MONTEREY, Calif. — Reigning Trans Am Series TA champion Paul Menard is once again in the lead, having taken the top spot in the standings from Adam Andretti following his win at Sonoma Raceway.
With two victories in three events this season, Menard looks primed to pilot his No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang to a second title.
However, Menard will face an immense challenge this weekend, as he is the only competitor in the TA class that has not previously raced at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca before.
With no test day for this event, Menard will have only a single 25-minute practice session to figure it out before it’s time to qualify.
DYSON’S RETURN
The season had been off to a difficult start for Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang), who suffered a hard crash in the season opener at Sebring Int’l Raceway and subsequently missed Round 2 at Road Atlanta.
Returning at Sonoma Raceway, the three-time champion had an excellent weekend, showing incredible speed and finishing second to Paul Menard by a mere 0.291 seconds. Dyson heads to Laguna with confidence, as he visited GYM WEED Winners Circle the last time the series raced at the historic road course.
LAGUNA STREAK
After earning his first podium of the 2025 season last weekend at Sonoma Raceway, Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro) heads into this weekend with a podium streak at Laguna Seca.
Drissi has finished on the podium in each of the past three Trans Am events at Laguna Seca.
Drissi was victorious at the track in 2021, and scored third-place finishes in 2019 and 2022.
A NEW RIDE
Following a wild crash at Sonoma Raceway with Adam Andretti that caused heavy damage to his Ford Mustang, David Pintaric will get behind the wheel of the No. 70 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend at Laguna Seca.
This is the same Ave Riley machine that was driven by Brent Crews in the first two races of the season and was also piloted to the victory in 2023 by Gar Robinson at Circuit of The Americas.
Pintaric was the first customer to take delivery of an Ave Riley chassis when they debuted, and has worked closely with the builders in the past.
NEW SPONSOR
Following his second-place finish in the SGT class at Sonoma Raceway, J.D. Koos is excited to welcome a new sponsor on board his No. 12 Porsche GT3 Cup 991.1.
Modus, a leading innovator in advertising and display solutions, comes on board as a primary sponsor for this weekend’s event.
GOT NITRO?
Last weekend at Sonoma Raceway, Nitro Motorsports secured their third-consecutive victory of the season in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series when Brent Crews piloted the No. 10 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry to victory.
Nitro is undefeated this season, with Thomas Annunziata (No. 90 Gazoo Racing/Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry) taking the first two wins of the year. The victory is also the second in a row for the new Toyota Camry, which debuted at Road Atlanta in March.
COMING HOME
Salinas, California-native Thomas Merrill is the hometown hero heading into this weekend’s event at Laguna Seca. Merrill, who won in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series at the track in 2019, lives so close to the race track that he can hear the cars from his house. Merrill returns to action after missing the last two races at Road Atlanta and Sonoma Raceway.
The 2022 champion was forced to withdraw from the Road Atlanta event due to engine issues, and missed last week’s Sonoma race because he was competing in the Pirelli GT4 America Lone Star Enduro at Circuit of The Americas.
FAMILY SPECIAL
In addition to being an important round in the Western Championship, Laguna Seca is a track that is extra special for Murrieta, California’s Michael LaPaglia (No. 31 Papini’s Garage/F.A.S.T. Auto/Howe Ford Mustang) and his family. LaPaglia’s parents, Mike and Tracy, went on their first date at the track.
Originally from Northern California, the two met while working at an insurance company, and Mike took Tracy to an Indy car race at Laguna Seca in 1985. Tracy will be flying up to watch her son take on the iconic circuit, joining LaPaglia’s dad, who works on the race team.
DOUBLE DUTY
Last weekend, it was John Moore who was pulling double duty at Sonoma Raceway, running in both TA Cup and the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series, but this weekend, his son Cole Moore will take up the mantle for the family.
Cole will first get behind the wheel of the No. 99 Moore Motorsport/JM Environmental Ford Mustang in Saturday’s TA2 race, then join his father in Sunday’s TA/GT race, piloting a different No. 99 Moore Motorsport/JM Environmental Ford Mustang.
Watch both day’s races LIVE on SPEED SPORT 1.
