2023 TeamSLR Fulltimers Dillon Machavern, Thad Moffitt Have Solid Outings; Midrace Restart Incident Foils Top-10 Bid for Jack Wood

Overview

Date: Feb. 25, 2023

Event: Sebring SpeedTour (Round 1 of 12)

Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli

Division: Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series

Location: Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway

Layout: 3.74-mile, 17-turn road course

Format: 27 laps or 75 minutes

Weather: Sunny, mid-80s

Race Winner: Rafa Matos of Peterson Racing

TeamSLR:

Connor Mosack – Started 1^st, Finished 3^rd (Running, completed 27/27 laps)

Dillon Machavern – Started 8^th, Finished 6^th (Running, completed 27/27 laps)

Thad Moffitt – Started 20^th, Finished 14^th (Running, completed 27/27 laps)

Jack Wood – Started 7^th, Finished 27^th (Running, completed 27/27 laps)

Noteworthy: It was a podium sweep for M1 Racecars as race-winner Rafa Matos and runner-up Austin Green, both of Peterson Racing, drove M1 chassis, as did the third-place-finishing Connor Mosack for TeamSLR.

Connor Mosack, Driver No. 28 Open Eyes/ SLR-M1 Racecars:

“I’m a little frustrated at myself for giving away the lead there at the end (after leading the opening 21 laps from the pole). It’s always harder when you beat yourself. But the car was really good. We struggled with a few things, and that’s where the wheel hop kind of caught me off guard there on that restart, but I felt like I should have been able to be ready for it, I guess. It’s definitely a learning experience, hopefully we can take that and remember it the next time I’m in that position. I just hate it for my guys, we all wanted to win, obviously. But it’s still a third-place finish, the car’s in one piece, which is better than the last two years we’ve been here, so happy about that. It’s always good to get a good finish, be on the podium. Thanks to Open Eyes Ministry and Scott Lagasse Racing, they always do a great job.”

Dillon Machavern, Driver No. 17 Heritage Automotive/Unifirst/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“I think we did a pretty good job here in the Team SLR Chevy. It was hot out there and we were definitely feeling it. Just working the brake bias trying to get the tires to not overheat – it got really greasy out there on the front tires. But we kept moving the brake bias back and it seemed like the car was coming to me a little bit and we were rolling pretty good. Right there at the end I felt like I had a pretty good car to compete with that front pack, but then unfortunately the caution kind of ended it for us, so that was a little bit anticlimactic. But everybody did a great job. Excited for the rest of the season, I think we built a good foundation this weekend and we’ll go on from here.”

Thad Moffitt, Driver No. 43 Safety-Kleen Chevrolet Camaro:

“First lap, we drove up to 14^th or so and we were right there behind (Scott) Borchetta and I thought we had gotten to a good spot to sit there and ride and click off some laps. I came off (turn) 13 and I guess the 4 had barely got to my left-rear bumper and sent us spinning through the grass. I waited for all the cars to go by and got back on track. I think in the next 13 or 14 laps we drove back up to 23^rd under green-flag conditions, and then the caution came out. Then we drove to 14^th after that and ended the race under the next caution. I think we could’ve run seventh or eighth at worst had we gone back to green there at the end. Had we just had a clean race with no mistakes and no spinning through the grass, we would’ve definitely had a shot at a top-five or a podium. I’m just happy to be here with TeamSLR. Our cars were fast. They didn’t fall off like a lot of other cars did. It just goes to show how hard these guys work and I’m happy to be a part of it this year.”

Jack Wood, Driver No. 8 SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:

“It was a tough race. We didn’t have a lot of speed, honestly, to start with. For whatever reason, we struggled with brakes for really the whole race, couldn’t get the thing slowed down. And then on the restart after the first caution, just got dumped by somebody behind us in turn four and from that point I never really had a chance to get back going. I think we showed up with good speed this weekend. Practice, qualifying, I think all that went well. Now we’ve just got to work on the race part and I’m looking forward to (the) Sonoma (TA2 Western Championship race April 27-30).”

Next Up

Round two of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli takes the Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series competitors to NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana, for the New Orleans SpeedTour. The event begins with two open test sessions on Thursday, March 9. Practice on the 2.75-mile, 16-turn road course is set for Friday morning, March 10, followed by qualifying that afternoon. The 27-lap, 75-minute race will run Saturday, March 11, at 1:25 p.m. EST. Coverage will be live streamed via the Trans Am Series and SpeedTourTV channels on YouTube.

About TeamSLR:

TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s newly renamed Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr., The father-and-son duo 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. For more information, please visit us online at www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.

-TeamSLR-