Mosack Third, Marks Fourth, Liesfeld 13th in Eighth Points-Paying Race of 2021

Overview:

Date:  Aug. 7, 2021

Event:  Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers presents the Franklin Road Classic (Round 8 of 12)

Series:  Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli (TA2)

Location:  Nashville, Tennessee

Layout:  2.17-mile, 11-turn street course

Format:  46 laps or 75 minutes

Race Winner:  Mike Skeen of Stevens-Miller Racing

TeamSLR:         

• Connor Mosack – Started 2nd, Finished 3rd (Running, completed 42/42 laps)

• Justin Marks – Started 6th, Finished 4th (Running, completed 42/42 laps)

• Chris Liesfeld – Started 28th, Finished 13th (Running, completed 41/42 laps)

Connor Mosack, Driver No. 28 Chevrolet Camaro, TeamSLR:

“I feel like we really had the car to beat. We were just kind of biding our time there at the beginning after starting second, running single-file. I thought we were better than (Mike) Skeen, but it’s just a really tough place to pass, so I figured if we could get by him we would be set. Finally we were able to and we were driving away and I really thought that was it. Unfortunately, we got a caution about halfway. I don’t know if the tires were too cold, or maybe the contact we made right before the caution that knocked our toe in on the right-front and it made us a little bit free on the restart. Drove it in a little bit too hard and locked up the rear tires and slid toward the wall and got freight-trained and fell back to sixth. So we just really gave it away to them there. We were faster and were able to run back to third. If we could’ve had some more laps, we might’ve gotten second or maybe even the lead. Learning experience for me. I think we had the speed in the car and I really think we can go get a win there at our next race at Watkins Glen.”

Chris Liesfeld, Driver No. 96 Chevrolet Camaro, TeamSLR:

“It was certainly a lot of work for me, but the Lagasses made it easy by providing a really good car. Of course, Lee Quinlan (team manager) – the hard work he and the crew put in to get the car to the track for me and just making it fast – I started off the race trying to be cautious and not try to make any advancements during the first few laps, seeing how things settled and trying to avoid any potential crashes. As the laps started to click by, I felt it was time to start moving up. Lap after lap, being a little rusty and kind of clean out the cobwebs there, it all started to come back. As the race continued on, the heat really started to bother me and, going across the rough sections of the track, things were starting to rattle loose and the exhaust started to leak in the car. So I got a little bit of stale air in the car and I ended up counting down those last laps and really fought through it to get to the end. I really felt good about where I was and just needed to make it to the end. This was a good experience to get ready for the next races coming up. I really want to thank the Lagasses and Lee Quinlan, Justin Marks, Connor Mosack – they helped me tremendously because I missed so much of the first practice, providing me with good guidance and advice and it was very helpful.”

Justin Marks, Driver No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro, TeamSLR:

“I had a really fun time in the race today. Everybody on the team did a really solid job preparing the racecar. It was going to be a bit of an attrition day, I think we all expected, and it turned out being that way. Brakes, power, the car really stayed together well. I made a little bit of a mistake early in the race and it put us behind, but the car had a ton of speed in it and I was able to drive into the top-five and I had a lot of fun. Hopefully, I can do more. The Trans Am Series and everybody did a great job, and it was nice to run the BC Forever car and have Bryan Clauson’s family watching and have a lot of friends come out to cheer us on. It was a really good day and I had a lot of fun.”

Next Up: 

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli heads to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International for a doubleheader race weekend Sept. 9-12. Practice at the 3.4-mile, 11-turn road course begins Sept. 9 with qualifying taking place on Sept. 10 before the first race on Sept. 11 and the second race on Sept. 12. Coverage will be livestreamed via the Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App, which can be downloaded on Apple iOS and Android Google Play. The app features high-definition onboard footage and real-time data, including live timing and scoring. A week pass can be purchased for $9.99, or an annual pass for $59.99. (NOTE: Downloading the app is free and free content is available, but a subscription is needed to watch live, on-track action.)