CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli has named sports car racing legend Andy Lally as its new president.
A motorsports veteran with more than 30 years of experience on the race track, his appointment comes as the 49-year-old announces his retirement from on-track competition. Lally will report to Parella Motorsports Holdings Chief Operating Officer Michael Printup, who has been at the helm of the Trans Am Series since April of this year.
“This is both my retirement from professional driving and a simultaneous transition to president of the Trans Am Series,” said Lally. “It’s a lot of emotion, both looking back and realizing how fortunate I’ve been, while at the same time looking forward to this next journey.
“I’ll be using 32 years of auto racing experience in a huge variety of cars and sharing what I’ve learned along the way to contribute to the growth of Trans Am and the continued development of future stars.”
A three-time IMSA champion, Lally has captured victories in some of the most prestigious endurance races in the United States, including five Rolex 24 at Daytona wins, four victories in the Six Hours of The Glen, and wins in the Petit Le Mans and 12 Hours of Sebring. He also has more than 80 starts in NASCAR’s top-three series, earning NASCAR Cup Series Rookie of the Year honors in 2011. The Northport, N.Y. native made his debut in the Trans Am Series in 2017, and drove to victory alongside Brent Crews in the inaugural SpeedTour All-Star Race at Lime Rock Park in July.
“The timing seems right and the opportunity is fantastic,” continued Lally. “Anyone that knows me knows I’ve been very vocal for years about not only how incredible Trans Am cars are to race, but also how the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series is the best platform on this planet for driver development. To know that going forward I will be able to play a part in helping our leadership push this series forward while helping both our teams and drivers grow under the Trans Am banner is a dream come true.
“I know this is going to be a whole new challenge and I will have a steep learning curve ahead, but I’m very much looking forward to it. I have a well-seasoned and talented group of Trans Am officials that I will be leaning on heavily for help along the way. I will also have [PMH owner] Tony Parella and my longtime friend Michael Printup available for advice in what will inevitably be many new situations and choices.”
“Andy and I go back to my inaugural year working at Watkins Glen International, and we’ve become great friends; he is always the proverbial gentleman and a great racer on top of that,” said Printup. “He was always such a great ambassador to the track, helping to promote our races, and I have no doubt he will do the same for Trans Am. His accomplishments, in my eyes, are just stupendous. He is a true racing champion, and I look forward to teaming up with him.”
The longest-running professional road racing series in North America, the Trans Am Series will begin its 59th year of competition at Florida’s Sebring Int’l Raceway, Feb. 20-23.