As the 2021 season of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli winds down, TeamSLR is suiting up for the finale at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas.
The 3.426-mile, 20-turn road course that most recently hosted Formula One and its 20-car field on Oct. 24 welcomes Trans Am and its record-breaking 50-car field this Sunday in the Heacock Classic TA2 race. Two of those 50 cars will be fielded by TeamSLR, with Connor Mosack piloting the No. 28 Nic Tailor Custom Fit Underwear/Interstate Foam & Supply Chevrolet Camaro and Chris Liesfeld in the No. 96 M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro.
The Heacock Classic marks Trans Am’s seventh visit to COTA and, in true Texas fashion, Trans Am has come back to the Lone Star State bigger than ever. Its 50-car TA2 field dwarfs the previous all-time class entry record of 38 cars set on Aug. 7 when the series raced on the streets of downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
The massive TA2 field at COTA is a microcosm of Trans Am’s growth. Billed as America’s Road-Racing Series, Trans Am proudly pits American muscle in the form of Chevrolet Camaros, Ford Mustangs and Dodge Challengers wheeled by both experienced racers and next-generation talents on some of the most iconic tracks in North America. The opportunities for racers to hone their skills are high because the cost of entry is relatively low.
Engines can last an entire season, and chassis builders like M1 Racecars construct a quality racecar that is as fast as it is safe. It’s a visceral racing series where the driver makes the difference, as outsized talent can trump an outsized bank account.
Mosack is a perfect example. The 22-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, began this season with only four TA2 races on his resume via the doubleheaders he ran late last year at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, respectively. Mosack was a rookie who began his 2021 campaign with a DNF (Did Not Finish) in the season opener at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, yet nine races later at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Mosack was a Trans Am race winner. It was a dominant win too, as Mosack took the class lead on the opening lap from series veteran Rafa Matos and never relinquished it, leading all 30 laps around the 3.4-mile, 11-turn track to finish .883 of a second over his nearest pursuer, Tyler Kicera.
The win put an exclamation mark on Mosack’s progression. He secured his first career podium finish June 26 at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course, just a month-and-a-half after graduating with a degree in business entrepreneurship from High Point (N.C.) University. Then on Aug. 7 on the streets of Nashville, Mosack earned another podium finish. That set the stage for Mosack’s breakthrough win Sept. 12 at The Glen, with the victory coming in his 13th career TA2 start. The triumph also boosted Mosack to third in the TA2 championship standings, and he comes into the season finale with a three-point advantage over fourth-place Thomas Merrill.
Mosack, however, isn’t interested in points. With the championship out of reach, his sole focus is on getting another win, and TeamSLR aims to get him there.
Mosack is coached by the father-and-son duo of Scott Lagasse and Scott Lagasse, Jr. They have combined to win more than 100 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks.
The Lagasse’s depth of knowledge is augmented this weekend by the return of Liesfeld, who will be Mosack’s teammate at COTA. The 47-year-old from Richmond, Virginia, has a long tenure with the St. Augustine-based organization. Liesfeld’s company, Fields Racing, has been competing with TeamSLR and the Lagasses for several years. Liesfeld will make his 13th career Trans Am start Sunday at COTA and his third of the season, with his previous outings coming in Nashville and in the series’ penultimate race Sept. 26 at VIR.
The combination of Mosack’s rising-star talent and Liesfeld’s encyclopedic Trans Am knowledge, both of which will be buoyed by the Lagasses’ coaching acumen, makes TeamSLR’s presence in the paddock a formidable one. Recent history, and the decades of know-how accrued by the Lagasses, convene in the Trans Am season finale this weekend at COTA.
TeamSLR PR
