Watkins Glen, NEW YORK – September 6, 2022 – Round 9 of the 2022 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season TA Class will take place over the weekend of September 7 to 11 at the legendary Watkins Glen International. The Franklin Road Apparel team’s Showtime Motorsports supremo Ken Thwaits is poised in an incredible P2 overall in the Driver Championship with 176 points and just three rounds remaining. It is also Round 10 of the TA2 Class Championship where Franklin Road Apparel driver Cameron Lawrence sits in P9 with 133 points, just one behind Mike Skeen. He will be joined in the TA2 race by 21 year old Austin Green, son of 1994 NASCAR Busch Series Champion David Green.
“Strictly speaking, I should be in dreamland,” stated Ken this week. “I’m in P2 overall in the TA Class driving the lead car for my own team. Realistically, I was never going to challenge Chris [Dyson] this year for top spot so to be in P2 as we head to the final stint in the season is success the whole team can share. The thing with motorsports though is that you always want more. I’ve been on the podium four times this year and that’s where I’m starting to believe I belong!”
Ken’s Tennessee based Franklin Road Apparel are partnering with Trans Am for the SpeedTour event. Looking ahead to the TA2 race Ken added, “Cameron has had a bit of a rough deal of it over the last few weeks but he’s a former Champion and a total professional. I know he’ll bounce back. There is certainly no better place to do it than at the Glen and no better race than the Franklin Road Apparel Classic.”
“We’ve also got Austin Green driving for us and that’ll be exciting. It’s great to see these young drivers coming through and they sure do push us older guys hard!”
Joining Ken in the TA Class for Showtime Motorsports at Watkins Glen is the high profile NASCAR driver Justin Marks. A native of the great state of Missouri, 41 year old Justin is the owner of Trackhouse Racing Team in the NASCAR Cup Series and currently lives in Tennessee. A winner in 2016 at Mid Ohio in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he last competed in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, driving the No. 93 for Meyer Shank Racing with Curb-Agajanian. Justin will be behind the wheel of the No. 5 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro in the Trans Am Franklin Road Classic.
Coinciding with the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival and organized in conjunction with the SVRA, it’s a feast of action for motorsports fans but on track is the serious business of racing for points and results as the season heads towards its climax. Watkins Glen is in fact where road racing in the United States began way back in 1948 when Cornell University student Cameron Argetsinger organized a race through the upstate New York village of Watkins Glen. In 1956, the races were moved to the purpose-built Watkins Glen International, one of the first such courses in the world. Since then, every major racing series has come to “The Glen,” including Formula One, Can-Am, Trans-Am, IMSA, IndyCar and NASCAR.
Since the inaugural Trans Am event at the track in 1968, Trans Am has raced 33 times at ‘The Glen’ and this year Cameron and Austin get to test on the track at 12:05pm ET on Thursday, September 8 with the second session at 5:15pm ET that afternoon. Official practice is at 11:45am ET on Friday, September 9 with qualifying in two groups from 5:25pm ET that afternoon.
Saturday’s TA2 feature race is sponsored by Trans Am Apparel creators Franklin Road and is billed as The Franklin Road Apparel Classic. Lights go green for the big event at 11:10am ET on Saturday which is run over 30 laps of the circuit.
Ken’s qualifying session for the TA Class race isn’t until the TA2 race is over at 5:50pm ET on Saturday with the race itself at 11:05am ET on Sunday, September 11.
Highlights of both races will be shown on the CBS Sports Network. Please check your local listings.
Find Trans Am apparel perfect for you or a gift online here: https://www.franklinroad.com/collection/?mode=grid&sort=popular&brand=2300974
About Showtime Motorsports:
The Showtime Motorsports team is based in Franklin, Tennessee and is the power behind the Franklin Road Apparel brand. Showtime is responsible for preparing the cars for the track and keeping Ken Thwaits’ outstanding classic Camaro collection in prime condition. Showtime Motorsports competes in both the TA and TA2 classes in the legendary Trans Am muscle car series with growing success. The race team consists of a dynamic, passionate and talented staff of professionals dedicated to excellence both on and off the track.
