POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 28, 2022) – The broadcast announcers called Chris Dyson “dominant” and it would be tough to dispute that description of his performance at Road Atlanta during this weekend’s third round of the 2022 Trans Am by Pirelli series. Bouncing back from a hard race at Charlotte Motor Speedway the previous weekend, Dyson won the pole at Road Atlanta in his #20 ALTWELL Ford Mustang by a healthy .579-second margin, grabbed the lead going into the first turn and led every lap of the 100-mile sprint. Dyson crossed the finish line 37 seconds ahead of his closest pursuer, Tomy Drissi.
While dueling early in the race with Drissi, Dyson also set the race’s fastest lap, thereby securing the maximum number of available championship points, and extending what had been the slimmest of series point leads. This weekend’s triumph marks Dyson’s third Trans Am win at Road Atlanta – he won in 2018 and 2020 – to go with a class win in the American Le Mans Series.
“The ALTWELL car was fantastic today,” Dyson exclaimed in a post-race interview. “This was a fabulous weekend for the team. The car was fast right off the trailer. I really felt completely in synch with the track all weekend, in all conditions.”
The promise demonstrated with victory in the season-opening race at Sebring International Raceway last month and a front-row start on the Charlotte Motor Speedway “Roval” circuit threatened to evaporate a few laps into last weekend’s Charlotte race. A tire issue while contesting the lead with eventual race winner Paul Menard catapulted Dyson into the wall surrounding the circuit’s tall banking.
“The crew had to repair the car after the issue we had last weekend, which wiped out the right side of the car,” Dyson said. “And then we had some engine problems yesterday right as official practice started here at Road Atlanta. But everybody just kept their head down and executed. The great work by the team over the past week saved us from a setback becoming a disaster for our 2022 title effort.”
Dyson continued, “It’s tough when you have a bad race and get behind early in the season. You spend the rest of the season playing catch-up. And sometimes you don’t. In the past that has happened to us in this series. You just can’t let your guard down. Thankfully we persevered through a lot here and extended the points lead. I’m delighted and I can’t wait to get to the next races in California.”
Old Friends In Atlanta
In honor of Plaid, his team’s primary branding partner for the 2018 through early 2021 seasons, Dyson this past weekend wore a driver’s suit with the Atlanta area-based crafts company’s logo emblazoned on the chest. “It was great to have folks from Plaid here as our guests this weekend,” Dyson said. “They have been terrific supporters for the team in Trans Am since our debut, and it was wonderful to have Mike McCooey, President and CEO of Plaid Enterprises, Inc., give the ‘Start Your Engines’ command and then for me to win the race in their hometown.”
California Bound
The fourth race of the 2022 Trans Am by Pirelli season takes place in Monterey, CA, south of San Francisco, at WeatherTech Laguna Seca, April 22-24. A week later the series travels north to Sonoma Raceway in the Napa Valley wine country.
Video Coverage of Road Atlanta
The Road Atlanta race will be televised on a tape-delay basis on CBS Sports Network and also MavTV, dates TBA.
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Plaid
Headquartered in Atlanta, Plaid Enterprises, Inc. is one of the world’s largest, most diverse manufacturers of creative do-it-yourself products. Plaid’s product innovation and dedication to the ever-changing needs of consumers have made the Plaid family of products among the most recognized and desired brands worldwide.
Founded in 1976, Plaid began as a publisher of how-to craft books. The company soon expanded into manufacturing, with paint becoming the primary focus. Today, Plaid is the industry’s leading small batch paint manufacturer, proudly producing paint in its facilities located outside of Atlanta, GA.