Ken Schrader, Greg Biffle and Scott Speed Join Barry Boes, Connor Mosack and 13-Year-Old Newcomer Tristan McKee for SpeedTour All-Star Race
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (July 18, 2024) – This week’s Major League Baseball midsummer classic might be in the rearview mirror, but the all-star spirit lives on this weekend when TeamSLR takes a stout, three-car contingent to Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, for Saturday’s non-points SpeedTour All-Star Race featuring the driving trio of Ken Schrader, Greg Biffle and Scott Speed.
They’ll be part of a 20-car, 40-driver field of Cube 3 TA2 Series entries in which all-star drivers will be paired with road-racing regulars for a 60-minute race with a $50,000 winner-take-all prize on the line.
The TeamSLR lineup features Schrader paired with former fulltime TeamSLR driver Connor Mosack in the No. 28 Cube 3 Architecture/Franklin Road Apparel/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro, Biffle with current TeamSLR fulltimer Barry Boes in the No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang, and Speed with one of his young Team Chevrolet development drivers, 13-year-old Tristan McKee, in the No. 17 Cube 3 Architecture/Franklin Road Apparel/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro.
While the 69-year-old Schrader will be behind the wheel of a TA2 car for the first time, he returns to the 1.48-mile, seven-turn Lime Rock circuit where he dominated the inaugural ARCA Menards Series East (formerly known as NASCAR Busch Series North) race held there in 1993, qualifying on the front row and winning by a two-second margin over Kenny Wallace, leading a race-high 37 of 50 laps along the way. Since running his last of 984 races across NASCAR’s top three series (Cup, Xfinity and Truck) in 2017, Schrader continues to compete on a weekly basis, running primarily modified and occasional stock car events for his own race team. Saturday’s All-Star Race will be his 39th event of the year.
Mosack returns to TeamSLR after TA2 championship-contending seasons in 2021 and 2022, during which he posted a pair of victories, 18 top-fives and 23 top-10s. The 25-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, moved up to a mixed bag of NASCAR Xfinity Series, Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series and CARS Tour races the past two seasons and is a two-time ARCA winner.
Biffle, the 55-year-old from Vancouver, Washington, who scored championships in NASCAR’s Truck Series in 2000 and Xfinity Series in 2002, will also be competing in a TA2 car for the first time and will be getting his first live look at the Lime Rock circuit. He’ll be sharing the cockpit with Boes, who eight races into his first season with TeamSLR sits atop the TA2 Pro-Am Challenge class standings.
Speed, the 41-year-old Californian who over the years has left his mark in a variety of racing disciplines, including Formula One, NASCAR, Global Rallycross and Formula E, had the chance to lap the Lime Rock circuit in TeamSLR M1 Racecars equipment during a test day earlier this year alongside McKee. Lime Rock holds a special place in Speed’s heart as it was the last American track he raced at as a 19-year-old Skip Barber School scholarship winner before heading to Paris to compete in and win the Red Bull Runoff, launching a longstanding relationship that ultimately took him to Formula One, the NASCAR Cup Series, and throughout his various off-road endeavors. Speed relishes the chance to work with McKee in their respective TA2 race debuts. The young driver from Williamsburg, Virginia, joined Mosack and the rest of the Chevrolet driver development stable at the outset of 2024 and has shown his racing brilliance. He’s been a regular in the Pro Late Model division of the popular CARS Tour, where a year ago he became the series’ youngest winner at the age of 12. McKee also won the series’ most recent event July 3 at Caraway Speedway in Sophia, North Carolina.
The SpeedTour All-Star weekend kicks off Friday with a 40-minute TA2 practice session set for 11:10 a.m. EDT, followed by qualifying at 3:50 p.m. Saturday’s All-Star main event is set for 1 p.m. with live television coverage by series partner MAVTV, augmented by live-streaming video on the Trans Am channel on YouTube.
Scott Lagasse Jr., Owner, TeamSLR/M1 Racecars:
Some very well-known drivers and longtime friends of yours will get their first chance to drive your M1 Racecars equipment in this weekend’s non-points All-Star event at Lime Rock. What does this event mean to the team and to the Trans Am Series?
“First, I want to thank our year-long sponsors for making this three-car effort possible – Cube 3 Architecture, Franklin Road Apparel, Accio Data – they really stepped up to make it happen. This is going to be a lot of fun. When Tony (Parella, SVRA and Trans Am owner) told me about it, I thought it was a great idea and we immediately jumped on board to be a part of it. We’re fortunate that the group of people in our organization wanted to do it and are as excited about it as I am. It’s a nice change of pace, timing-wise, seeing that we’re in the middle of an eight-week hiatus on our schedule. It’ll be a great chance to catch up with some old friends and see what we can do together on the racetrack.”
Talk about your lineup of All-Stars mixed with your full-season driver Barry Boes, your former full-season driver Connor Mosack, and young Tristan McKee.
