INDIANAPOLIS — After a small misstep on Memorial Day Weekend at Lime Rock Park, Matthew Brabham has put himself and Chris Dyson Racing back on the top step of the podium in the Trans Am Series by Pirelli, sneaking past Martin Ragginger late in the going to win at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
Brabham secured pole position for the event on Saturday, by a whopping eight tenths of a second, but when it came time to run 42 laps around the 2.439-mile infield road course, the new-and-improved second-edition Burtin Racing chassis came to life with Martin Ragginger behind the wheel.
Ragginger, driving the No. 7 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro, put up a real challenge for Brabham, and as the field was moving through lapped traffic, the Austrian driver snuck inside three-wide coming onto the frontstretch of the IMS oval to take the lead with 21 laps remaining.
The No. 16 Gymweed Ford Mustang spent the next 15 laps hounding the rear-bumper of Ragginger’s machine, taking peaks to the inside to try and fake out the Trans Am Series part-timer, but couldn’t make the move work until six laps to go, when a lapped car destroyed the momentum of the No. 7, allowing Brabham to sail by and extend his lead to more than two seconds.
“I woke up this morning not expecting that, that’s for sure. I thought we had quite a bit of an advantage over everyone, but the race started and we’re kind of saving in the beginning and I thought we were pretty comfortable,” Brabham said post-race. “Then we started pushing at the end there and I was like ‘Oh, this is on’. He’s driving super well, his car is holding on and by the end of the race I had nothing left, the brakes were fading, I had no tires left, and I’m sure he was the same.”
“He drove an awesome race, I got caught out with traffic and he got caught out in traffic, but without the traffic it still would have been on regardless but hats off to those guys at Burtin Racing and [Martin] Ragginger, I mean, that was a race. I’m beat.”
Ragginger paced the Trans Am Series by Pirelli field for 14 of 42 laps on Sunday, but when the pay window opened, the Top Liner-sponsored machine couldn’t quite get back to Brabham for another push at the victory.
It’s the 13th Trans Am Series by Pirelli victory for Brabham, and his fifth of the year in six races, which will allow him to extend his points lead over Paul Menard, who finished third place, heading to Road America next weekend.
Chris Dyson challenged Paul Menard for the third position in the late stages of the race but had nothing for the No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints Ford Mustang, with the No. 20 RACER / Gym Soda Ford Mustang coming home in fourth.
David Pintaric rounded out the top-five overall and in the TA Class, an impressive effort and recovery by the whole team, after an issue with the spoiler caused a terrifying high-speed wreck heading into Turn 1 during practice on Saturday that totaled the No. 57 Birds Eye View Project / Kryde Racing Ford Mustang. Efforts by his crew, and by many people throughout the paddock allowed the driver to get back on track on Sunday and put together an impressive fifth-place result.
Tomy Drissi finished sixth, with Amy Ruman putting together a respectable seventh-place result in her return to Trans Am Series by Pirelli competition after suffering a complex ankle fracture last Fall. Jon DeGaynor, Kaylee Bryson, and Boris Said completed the top 10.
Chris LaForest and Cam Gadue headed the Lenny’s Shoe & Apparel Flying Tiger field in Round #1 of the Myers Container Service Triple Crown. The two maintained the advantage through heavy lap traffic in the early stages until the lap 20 restart saw Gadue shuffle back on the outside groove with Jason Pelkey, Eric Messier and Logan Powers taking control of the bottom lane.
Pelkey made the move up to the outside and led lap 34 ahead of LaForest with former Myers Triple Crown champion Derrick Calkins following on the high side. By lap 38 Calkins was in control at the front while Pelkey and Logan Powers fought side-by-side for third. The story stayed the same following the lap 53 pile-up that ended the day for Eric Chase, Karsen Murphy and Rich Lowrey and Derrick Calkins went on to take the 75-lap win over Jason Pelkey and Logan Powers.
‘No-Look’ Nick Copping led the Burnett Scrap Metals Road Warriors to green Sunday afternoon for their first feature since opening day with weather plaguing their early-season schedule. While Copping showed the way early, opening day winner Taylor Sayers drove up from tenth to take the lead at the halfway point and never looked back to take the win. ‘Fast’ Eddie Thompson took home second with Copping holding on for third.
The Dads 4 By Tool & Supply Kids Division made their season debut on Mekkelsen RV Sunday with thirteen on the grid in the first of five events for the youngsters this season. It was a spirited battle at the front between Kiptyn Aldrich and Kaden Wimble until Chloe Doyle and Gracen Gorham moved in by the halfway point. Wimble, Doyle and Gorham ran nose-to-tail around the Thunder Road highbanks until Doyle lost control off turn four and collected Clayton Houghton with three-to-go. The dents didn’t slow Houghton who kept it up front but it was Kaiden Wimble who nailed down the win, 2025 Mini Milk Bowl winner Evan Folsom in second and Houghton taking third by an inch over Madison Potter at the line.
