Charlotte, NORTH CAROLINA – March 21, 2022 – Paul Menard enjoyed a perfect weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Round 2 of the 2022 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season. The Showtime Motorsports driver took pole position in qualifying, led for the most laps, had the fastest lap in the race, an excellent pace of 1:18:188, and most importantly won the race. The victory was also the first in the prestigious TA Class for Paul’s new team, Showtime Motorsports. Showtime principal Ken Thwaits also scored valuable Championship points, recovering from an early mishap to finish in P6.
Paul was quick off the trailer this weekend and duly scored pole position with a time of 1:17:010 with Ken not far behind in P4. The race itself was incident-packed with both 2021 Championship winner Chris Dyson and Ken Thwaits leaving the track at different times while unusually in a TA Class race, a pit stop for tires became advisable.
“It was chaos,” said Paul on climbing out of the winning No. 5 Franklin Road Apparel Showtime Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.”I knew we had a good car. We were fast all weekend long. I took off and tried to build a gap to Chris [Dyson]. I knew tires were going to be an issue all day long.”
He went on, “We had speed in the car all weekend but Tomy had good pace and he was pushing me hard enough to where I was having to use the tires. I lost my radio so I had no idea where anybody was until I was on pit road after the checkers.”
Paul picked up 35 points for the win and Ken collected 20 points for his P6 finish in the No. 7 Franklin Road Apparel Showtime Motorsports Camaro. Ken’s personal experience of the race was tempered by the joy of seeing his team score their first TA Class win.
“Oh boy,” said Ken in the paddock after the race! “It didn’t start off very well. We went a little too hot going into Turn 1 and we barely nudged the tire wall. Then by the time the emergency crew got me out, I was a lap down. I thought it’s going to be a long day and a long race so we’ll keep soldiering on.”
“We changed the front tires but finally the motor just let go but I had a front row seat to see Paul win. I’m stoked that Paul won! I’m really happy for Paul and the team. Thank you guys so much.”
The result is understandably a cause of tremendous personal satisfaction for Ken Thwaits, with Showtime Motorsports now climbing to the pinnacle of Trans Am racing.
This weekend’s races from the Charlotte Roval will air on CBS Sports Network the week following the event. TA/XGT/SGT/GT will air on Friday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. ET, while TA2 will air on Saturday, March 26 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Make sure you don’t miss out on seeing the dramatic action.
The TA Class race at Atlanta is on Sunday March 27 at 1pm and fans can buy tickets through this link: http://speedtour.net/events/
If you were unable to attend the racing in person or watch the race live, you can catch up with all the action on the SVRA YouTube Channel here: https://youtube.com/c/SVRAlife
Fans can find the Franklin Road Apparel Trans Am clothing here: https://www.franklinroad.com/search/trans+am/
Visit the team’s website for Showtime Motorsports showtimemotorsports.net. Learn more about the Showtime Motorsports team partner, Road Apparel, at franklinroad.com and keep up to date with the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at gotransam.com. #GoTransAm
Check out the Showtime Motorsports Facebook page: facebook.com/showtimemotorsp/ and @ShowtimeMotorsp on Instagram.
About Showtime Motorsports:
The Showtime Motorsports brand includes Ken Thwaits’ racing team and racecars, and an outstanding classic Camaro collection. Showtime Motorsports brings together a dynamic staff who employ diverse talents and share a passion for cars, racing and caring for clients like they are our own family members.
