POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 2, 2018) – In just his third career start in the series, Chris Dyson scored a close but impressive win in Saturday’s 101-mile Road Atlanta round of the 2018 Trans Am Championship presented by Pirelli. From his front-row position on the starting grid, Dyson beat pole-sitter and four-time series defending champion Ernie Francis, Jr. to the first turn and then led the race from flag to flag, with the brief exception of a late-race incident that saw both Dyson and Francis spin and recover.
“It’s deeply satisfying to see my name added to the list of drivers who’ve won races in the half-century history of the Trans Am series,” Dyson later said, while savoring the results of his CD Racing team’s second-ever race. “To now be part of that heritage with of some of the sport’s great heroes like Mark Donohue, Parnelli Jones and Dan Gurney, and to join my good friends and series champions Greg Pickett, Willy T. Ribbs and Tommy Kendall as a winner in Trans Am, is deeply satisfying. And to do it in our first race with Plaid on the car and just down the road from the company’s headquarters is a pretty special moment for us. It was great having so many people from Plaid joining us here. I was so pleased to be able to deliver a victory for them.”
With a win and a second-place finish in the first two races of the season, Dyson heads to the third round of the series (April 13-15) at Homestead-Miami Speedway in a tightening championship points battle with Francis. “Ernie and I had excellent race-long battles both here and at the season-opener at Sebring,” Dyson said. “He’s a terrific young driver and I expect we are going to have hard-fought races all year. But the Trans Am field is deep, with a lot driving talent showing up and several strong cars, so I expect you’ll see several other drivers battling us to win races and contending for the championship. I’m looking forward to an exciting season.”
About 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.
Notable brands in Plaid’s portfolio include FolkArt, Apple Barrel, Delta, Bucilla, Martha Stewart Crafts, and one of the industry’s best known, Mod Podge, a favorite since 1967.