WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — In a surprising turn of events following the checkered flag in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli event at Watkins Glen International, Tyler Kicera was declared the winner in Round 8 of the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series following the disqualification of provisional race winner and points leader Tristan McKee.
The fifth-place starting Nitro Motorsports driver coach in the No. 10 Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry made his way to the runner-up position by making a lap-three pass on Sam Corry (No. 70 Stilo Helmets/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry), and then overtaking third when championship contender Thomas Annunziata (No. 90 Gazoo Racing/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry) faced a terminal engine issue.
From there, Kicera hunted down second-place Nathan Herne (No. 15 Owosso Speedway/Blue Gold Industries Toyota Camry), taking the spot and crossing the finish line in second, behind points leader McKee.
Following podium celebrations and post-race technical inspection, the first-place finisher was disqualified and Kicera was declared the winner, earning his third-career victory and first since 2022.
Third-place finisher Carson Brown and fifth-place Julian DaCosta were also issued post-race infractions disqualifying them from the event, meaning Adrian Wlostowski (No. 3 CMI/Spot-On Services/AMT Motorsports Ford Mustang) was promoted to second place, while Gian Buffomante (No. 95 Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry) rounded out the adjusted overall podium in third, marking the firstpodiums for both competitors.
Seamus McKendree (No. 20 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang) and Sam Corry (No. 70 Stilo Helmets/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry) were also elevated to top-five finishes.
Kicera earned his first CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series win since his victory at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in 2022, which was his last full-time season in TA2. He has since been serving as a driver coach at Nitro Motorsports.
Kicera has made 33-career starts and has a total of three victories.
In his 57th race in the TA2 Series, Adrian Wlostowski scored his first-career podium. It was also the first podium finish for Gian Buffomante, who has eight Pro starts in TA2.
Seamus McKendree, who typically competes in the Western Championship, earned a top-five finish in his first National start.
Sixth-place starter Sam Corry was forced to recover from an early flat tire, which sent him to the back of the pack, and then received late-race contact from a Pro/Am Challenge competitor while running fourth. Despite that, he still recovered to finish fifth following the post-race changes.
Championship contender Thomas Annunziata fell out of the race after only eight laps due to a motor issue, relegating him to a 12th-place finish. Following the changes in results, he improved to ninth in class and leaves the weekend as the new points leader.
“Wow, what a weekend,” said Kicera after the race. “I didn’t even know I was driving this car until Thursday night. This win is the ultimate redemption, for so many different reasons. Brian Keselowski and the whole Nitro Motorsports crew gave me such a fast car. I can’t thank Nick Tucker enough – he’s the one who made this happen for me. This whole Nitro team is just incredible.”
