PAHRUMP, Nev. — Michael LaPaglia earned his second CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series victory of the season in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Western Championship’s Race 1 at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch.
After starting second, trouble for early leader Tim Barber opened the door for LaPaglia to win in a tight battle despite last-lap trouble. The victory allows LaPaglia to maintain the points lead in an incredibly competitive title hunt, as just two checkered flags remain in the Western Championship’s 2024 season.
Tim Barber took the green flag from the pole position in his No. 33 DIG Motorsports Ford Mustang, leading handily for the first six laps of the race. However, his day came to an abrupt halt as he experienced a transmission issue on lap seven, forcing his retirement. Michael LaPaglia, who started the race second but had dropped back to third in his No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto/Howe Ford Mustang, was in a more advantageous spot when Barber unexpectedly slowed, allowing him to pass second-place Barry Boes (No. 32 Accio Data/TRB Autosport Ford Mustang) and take over the point position.
Following a brief caution period, LaPaglia led Boes, Tim Carroll (No. 46 CRDMFG.com Chevrolet Camaro), Jared Odrick (No. 77 BLACK Underwear Ford Mustang) and J.C. Meynet (No. 28 B-Bar Ranch/Killer Shrimp Chevrolet Camaro) to green, but it quickly became a two-man race between LaPaglia and Boes. On lap 12, Kyle Kelley, who nearly missed the start of the race due to damage in qualifying, entered the top five in his No. 80 PK+k Properties/UPRacing.com Ford Mustang after starting last. Odrick exited the race with air box damage on lap 15, and on lap 17, Kelley made his way around Carroll, taking over third place.
LaPaglia and Boes remained in control of the race, with Boes closing in tightly on LaPaglia but not able to make the pass. As the race clicked by, the Pirelli tires showed their resilience, with drivers setting their fastest laps of the race in the last five laps. In the final turns of the final lap, LaPaglia put two tires off the racing surface and spun, but Boes also spun behind him independently.
While LaPaglia was able to right himself without losing the lead, Kelley was able to pass Boes, and the top three drag raced to the finish line. LaPaglia crossed first, followed by Kelley, Boes, Carroll and Meynet.
“Everything really worked out well for us today,” said LaPaglia atop the podium. “We qualified P2, which, historically, I have been a pretty bad qualifier. It’s good to start up front and just try to drive a smart race. The car was kind of going away from me there toward the end of the race, and I just tried to hold on to it. I knew Kyle [Kelley] was coming, I knew Barry [Boes] was on me, because he was riding my rearview mirror the whole time, so it was super stressful. He’s been racing a lot, and racing a lot in the National Championship, so I knew he was going to be there in the end. I knew I had to get the car to the finish line.
“I almost didn’t there for a second, with about 30 seconds to go, but kept it together and held on. I’m just happy to get a win for the team. Brody Goble came out to give me a little extra help, and the guys are here from Howe Racing; my dad’s here, and everyone from Papini’s Garage, and it’s just great to have the team out, and to get a win for everybody.”