Dodge Fans, Forget NASCAR… Trans Am Is What To Watch!

Every day, we get a half a dozen e-mails asking when Dodge is going to return to NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing). The answer is its very very unlikely. With NASCAR viewership down over 50% from what it was a decade ago, the cost to run in the series and the constant rule changes every year, Dodge has placed their motorsports money into NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) drag racing. But what happens if drag racing isn’t your thing? Then the Trans-Am series is what you are looking for!

Founded in the mid-1960s, Trans Am racing series has featured some of the best competitors in motorsports. Trans Am, was largely popular in the early-1970s and was challenging NASCAR as the premier motorsports series in the United States. Cars like the Dodge Challenger T/A, Plymouth Cuda AAR, and Pontiac Trans Am were all created around the series itself. 

In the past decade, the Trans-Am series has reinvented itself. They are creating a series that offers some of the best road racing in the world. Four distinct classes take center stage; TA, TA2, SGT, and GT. Nameplates like Corvette, Mustang, Camaro, Viper, and Challenger (yes, Dodge Challengers) fill out most of the field. 

The TA2 class offers some of the best racing in the series.  The TA2 class combines the prowess of a purpose-built racing platform, tailored to the grueling conditions of sprint format racing, with relevant manufacturer power plants and the unmistakable silhouettes of today’s muscle cars. TA2 represents the best value platform in racing, with engines capable of lasting an entire season and cost control measures that allow drivers to entirely focus on racing, not the financing of it while showcasing their talents and skill. No multi-million dollar contracts, with multiple big-name sponsors in this series, its all about the drivers. 

The Trans-Am series features a 12 race season, which features some of the best road racing courses on the planet. Tracks like Sebring, Daytona, Circuit of the Americas, VIR, Detroit Grand Prix, Indy, and Laguna Seca play into some exciting racing during the season.

If you are a Mopar fan, the team to watch is the Stevens-Miller Racing team. The team is one of the biggest in the sport and run a multi-car operation which includes inspiring road racers who can even lease the cars from the team with factory support. While the team does have Camaros and Mustangs in it’s stable, its Dodge Challenger has been one of the fastest cars on the track in recent years.

For the 2019 race season, Trans Am veteran Marc Miller is piloting the Stevens-Miller Racing #40 Dodge Challenger sponsored by our friends at Prefix Corporation. Marc is currently sitting second place in the points after his runner-up finish in the season opener at Sebring. Marc’s #40 Challenger is powered by a Prefix-built 392 HEMI built explicitly for the series.

This weekend the series is off to the 2.54-mile road course at Road Atlanta. The track has 12 turns, including the famous “esses” between turns three and five; and Turn 12, a downhill, diving turn. If you are interested in attending, tickets are still available. The weekend opens with Trans Am testing on Friday. Saturday has practice from 9:15-10:10 a.m., with qualifying beginning at 2:20 p.m. Sunday’s TA/SGT/GT feature race begins at 8:50 a.m., while the TA2 Powered by AEM race set for 2 p.m. (All times are Eastern Standard Time).