POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 24, 2024) – It’s generally great to be the race leader – except perhaps not when that means you are the first to happen on a freshly laid oil slick. That was the fate of defending race and series champion Chris Dyson and his #16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang in this weekend’s second round of the 2024 Trans Am Championship by Pirelli, spinning off the track after leading from the pole the first 25 miles of the 100-mle sprint.
Dyson, who had started from pole position, battled back from deep in the pack before finishing second to his friend Adam Andretti by 0.159 seconds, one of the closest finishes in the 58-year history of America’s longest-running sedan road-racing series.
“We just ran out of laps,” Dyson said following the end of the race, who said he’d been hoping a second yellow flag would help him catch the leader. But that didn’t happen and Dyson had to overcome the deficit on pure driving. “I had to run the car hard, but still make sure I’d have life left in the tires for the last few laps of the race.”
In his march back to the front of the field Dyson engaged in some furious battles with other full-time competitors around the sweeping and staggeringly fast Georgia circuit. “Did I lose a little time coming through? Yes, probably five or six seconds,” he said. “But I have no complaint,” Dyson said. “We were racing for position and for championship points. They were tough but fair. Our cars never touched.”
At the winners circle Dyson offered his best wishes to Andretti. “Congratulations to Adam. We’ve been friends for a long time. This is a fine and well-deserved win for a great guy. And for his team owner, Claudio Burtin, who has always been a great supporter of the TA category. To win a race with your own car – hats off to Burtin Racing for achieving that.”
Dyson noted the importance of a good finish at Road Atlanta after being eliminated in the first turn of the season-opening race at Sebring last month. “Adam and I both had disappointing races at Sebring. This gets us both into the thick of the championship battle after Paul Menard and Wally Dallenbach, who finished first and second at Sebring, had mechanical problems here. Over the course of a season everyone tends to get their share of good luck and bad. This is going to be another very competitive and memorable season.”
The Trans Am Series’ next event is at NOLA Motorsports Park in metropolitan New Orleans. Dyson is the defending race winner and the CD Racing team did pre-season testing there while developing the current #16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang.