WAMPUM, Pa. — Paul Menard put on a clinic at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, dominating every lap to win his second-consecutive Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli event at the Pitt Race SpeedTour. Menard started the race from the pole and led every lap without challenge, handily claiming his third TA victory of the 2024 season.
Taking the green flag from the pole position, Menard was shot out of a cannon in his No. 3 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang, immediately jumping out to a multi-second lead. Right after the start, third-place Adam Andretti (No. 17 Top Liner/Go Share Chevrolet Camaro) passed second-place starter Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang), as the three-time champion struggled with the handling of his car. With no one to challenge him, Menard opened up a more than 10-second lead by lap 21. Meanwhile, a tight battle between Andretti and Dyson had the two within a second of each other as each lap ticked by.
Unfortunately, trouble struck Andretti on lap 29 when the second-place contender’s car slowed and came to a stop off the racing surface. Andretti’s engine had lost power, ripping him out of race contention and relegating him to last in class. By this point, Menard had a 20-second advantage over Dyson which only continued to grow, and he sailed to the victory, with Dyson crossing the finish line in second.
Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro) earned the final podium position, which was an accomplishment after he started from the rear of the field due to switching cars between qualifying and the race. Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co. Chevrolet Corvette) crossed the finish line fourth despite missing practice and qualifying and Richard Grant in the No. 30 Grant Racing Chevrolet Camaro was scored fifth.
“This is a great facility,” said Menard in GYM WEED Winners Circle. “The track has room to pass, it has lots of runoff. You don’t get racecars like this very often. I pushed hard at the beginning, kind of set a gap, and then just tried to manage the tires. This facility and the surface are hard on tires. I think we saw that with Chris [Dyson] and Adam [Andretti]. I was just trying to save tires in case a restart came at the end, but it never did.
“I’m so proud of Tony and John and Paul Gentilozzi back home for putting together this racecar and letting me come play with it.”
