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2025 TA2 Champ Tristan McKee Returns To Join Fulltimers Alon Day, Helio Meza and Lanie Buice for Season’s Second Weekend Doubleheader
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (July 15, 2026) – The battle for the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series championship arrives at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International this weekend tighter than it’s been since the opening round of the season with TeamSLR’s Helio Meza and Alon Day separated by just 14 points atop the driver standings with five races remaining.
Two of those races will take place Saturday and Sunday, respectively, during the series’ second and final doubleheader weekend of 2026, this time on the iconic 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit nestled in New York’s Finger Lakes Region.
Meza and Day will be joined in the TeamSLR camp by fellow fulltime driver Lanie Buice, and the trio welcomes the return of 15-year-old Tristan McKee, last year’s TA2 Series champion, to the weekend lineup for the first time this season.
Day, the 34-year-old from Ashdod, Israel, and driver of the No. 17 JSSI/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro, has closed the gap to points leader Meza with a pair of victories in the last three races – May 23 at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, and the most recent round June 28 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Meza, the 19-year-old from Houston and driver of the No. 28 Alessandros Racing/Chevrolet/SLR-M1 Racecars Camaro, had won five of the season’s first six events, including June 21 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and appeared on his way to top step of the podium at Road America, where he led every race lap before a broken axle on his way to taking the white flag opened the door for Day to seize the victory.
While this weekend marks Meza’s first outing on the Watkins Glen circuit, Day has raced there twice in recent years, albeit on the shortened, 2.45-mile, seven-turn NASCAR layout. He competed in the September 2024 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race for owner Tommy Joe Martins, that effort cut short by a brake issue. He returned for the August 2025 ARCA Menards Series race, qualifying second and finishing 11th for Venturini Motorsports.
Coincidentally, it was McKee who scored the victory in that latter event at The Glen, which was his ARCA debut just five days after his 15th birthday. The teen Chevrolet development driver from Williamsburg, Virginia – along with Meza and Buice – will take the reins of the No. 48 Spire/Gainbridge/Chevrolet/SLR-M1 Racecars Camaro this weekend, the same racecar TA Series veteran Matthew Brabham drove for the first time at Road America, qualified on the pole, and raced to a runner-up finish. McKee was victorious from the pole last year at Watkins Glen. It was his second of four wins over the final seven races of the season en route to the driver championship.
Buice, the 19-year-old from Jackson, Georgia, and driver of the No. 27 Sunoco/Guthrie’s Garage/Chevrolet/SLR-M1 Racecars Camaro, is coming off her TA2 Series career-best finish of fourth at Road America. She’ll also be seeing Watkins Glen for the first time in what will be her eighth and ninth starts since her series debut last fall. The weekend after her near-podium finish at Road America, Buice drove to a runner-up finish in the July 3 ARCA Menards Series race at Chicagoland Speedway. That result came on the heels of her pole qualifying effort in the June 12 ARCA event at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. All four of her ARCA outings this season have resulted in top-five finishes.
Joining the TeamSLR contingent among this weekend’s field of 32 TA2 entries is fellow M1 Racecars competitor Jared Odrick of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the defending CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Pro-Am Challenge champion. The driver of the No. 00 Black Underwear/Helium Mobile Chevrolet Camaro for Troy Benner Autosport scored his fifth class victory of the season at Road America. He’s also qualified on the class pole at five of the season’s seven events, including Road America.
Riding along with TeamSLR drivers and their M1 Racecars this weekend are season-long partners Guthrie’s Garage, CUBE 3 Architecture and longtime supporters Franklin Road Apparel Company and Kallberg Racing.
TeamSLR also welcomed new partner Focal One® for the first time two races ago at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Focal One® is the leading robotic focal therapy platform in prostate cancer, leveraging advanced imaging, intelligent treatment planning, robotic precision, and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to deliver personalized, minimally invasive therapy. By enabling precise tissue targeting while helping preserve quality of life, Focal One is redefining the standard of care in focal therapy in prostate cancer. Focal One is developed and commercialized by FocalTherics, a medical technology company focused on expanding access to focused ultrasound-based robotic therapies worldwide through continuous innovation, clinical research, physician education, and strategic market development. For more information, visit FocalOne.com
This weekend’s doubleheader, featuring twin 30-lap, 75-minute races, begins Thursday with a pair of TA2 test sessions set for 11:55 a.m. and 3:35 p.m. EDT. Friday begins with official TA2 practice at 10:20 a.m., followed by qualifying at 3:05 p.m. Saturday’s race is set for 1:20 p.m. while Sunday’s doubleheader nightcap is at 11:05 a.m. Live television coverage for both races is available at no charge at RacingAmerica.TV, as well as the official Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli YouTube channel (@gotransam).
