POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 28, 2025) – Coming back from injuries that put him out of action for two months, Chris Dyson celebrated his return to the Trans Am by Pirelli series with a race-long battle with eventual winner Paul Menard. Dyson finished Sunday’s 100-mile contest at the physically demanding twisty 2,52-mile Sonoma Raceway right on Menard’s bumper (official margin 0.291 seconds) after a late-race caution period negated the small-but-important performance advantage Dyson’s #16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang enjoyed as the 40-lap contest headed for its conclusion.
“I can’t be disappointed today,” Dyson said following his runner-up finish. “It was only a bit over a week ago I was (medically) cleared and felt good to go. I’m pleased with my effort. It was a great race with Paul. I’m proud of the team; they gave me such a good car.”
The six laps of slow yellow-flag running, following a major crash by Adam Andretti gave Menard the breather he needed to cool off his tires before the four-lap all-out sprint to the finish. Menard, the 2024 series champion following Dyson’s three-year title run, admitted “Chris was better on long runs, but we were better on short ones.”
Saturday’s qualifying session was cancelled because of heavy rain. The grid for the race was set based on practice times, with Menard on pole and Dyson alongside him and for Sunday’s race the track was still damp when the green flag waved.
“It was tricky conditions, but if we hadn’t gotten that yellow there near the end I think I’d have gotten him,” said Dyson, who set the race’s fastest lap and never trailed Menard by more than 1.5 seconds. “He was coming back to me.”
Next Up, Laguna Seca
This weekend Dyson will have a rematch with Menard, as well as Andretti and Sonoma’s third-place finisher Tomy Drissi as the Trans Am series completes its West Coast swing with a return after a two-year absence to the Monterey Peninsula’s Laguna Seca Raceway, 150 miles south of Sonoma.
On the way to his second Trans Am title in 2022 Dyson won the series’ most recent race at Laguna Seca from the pole. He also won the pole there in 2021.