Another Pair of Top-Fives for TeamSLR at Mid-Ohio

Dillon Machavern Finishes Third, TA2 Newcomer Carson Kvapil Comes Home Fifth; Rookie Thad Moffitt Sees His Day End Early After Getting Hit from Behind Twice

Overview

Date: June 25, 2023

Event: 3-Dimensional Services Group Classic (Round 7 of 13)

Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli

Division: Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series

Location: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington

Layout: 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course

Format: 45 laps or 70 minutes

Weather: Partly cloudy, low 80s

Winner: Rafa Matos of Peterson Racing (M1 Racecars)

TeamSLR:

• Dillon Machavern – Started 4^th, Finished 3^rd (Running, completed 45/45 laps)
• Carson Kvapil – Started 3^rd, Finished 5^th (Running, completed 45/45 laps)
• Thad Moffitt – Started 13^th, Finished 29^th (Accident, completed 22/45 laps)

Noteworthy: Rafa Matos of Peterson Racing, who led all 45 laps today, earned M1 Racecars its second win of the season after scoring his second pole of the season and the third for M1 Racecars on Saturday. M1 Racecars has been represented on the podium at all seven races this season with the third-place-finishing Machavern also on today’s podium. At the Detroit street-race doubleheader June 3-4, Matos scored the runner-up finish in the Saturday race while TeamSLR’s Moffitt finished second in the Sunday race. Mike Skeen drove his Peterson Racing entry to a runner-up finish in the previous round at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, on Memorial Day weekend. M1 Racecars swept the podium at the season-opening race at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway with the race-winning Matos, his Peterson Racing teammate Austin Green in the runner-up position, and TeamSLR driver Connor Mosack finishing third after qualifying on the pole and leading 20 of the 27 race laps. Matos scored back-to-back third-place finishes in rounds two and three at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana, and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, respectively, also earning the pole at the latter event.

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

“I’ll tell you what, I was away from the series for a while, and you’ve got to work really hard to get on the podium – I’m a little worn out. The M1 Racecars SLR team does an awesome job. Two of the three cars on the podium are M1s, those guys do a great job. We were fast today, started out a little tight, and I was kind biding my time, waiting to make sure we had some tires underneath us at the end. And inevitably you knew there was going to be a yellow flag at some point. But hats off to the guys, they’ve been working so hard all year, and it’s great to be able to get on the podium and celebrate those guys.”

Carson Kvapil, Driver No. 8 SLR/M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro for TeamSLR:

“I figured we’d run pretty well, especially after practice and qualifying. I knew these TeamSLR guys brought me a really good car and it was up to me to just keep it off the gravel and run good, consistent laps and try to work on my racecraft and this road-course stuff. I thought we had a really good car. We were probably going to end up second if we didn’t have those full-course cautions. I didn’t think (Brent) Crews was going to get to us, and (race-winner Rafa) Matos was pretty far out there, so we were in a pretty good spot there just riding, taking care of it. But after those cautions, I just felt like I couldn’t fire off. It probably took me a whole lap for the car to come around – I might have cooled it off a little too much or something, it just didn’t have any rear grip at the end of the race. I’m kind of bummed out, but at the same time we have to think back to a week ago and I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, I had never driven a big car on a road course. I can’t thank all these TeamSLR guys enough, and Chevrolet, Josh Wise, Scott Speed, it’s been a good, fun opportunity. I’m excited to go to Road America in two weeks.”

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

“Started off pretty good. I think we got Jade (Buford) at the start and a couple of other cars. And then I went to pass the 77 and I just turned and we got wrecked. And then we were back there in the back and passed one of the slower cars and got wrecked again, broke the clutch. That’s all I can say. Let’s move on to Road America.”

Next Up

Round eight of the 2023 Big Machine Vodka Spiked Coolers TA2 Series takes TeamSLR to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, July 7-9, for the 3-Dimensional Services Group 100. A pair of TA2 test sessions kick off the weekend on the 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit Friday, July 7. TA2 practice takes place Saturday morning, July 8, with qualifying set for that afternoon. The 25-lap, 75-minute TA2 race is set for 12:30 p.m. Sunday with live streaming provided by the Trans Am Series and SpeedTourTV channels on YouTube, with a delayed re-broadcast on MAVTV set for 8 p.m. EDT on Thursday, July 13.

-TeamSLR-