Alon Day, Driver, No. 17 JSSI/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
You won the most recent round at Road America and now sit just 14 points out of the championship lead with five races remaining. How do you approach Watkins Glen?
“My approach doesn’t change. I just focus on one race at a time and not think too much about the championship. The goal is to run at the front, maximize the points available and avoid unnecessary mistakes.”
You’ve raced at Watkins Glen the last two years in NASCAR and ARCA, respectively, but this weekend you’ll be running the longer configuration that includes the Boot (turns six through nine). How much will your previous experience help?
“It was a different layout, different cars, and a different set of rules. In NASCAR, we were able to use much more of the track without the track-limit restrictions we’re going to have this weekend, so I expect the lines in the TA2 car to be quite different. I have never raced through the Boot before, but I have already completed a lot of laps on the simulator, which I hope will help me adapt quickly.”
Looking back, what stands out most about your Road America victory?
“I’m very grateful for the win, but I also was gutted for Helio after how strong he was all weekend. Luck was on my side this time, and I was happy TeamSLR showed once again just how strong we are as a team.”
Watkins Glen has a reputation as one of America’s classic road courses. Does it compare with anywhere you’ve raced before?
“It’s a very unique and historic circuit. It has its own character, and I can’t really compare it to another track I’ve raced.”
Helio Meza, Driver, No. 28 Alessandros Racing/Chevrolet/SLR-M1 Racecars Camaro:
You’re coming off last weekend’s MX-5 Cup doubleheader at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, a track many say has similar characteristics to Watkins Glen, where you’ve not raced before. Do you think that’ll help get you up to speed more quickly?
“From what I’ve learned about Watkins Glen, it seems like a very high-speed track, it’s got some elevation to it, so I think they should be kind of a match. It’s one of the tracks we go to that the NASCAR guys go to, as well, so being a part of the Chevy development program, we have a lot of data and info. It’s yet another one of those iconic American tracks, a home of the U.S. Formula One race way back in the day. It’s kind of cool to think about going to an old-school track like that. I’m happy to be able to add that to the list of tracks that I’ll have gone to. A lot of people, not only drivers but fans, love watching races there because it’s a simple track and just breeds really good racing. I’m sure the field be tight and it will be competitive.”
Your teammate Alon Day has tightened up the points gap atop the driver standings over the last three races. How is that dynamic working for the two of you?
“Alon’s been moving forward and has kept me on my toes all year. It’s obviously unfortunate what happened at Road America – really nothing anybody could have done, just one of those unfortunate mechanical issues that’s out of our control. At the beginning of the year, I’d never heard of Alon before, so I looked him up and saw all the success he’s had. So I knew he was going to be one of the guys I was going to battle with for the championship. I’ve gotten to know him on a more personal level in the data room and all the work we do in the hauler, and he’s a really good guy. He’s shared some stuff with me and I share info with him, and I think that’s one of the tricky parts about being teammates, that we all see each other’s data so we can’t really hide anything. I love that because it just makes me work even harder, and it’s not like I’m able to hide anything from him. All I can do is just try and improve even more each session. I’m excited that TeamSLR has had the success we’ve had this year and to have two cars fighting for the championship. It’s great for everyone. On one hand, we’re both fighting for a championship, but at the same time you don’t want to do anything malicious to each other because you’re teammates, so it’s always a fine balance.”
Your fellow Chevrolet development driver Tristan McKee, last year’s Watkins Glen winner and TA2 champion at TeamSLR, is back with the team for the first time this season. What are your thoughts on that?
