LEXINGTON, Ohio — Practice and qualifying have concluded for the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Paul Menard in the No. 3 Menards/Masterforce Tools Ford Mustang earned his second-consecutive pole with a new track record at the recently repaved track, laying down a time of 1:19.747. This is Menard’s third pole of the 2024 season.
Menard was the fastest qualifier in TA’s last outing at Pittsburgh International Race Complex two weeks ago, and he also earned a pole earlier this season at NOLA Motorsports Park.
“I’ve watched a hundred races on TV here, but I’ve never been to the facility,” said Menard. “I drove in with my wife and kids yesterday morning and I had no idea where to park or anything. This is one of those tracks where, you think of sports car racing, or any kind of racing in North America, and Mid-Ohio is right up there. So, to get the pole here is amazing.
“Thank you to 3GT: Paul, Tony and John Gentilozzi, all the guys on the crew. This is an awesome Ford Mustang. At most of these tracks, we show up, they give me a session to learn the track, then we go to work on the car. Luckily, we don’t have to work too hard on it because it’s pretty fast.”