fab Ford Mustang) is on the verge of clinching his first-career Trans Am Championship, and just needs to leave the track this weekend with a 220-point advantage. The odds appear to be in his favor, as the Iowa native has been victorious in every event he has competed in dating back to the 2024 season finale at Circuit of The Americas, capturing the checkered flag in his last seven events. 

Coffey a Winner and a Champion

For the second year in a row, Chris Coffey has clinched the GT championship in his No. 97 Norwood Auto Italia/Traffic Grafix Maserati MC GT4, but what is even more impressive is the road he has taken to become a back-to-back title winner. Coffey made his debut in 2022, winning in his first-career start. The following season, he competed in GT’s Pro/Am class, earning four victories and taking the Pro/Am title. Last season, he earned his first GT championship on the strength of eight victories in 10 starts, and this season he has driven to Victory Lane five times in six attempts. Overall, Coffey has won 18 races in 22 starts, boasting an 81-percent win rate. 

Coffey is poised to add another victory to his tally this weekend, as he has won at VIR in each of the last two seasons. In addition to his GT wins at the track in 2023 and 2024, Coffey also has an IGT win at VIR. 

McKee Back to Where It All Began

Last year, Tristan McKee (No. 28 Spire/Gainbridge/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro) made his first Trans Am start in a points-paying race at VIRginia International Raceway, scoring a fourth-place finish in his debut. Today, he returns to the track leading the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series point standings, as well as the Young Gun Award and Rookie of the Year points, having won three of the last four races. 15-year-old McKee was born and raised in Williamsburg, Va. before moving to Kannapolis, N.C. to be closer to the Chevrolet Driver Development Program in recent years and considers VIR to be his home track.

Although he is focused on winning the TA2 title, McKee has been hitting the racetrack everywhere he can, finishing second to 2023 TA2 champion Brent Crews in his third-career ARCA Menards Series race last Thursday at Bristol Motor Speedway. He also entered last Saturday’s CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car race at South Boston Speedway, finishing seventh. 

TeamSLR’s Momentum and Roster Grow

TeamSLR continues its dominance in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, coming into this weekend seeking its fifth-straight TA2 class win. In addition to fielding points leader Tristan McKee, TeamSLR and M1 Racecars have a full stable this weekend, with Carson Brown returning to the series in the No. 2 PayCafé/Ebb Logistics/SLR-M1 Toyota Camry that Mike Skeen drove to victory after winning the pole and leading every lap at Road America in June. Like McKee, Brown is also a Virginia native, born and raised in Chesterfield before moving to New London, N.C. The team will also field two drivers making their Trans Am debut: 

18-year-old Lanie Buice will pilot the No. 8 Chevrolet/CUBE 3/Franklin Road/SLR-M1 Chevrolet Camaro. Buice has been competing full time in the CARS Tour’s LMSC class in addition to making five starts in the ARCA Menards Series this year. 

Ukrainian Naz Olkhovskyi gets behind the wheel of the No. 48 TeamSLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro. Olkhovskyi raced in shifter karts throughout Europe in his teen years before moving to the U.S. in 2008, where he began racing in various SCCA regional class events. Olkhovskyi also earned an engineering degree from UNC Charlotte and a masters in aerodynamics, and has served as an engineer in NASCAR and INDYCAR. 

Home Race for Silver Hare Racing

Silver Hare Racing returns to the track this weekend after a two-race hiatus, and the event will be a homecoming for the team, which is located in nearby High Point, N.C. VIR is also part of the heart of Silver Hare Racing. Team co-owner Laura Hull grew up just 30 miles south of the track in Union Ridge, N.C., and was working as the PR and Marketing Director at VIR when she met Maurice Hull, who was racing sports cars and vintage cars at the track. Introduced through a mutual friend in 2002, the two have been together ever since, and in addition to the team, the two also own Waukegan Farms together, which is located just six miles southeast of VIR in Semora, N.C.

Since their last race, Silver Hare tested at both VIR and Barber Motorsports Park in preparation for the next two events with their driver Noah Harmon, who pilots the No. 7 Streetside Classics/Flanagan’s Chevrolet Camaro. Harmon also has recent experience at the track, competing in MX-5 Cup at VIR last month.

Odrick Takes Control of Pro/Am Challenge

For the first time in his Trans Am career, Jared Odrick (No. 00 Black Underwear/CoolBoxx Chevrolet Camaro) leads the point standings in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro/Am Challenge. With consistent finishes and two wins under his belt this season, Odrick has shown tremendous improvement and maturity in his sophomore Pro/Am season, converting pressure into results. At the same time, he is also currently leading the SCCA GT2 National standings, with just the Runoffs remaining at the end of the month. The former NFL player also has found success in the past at VIR, as that is the track where Odrick won the SCCA GT2 National Championship in 2023.

Cale Phillips Coming Home

Pro/Am Challenge contender Cale Phillips (No. 99 Mincey’s Graphics/SNP Inc/ Ford Mustang) heads to his home track this weekend for his seventh start of 2025. A native of nearby Durham, N.C., Phillips got his first race win at VIR in 2015 racing in NASA, scoring several more victories in the series at the track between 2015 and 2021. 

Ben Maier Returns

This weekend will see the return of Ben Maier (No. 10 Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry) to the TA2 paddock. Maier joins forces with Nitro Motorsports, the team with which he scored his 2024 victory at World Wide Technology Raceway. Maier is taking a week off from his late model racing, as he currently leads the CARS Pro Late Model Tour standings. Maier has made one other TA2 start this season, finishing sixth at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Maier comes into this weekend with past success at VIR, scoring a previous Miata victory at the track.