“I’m sure Tristan will get up to speed really quickly. Everything he’s driven in has gone well and he’s always been really fast. It may take him a session or two to get back into the swing of things, especially since it’s been a long time while I’ve been running the full season. Even Matt Brabham at Road America, he got up to speed really quickly, but it also took him a little bit to get acclimated to these cars. It’ll be fun to have another driver to fight with for the win with Alon and Lanie. It’s always fun having more competition – it just makes it even more exciting and drives me to push even harder.”
Lanie Buice, Driver, No. 27 Sunoco/Guthrie’s Garage/Chevrolet/SLR-M1 Racecars Camaro:
You’ve been on the brink of milestone results in your last two races – a near podium finish at Road America, then a near ARCA Menards Series victory the following weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Does it feel like you’re carrying good momentum into your first-ever race at Watkins Glen?
“Yeah, I feel really good and I’m super excited. I have really good momentum right now and I feel like it’s just a product of how hard we’ve been working and just how much I’ve been able to be in the seat. I think the biggest thing for me is just to continue this momentum, and Watkins Glen is a good one to keep everything rolling. It’s another new one for me but I’ve been doing that a lot this year, and I’m excited about the progress I’m making and taking that to a new racetrack.”
What kinds of things have you learned in your preparation about how the racing is at Watkins Glen?
“It’s going to be really fun. The esses are going to be great. That big uphill is going to be a lot of fun. And I think the Boot is going to be interesting. I’ve just been trying to collect as much information as I can just to be best prepared, but I think it’ll be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to such a unique racetrack and getting there in person and trying it out.”
You’ll be joined by your fellow Chevrolet development driver Tristan McKee for the first time this season. Your thoughts on that?
“It’s cool to have another driver with such good experience there to help me. I know that he’ll be willing to help all of us at TeamSLR, so I’m excited for the opportunity to have him as a teammate this weekend. During the week when we’re with the Wise Optimization program at Chevrolet, we’re all kind of building each other up rather than tearing each other down, which is always positive, and I can appreciate that. We all get the same amount of prep work and we’re all very driven, so it’s cool.”
Tristan McKee, Driver, No. 48 Spire/Gainbridge/Chevrolet/SLR-M1 Racecars Camaro:
You’re returning to TeamSLR for the first time after winning the 2025 championship with the team. How excited are you to be back?
“I’m really excited. Obviously, the success the team has had this year is pretty crazy. They’ve won every race and I’m looking forward to trying to help keep the streak alive. They’re all really fast, so it’s not going to be easy, but Watkins Glen is one of my best tracks – I won the ARCA race and the TA2 race there last year, so hopefully we can build on that from last year. I know it’s going to be tough for me because the team and the competition have gotten better, working really hard. I’m just looking forward to running with the team and working with Scotty (Scott Lagasse Jr.) and all the guys again. It was a lot of fun last year and I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
What is it about Watkins Glen that leads you to like it so much?
“Winning there, and the track’s a lot of fun. I like the elevation changes. It’s fast. It’s kind of like an oval of the road-course world. It’s fast and it’s not quite as technical as some of the places we’ve been to. It’s just one of my favorite tracks. I think the main thing is the elevation changes and the runoff you can use, especially off turn one, which is more than a lot of tracks.”
What will it be like trying to get reacclimated to the TA2 car and getting up to speed with the full-season drivers since you haven’t driven one since last November at COTA?
“It’s definitely not going to be easy. Helio and Lanie haven’t been to Watkins Glen before, so that’ll play a little bit in my favor as I’ve been there once this year and a couple times before. Because I’ve gotten laps around the track and obviously laps in this car, it shouldn’t take me long to get back into it. I’d say after the first practice session I’ll kind of be back into the groove. But it’s definitely not going to be easy because they’ve been doing this all year at all the different tracks they’ve been to. But I’m ready for the challenge and I think we’ll be really good.”
How has your experience with TeamSLR last year helped with all the other forms of racing you’ve competed in this year?
“I’m always learning something no matter what I’m driving. I learned a lot last year with TeamSLR in Trans Am on all the road courses we raced at. I’ve only run two road courses this year in ARCA, but I definitely used just about all my knowledge from the road-course racing I did last year because I didn’t have any other road-racing experience before that. I definitely used a lot of what I learned last year on the road courses, and also definitely have taken some of the lessons from that into a lot of the oval stuff I’ve been doing. So, yeah, it was time very well spent last year.”
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