“(Greg) Biffle and I were teammates at one point, he’s an amazing talent to have. Add Scott Speed, Tristan, Connor, (Ken) Schrader and Barry, we have quite a squad and it’s going to be a lot of fun. Schrader for me is special. He was one of the guys I looked up to as a kid. He was one of the first NASCAR guys I met when Dad made the transition from the road-course stuff over to the NASCAR side. Schrader is the guy who took him under his wing, and I have lots of memories of the annual Schrader Christmas party (laughs). Dad’s always thought the world of Schrader and always thought of him as a real racer, someone who’ll race anything, anytime, anywhere. Having Scott Speed race with us will make it fun to close that loop in terms of the driver development we’ve done with him and the young guys like Tristan and Connor. It’ll be a really good learning experience for me in terms of how we can make our development program even stronger. You lean on a Scott Speed and he’s actually in one of our cars for a race, it’s going to add value to our program and our mutual understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish with all these young drivers in our racecars.”
Barry Boes, Driver, No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang:
You’ll be rubbing elbows with some of the biggest names in motorsports for this weekend’s one-of-a-kind event at Lime Rock. Your thoughts on the event?
“I think it’s going to be a cool event, I’m very excited about doing it. I’m not necessarily the guy who’s got the whole fangirl thing about meeting some of the best guys in the business, but it is very cool. I’m going to get to drive with one of the guys and see what he does and look at his data and chat with him, so I’m excited to be able to do that. This race format’s a little bit different and it’s always fun when we mix things up. I’m going to have to do better than I did the last time at Lime Rock because there are some driver pairings and teams out there that are going to make things very challenging.”
Your co-driver Greg Biffle will be behind the wheel of a TA2 car for the first time, and the two of you will have to share just 40 minutes of practice time before he is tasked with qualifying your car. Any particular concerns there?
“The Lagasses have known him for a really long time and they say he’s fantastic, so there aren’t any particular concerns there except learning this particular track. He’s won championships in NASCAR and has raced and done well on road courses in those bigger, heavier racecars. He’s a pro and shouldn’t have much if any trouble figuring it out. It’ll be interesting to hear what he’ll have to say about driving these TA2 cars.”
Greg Biffle, Driver, No. 27 Accio Data/SLR-M1 Racecars Ford Mustang:
The last time you’ve competed in a racecar was two years ago in the SRX summer all-star series. Your thoughts about this weekend’s event at Lime Rock?
“I’ve never driven a Trans Am car and I’ve never been to Lime Rock, but I’m ready to go and have some fun. Any time you have a chance to get behind the wheel and compete, and especially competing against all of the guys in this race – there’s a pretty stellar list of people and I’m just happy to be included in that and get a chance to go race against Ron Fellows and Boris Said and Ron Hornaday, a big, big list of guys. Those are the guys I grew up around and know. I’m looking forward to getting behind the wheel and brushing the dust off. I’ve known Scott (Lagasse Jr.) for a long time and this was a natural pairing based on our history and I’m really looking forward to it. The biggest thing is I hope I don’t get hooked, or else I’ll find myself out there buying myself a TA2 car and a transporter and so on (laughs).”
Are you concerned with having just limited practice time to learn the M1 Racecars TA2 car and the Lime Rock track for the first time?
“I pick things up pretty fast at new tracks and new places. At least when I raced in the Trucks and Xfinity, I did pretty well and won at places I went to for the first time. I was on the pole at Watkins Glen and won. I always enjoyed and loved road racing, but the situation didn’t present itself a whole lot. So this weekend I’ll be discovering new things and new corners. The best thing to do is get behind a Paul Menard or a Boris Said, someone like that who’s been there before because it’s easier to chase the rabbit, and I can feel confident that I can pick up the track pretty quickly that way versus trying to discover it yourself.”
Scott Speed, Driver, No. 17 Cube 3 Architecture/Franklin Road/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
After working with TeamSLR in helping to develop your young Chevrolet development drivers over the years, you finally get a chance to hop into one of the team’s M1 Racecars and have a little fun, co-driving with one of your young prodigies. Your thoughts on the weekend?
“This is a really special, cool event that Tony (Parella) is clearly really passionate about and, for me, that’s what hooked me on it. Obviously, number one, I want to get Tristan seat time in a race situation and, being able to have this unique opportunity where I can race, as well, he can see what that looks like and it’s going to be a great resource and experience for him. Outside of that, Tony’s passion for this deal and how excited he is about it was really endearing. I’m really thankful that they’re understanding of Tristan’s situation, being only 13 years old, but having really an enormous experience level and a really high ability level for his age, to give him a waiver to compete with these guys. I did a couple of laps testing at Lime Rock a couple of months ago with Tristan and it was super fun. The car is nice. It has enough horsepower to where you can use the throttle a little bit. It’s going to be a cool race there at Lime Rock.”
