Kicking off the 2025 Trans Am Series in style, Menard, driver of the No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang, shattered the qualifying track record at Sebring International Raceway with a blistering 1m57.629s run. With this feat, Menard not only secured his pole position for the inaugural race but also set a fresh precedent for the competitors to follow.
“I am thrilled to represent our new sponsor, Pittsburgh Paints and Stains, in such an exciting way by securing the pole position and setting a new track record,” said Menard. “The car’s unique design with paint splashes is something I am particularly fond of. Although the vehicle remains unchanged from last year, our team has worked relentlessly during the off-season to optimize its performance.”
He added, “During the test sessions and practices, we faced a few glitches, but we managed to iron them out in time for the qualifying. The track was a bit slippery, possibly due to the TA2 race, and didn’t offer the grip I anticipated. But, we still managed to clinch the pole and set a new track record, which is a great achievement.”
In the XGT category, Paul Tracy took the fastest spot in his No.10 Race Cars For You Innovation IRC GT. The SGT saw Joshua Carlson leading the pack with his No. 36 Enseva/Diercks Ltd./TC Fab Ford Mustang. Chris Coffey’s No. 97 Traffic Grafix/Chill Out Motorsports Maserati MC GT4 emerged as the speediest in the GT class. Interestingly, Jon DeGaynor was the only entrant in the GT1 Challenge with his No. 04 Speed Dream’n Racing Ford Mustang.
The much-anticipated TA/GT race is slated for Sunday at 10:50 a.m. ET. Fans can catch the live action on Trans Am’s YouTube channel, @TheTransAmSeries, with the coverage starting from 10:15 a.m. ET. Additionally, the race will be broadcast live on SPEED SPORT 1, beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET. The channel will also air an encore presentation at 10:00 p.m. ET. For more details on where to tune in to SPEED SPORT 1, stay tuned.
As the engines rev up for the Trans Am Series’ season opener, all eyes will be on Menard as he leads the field in his record-setting Ford Mustang.
