TransAm – Where Legends are Born

Brent Crews win at Nashville. [Photo by: Chris Clark Photography]

By Jack Webster & Eddie LePine

It was on March 25, 1966 that the TransAm series was born. Its birthplace was Sebring International Raceway. The first race was won by future World Champion Jochen Rindt. First year series participants included A.J. Foyt, Richard Petty, Jerry Titus, Jacky Ickx and Bob Tullius along with the aforementioned Jochen Rindt.

Fast forward to July 2022. The track is Elkhart Lake’s Road America, the winning driver is Brent Crews in the Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang. Brent became the youngest winner in the entire history of the TransAm Series presented by Pirelli – at just 14 years, three months and four days old. Not only did he win the race, he started on pole (the youngest pole winner in series history as well) and led the race from flag to flag.

Winning Mustang at Nashville. [Photo by: Chris Clark Photography]

Mark Donohue at MIS TransAm in 1971. [Photo by Jack Webster]

Road America TransAm 1974. [Photo by Jack Webster]

And just to show that it was no fluke, Crews went on to win the next round on the Nashville Street Circuit in August. Of course, he was older and more mature by that second win!

Brent Crews has joined some very talented and legendary winners in the TransAm Series.

He must be channeling the talents of some of the drivers who came before him in TransAm – drivers like Mark Donohue, Peter Revson, Parnelli Jones, Jim Hall, George Follmer, Vic Elford, Milt Minter, Sam Posey, Peter Gregg, Al Holbert, David Hobbs, Hurley Haywood, Hans Stuck, Tommy Kendall, Ron Fellows, Boris Said, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., and Jack Baldwin to name just a few – plus many, many more.

It is amazing when you look back at the history of the TransAm Series – the drivers, the cars, the tracks, the competition. It is literally a history of American road racing – a history that is continuing to add new chapters and is growing by leaps and bounds to this day.

In the modern era, the series joined with SVRA to run race weekends together, which was a very successful arrangement that continues to this day. Also, a partnership was developed with Parella Motorsports Holdings, which has assured the financial stability and future growth of the series. Every year, the list of series corporate sponsors increases in number.

The new TransAm Series, which is dedicated to honoring its history and legacy, does not just rest on its laurels. While paying tribute to its roots, the series has continued to evolve to reflect changing modern times. Today, four different classes race in TransAm: TA, XGT, TA2™, SGT and GT. TransAm offers quite possibly the most competitive and cost-effective motorsport program currently available anywhere.

In TA2™ in particular, there are three chassis and engine packages: Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger. Engines are capable of running an entire season without a major rebuild, major components on the cars are standardized and have fixed prices to keep costs down. In TA2 the emphasis is on the racing, not the constant search for money. It frees drivers up to do what they do best – driver the race car. It is no wonder that the TA2 grids are full.

Things are certainly going in the right direction, as the list of sponsors continues to grow and the grids are reaching ‘sold out’ levels. For example, the upcoming TransAm race at Watkins Glen in September features an entry list of 77 cars!

The new TA2™ class, which Crews competes in, features a staggering 48 cars for the Watkins Glen round. The TA2™ class has grown to become its own major championship, with season long entries growing every year. TA2™ ran its first stand-alone race in Miami in 2014 and has never looked back.

Just like the career of up-and-coming young driver Brent Crews, there seems to be no limit to the success of the TransAm Series presented by Pirelli.

Keep a keen eye on both Brent Crews and the TransAm Series – the sky is the limit for both.

Check out the series on their website: gotransam.com

Eddie LePine & Jack Webster

Jack Webster has been shooting motorsports since the early 1970’s, covering Formula One, CanAm, F5000, TransAm, GrandAm and American Le Mans races, among others. In addition to his photography, he has also worked on racing teams, both in IMSA and IndyCar, so has a complete knowledge of the inner workings of motorsport. Both his photography and writing can be seen here on racingnation.com. Eddie LePine has been involved in motorsports for over 30 years as photographer, columnist, and driver. Eddie also is now a retired racer (well, retired unless a good ride pops up). You can usually find Eddie in the paddock area, deep in conversation with a driver.

racingnation.com

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