How would you describe your relationship with TeamSLR and the results they are able to generate for your young drivers?
“The Lagasses have been great to work with. They do a great job of getting these kids good instruction, getting them good cars to race every weekend. Scott’s a racer. He’ll call me and wear me out talking setups and strategies and making sure these kids get the best opportunity. Their equipment is in a good place. And for us, Trans Am is a great opportunity for our guys to get experience behind a heavier car with horsepower. These cars really provide an environment for these kids to learn road racing, to learn braking, to be able to manage horsepower, so it really ticks a lot of boxes for us as far as really valuable experience for these kids to get.”
Tristan McKee, Driver, No. 17 Cube 3 Architecture/Franklin Road/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
After spending the first half of this year learning all about driving a TA2 car in testing, you will get your first racing experience this weekend co-driving with one of your Team Chevrolet mentors. Your thoughts?
“I’m excited. We’ve put a lot of effort into this. We’ve been preparing a lot and doing a lot to make sure we’re completely prepared for what’s going to happen. I’m excited to have Scott Speed racing with us as the pro driver. I feel like this will be a pretty good combo. We work with each other a lot, I like him a lot, he’s a great driver, so I’m excited for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to this weekend.”
You’ve driven a variety of racecars in a number of different series, including the CARS Tour the past two seasons. How does the TA2 car compare with other cars you’ve driven, and how has your experience been testing with TeamSLR?
“I’ve never actually driven a super (late model), I’ve driven a pro late model, but everybody says the TA2 car is a lot like a super, which has about 600 horsepower, and the tires can spin pretty easily, so they’re a lot of fun to drive. They’re definitely one of my favorite cars to drive. It’s been great so far this year. We’ve had a lot of good times and the team has been super helpful to me just teaching me different stuff about these cars, changing my driving style or telling me to try different things for how the car’s driving. And teaching me how to drive a car that maybe isn’t handling great or, if it is handling well, what I need to be doing, just different stuff that I need to change, they help with that a lot.”
Ken Schrader, Driver, No. 28 Cube 3 Architecture/Franklin Road/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
You’ll be stepping into a TA2 car for the first time this weekend, but you have experienced success at Lime Rock Park, albeit back in the day. What are your expectations for the weekend?
“I was excited to be asked to participate. It’ll be my first time in a Trans Am car, but I’ve been racing a lot – this will be our 39th race this year, so I was racing this weekend, it was just a matter of where. I think the concept is neat. I’m excited about it. We’ll see what happens. I met Scott Sr. in maybe 1995, the first year of the Truck Series. He drove for Mr. (Rick) Hendrick, and I remember when Scotty was just a little kid. I’ve been around them forever. He’s driven for me before. I’m excited getting to do the opportunity with them. As for the car, to me the TA2 car is a short-track pavement car, basically. I’ll be going in cold turkey this weekend, but we do know how to win at Lime Rock. The one and only time we’ve been there was for the old Busch North series in 1993. We qualified on the front row and won the race.”
You’re primarily a circle-track driver. How would you describe your driving when it comes to road racing?
“When I started Cup racing, I despised road racing, and if you don’t like something or some place, you don’t do well. So I decided I was going to like it and we started doing more of it. We took an ARCA car to Topeka and we won, we took the Busch North car to Lime Rock and won, we won at Riverside in a Southwest Tour car, we won at Sonoma in our own Southwest Tour car. I just started putting them on our schedule and became a fan. The Lime Rock track, out of the ones I’ve run, is like a bullring road course. But it’s in such a beautiful part of the country, like a lot of the road courses are. Any time I think about Lime Rock, I remember Rodger Ward winning a road race up there in a midget back in 1959. He took a midget to Lime Rock to race against the sportscars and kicked their tails. That was an amazing deal.”
Connor Mosack, Driver, No. 28 Cube 3 Architecture/Franklin Road/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
You get to take a break from the points-paying Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series season by taking part in this weekend’s SpeedTour All-Star race. How are you going to approach the weekend?
“I’d say I go into the weekend the same way you would approach a normal race, you still prepare as best you can. And the vibe once you get there might be a little bit different, but still from my end I’ll approach it the same way. I think it’ll be more of a fun race and a chance to hang out with some really cool people and just go out and have a good time. Hopefully we have a good race and take home that cash prize.”
What do you think about the All-Stars who will be part of the three-car TeamSLR entry this weekend?
“I work with Scott Speed pretty regularly from week-to-week with the Josh Wise Team Chevrolet program, so that’ll be cool to actually be in a TA2 car side-by-side with him. Greg Biffle has obviously been a big name in the Cup Series and it’ll be good to get to know him, as well. Ken Schrader raced in NASCAR a little before my time, but from everything I hear, he’s a great guy and fun to be around. I’m looking forward to it.”
About TeamSLR:
TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s newly renamed Cube 3 Architecture 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 120 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.
