TransAm Back In Streets Of Detroit

Brent Crews behind the wheel. [Eddie LePine Photo]

By Eddie LePine

TransAm racing has a long and storied history on the streets of Detroit. The series raced downtown from 1984 through 1991, before moving to the Belle Isle circuit in 1994, where it remained until 2001. For 2023, the series headed back “downtown”, to once again have their competitors do battle on the streets of Detroit.

Racers who have won the Detroit TransAm include Tom Gloy (1984), Eliott Forbes-Robinson (1985), Wally Dallenbach, Jr. (1986), Scott Pruett (1987), Hurley Haywood (1988), Greg Pickett (1989), and Scott Sharp (1990 & 1991).

In addition to those race winners, the list of legendary drivers who participated in TransAm racing in Detroit is very impressive as well. Michael Andretti, David Hobbs, Hans Stuck, Paul Newman, Gene Felton, Willy T. Ribbs and Lyn St. James – to name just a few – all raced through the streets of Detroit in the ground pounding TransAm machines.

The last time I was in Detroit to cover a race on the city streets was back in 1988, the final time the Formula One race was held there. I had covered every F1 race in Detroit from 1982 through that last one in 1988, and always enjoyed my annual trip to the motor city. Looking back, it’s funny the things that you remember clearly, but one thing that stands out to me like it was yesterday was a young, extremely talented new driver who made his debut in Detroit in 1984 – for that was the rookie year for 24-year-old Ayrton Senna. He was driving the uncompetitive Toleman, but was quite impressive, running up front after qualifying 7th against the likes of Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell. He eventually had a DNF in that race with an accident, but everyone there knew – this guy was special, we are going to hear a lot about him in the future. Fast forward to the 1988 race and Senna is racing for McLaren Honda. He won the race (one of his 8 victories that season) and the World Drivers Championship.

Back in 1984 I saw something special in a young Ayrton Senna, and I was right.

Now it is 2023 and racing has returned to the streets of Detroit after not racing downtown since 1991 (with IndyCars, as Formula One left after 1988). I have returned to the streets of Detroit as well, and just like back in 1984, I have spotted a young, talented driver who I am sure we are going to hear quite a bit about in the future.

15-year-old Brent Crews is on a tear – he won the TransAm race through the streets of Detroit on Saturday and followed that up with an 11th place finish in the second TA2 race on Sunday (and would likely have been in contention for the podium had it not been for a late race incident that spun him). I saw this young man race TransAm last year, when he was just 14 years old. He won the TA2 races at both Road America and Nashville in 2022. Prior to winning at Detroit this year, he won at New Orleans Motorsports Park. At 15 years old, he is a 4-time TransAm race winner!

I saw Ayrton Senna race when he was 24 years old, just beginning to come into his own in Formula One. Brent Crews was winning TransAm races when he was 10 years younger!

There seems to be something very special about the TransAm Series presented by Pirelli. TransAm, the oldest professional road racing series in the US, dating back to 1966, has produced many legendary drivers in its history. Just glance at the list of Detroit TransAm race winners and participants over the years and you will see what I mean.

There is a youth movement currently going on in TransAm, in particular TA2, where drivers who are still in their teens are making a major impact on the sport. In addition to 15-year-old Brett Crews, Sunday’s TA2 race winner Connor Zilisch is only 16.

Brent has just signed a development deal with Toyota Motorsports, so his future is looking very bright indeed. This year he may very well be on his way to a TransAm championship. One thing is for sure – the kid has an unbelievable natural talent and a maturity far beyond his young age.

As former IndyCar driver and 2009 IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year Rafa Matos says (who finished second to Crews on Saturday): “I can’t talk enough about Brent. I think he’s obviously a very special talent. I think he has improved his skills and his ability to finish races within a year, and I think he will be a champion and I think you’ll see him in the big leagues. For me, to be fighting against a teenager that I’m almost triple his age, he definitely makes me feel old! At the end of the day, we’re not running a marathon – it’s about the race car. So, I feel very, very good to be competitive, to be racing against the young guns.”

Brent: “I just want to say ‘thank you’ to my whole team and to (Matos and Merrill) for racing hard. That was a blast. There definitely was not a dull moment and it wasn’t easy…to be able to hold pace like that and to be able to turn those fast laps at the end of the race is truly amazing…I also want to thank Tony Parella and everyone at TransAm. This is an incredible series and it’s not often that you get to come to an amazing street course like this and be able to race with IndyCar.”

For me, it was like traveling back in time to the Detroit Grand Prix in 1984, where I was first made aware of the very talented and up and coming Aytron Senna who went on to become a World Champion.

I have been around a long time now, and I am pretty sure I just experienced Déjà vu on the streets of Detroit in 2023.

Time will tell. Stay tuned.