South Boston, VA (Nov. 8, 2021) — One of the things Andrew Amos saw this season was how a good start can impact a driver’s season. A solid first half of the season propelled Amos into the top five in South Boston Speedway’s Limited Sportsman Division point standings, opening the door for him to capture the division’s Rookie of the Year title.

“It’s an accomplishment I’m proud of,” the Callands, Virginia resident said of winning Rookie of the Year honors at “America’s Hometown Track.” “I had never raced anything until I bought this car two years ago. I only got into a couple of races last year (2020) with the COVID-19 pandemic closing most places. When we came down here for the first two 25-lap races this year it was the first time I had been on South Boston Speedway.

“To be truthful, I really didn’t know what to expect,” added Amos. “I felt like we would be competitive, but to be as competitive as we have been here was a pleasant surprise.”

Amos had a solid season competing in South Boston Speedway’s highly competitive Limited Sportsman Division. He finished fifth overall in the division point standings and logged four Top-Five finishes and 10 Top-10 finishes in his 13 starts. His best effort was a pair of fourth-place finishes.

A good start to the season had a big impact on Amos’ success. After opening the season with a ninth-place finish Amos improved his finishes by one position in each of the next two races. He followed that by reeling off three Top-Five finishes in his next four starts, a result that vaulted him into the top five in the division point standings where he stayed the rest of the season.

“It has been a pretty good year,” Amos noted. “We came out of the box better than I thought we would. We slowly improved from there.

“We’ve been pretty competitive. Going up against all of the veteran guys in the division that have won a lot of races and being able run up there close to them is nothing to hang your head about when you’re a rookie. We don’t have race-winning speed yet, but I feel like we have top-five speed every week.”

The 2021 season was a big learning season for Amos.

“I’ve definitely learned a lot from racing these guys and talking with them on pit road,” Amos remarked. “There have been a few tough things to learn. It’s been hard to learn how to feel the car and figure out what we need to get faster. I’m trying to learn everything you need to know as a driver and about racing in traffic. I feel like I’m getting better at that.”

Amos likes the atmosphere at South Boston Speedway and how competing drivers were helpful in answering questions he had.

“This is a really good racing atmosphere,” Amos pointed out. “It’s very friendly, but it’s also very competitive. Everybody here is helpful and will give you a lot of help. I’ve leaned on Jason Myers a lot for help this year. I’ve gotten some help from some guys like Eric Winslow and Danny Willis Jr. also. They’re a tremendous help. They have a lot of years of experience, really know what they’re doing and what to look for when they’re on the track.”

Amos said the 2021 season at South Boston Speedway was enjoyable.

“I’ve definitely had a fun year,” Amos said. “I haven’t torn the car up too badly or made too many rookie mistakes. You always hope for a win, and I haven’t gotten one of those yet. Hopefully it will come soon.”

If everything goes according to plan, Amos says he will return to South Boston Speedway for another year of competition in the Limited Sportsman Division.

“We can go into next year feeling better and knowing more of what to expect,” explained Amos. “We started this year with a lot of unknowns and a lot of new territory. We hope to really improve next year and get into Victory Lane. We will have a full year of notes and I will have a whole season of experience. Hopefully we can top that big hill and get into Victory Lane.”

The 2022 season will be a special one as South Boston Speedway will celebrate its 65th anniversary with a tentative 14-event schedule that includes a first-ever event for “America’s Hometown Track.”

South Boston Speedway will open its 2022 season on Saturday, March 19 featuring the track’s four regular racing divisions, the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Late Model Stock Car Division, the Limited Sportsman Division, the Budweiser Pure Stock Division and the Budweiser Hornets Division.

Special events on the tentative 2022 season schedule include an event on April 2 for the SMART Modified Tour and the Sentara Healthcare American Sprint Car Weekend on April 29-30 featuring the first-ever races for 410-winged sprint cars at South Boston Speedway.

The track’s premier 200-lap Late Model Stock Car race on July 2, the official celebration of the track’s 65th anniversary on August 6, and an event for the Solid Rock Carriers CARS Tour on October 22 featuring the series’ Late Model Stock Car and new Pro Late Model divisions are also among the special highlight events for the 2022 season.

The tentative 2022 South Boston Speedway schedule can be found on the speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com.

The latest news and information about South Boston Speedway can be found on the South Boston Speedway website and through the speedway’s social media channels.

Austin, TEXAS – November 8, 2021 – Ken Thwaits has rapidly established himself as one of the most popular faces in the Trans Am paddock and the 2020 Trans Am Xtreme GT Champion has enjoyed an outstanding first season in the TA Class. Ken finished fourth overall in the Drivers’ Championship as the Trans Am presented by Pirelli season came to a wrap at Circuit of The Americas just this weekend.

While the result in the final race of the season down in Austin, Texas wasn’t quite what he had hoped for, it barely dented Thwaits’ sense of achievement at what he and his team have accomplished this year in 2021. In addition to his TA Class exploits, which included two podium finishes at Laguna Seca and Virginia International Raceway, Ken has also driven with distinction in TA2. That car was in action as well with new pilot Cameron Lawrence guiding the No. 6 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro to P5 at the finish.

“It’s kind of a disappointing end to a really great weekend for us,” said Ken after today’s race. Reflecting on the TA2 effort he added, “It was the first time we had Cameron Lawrence in our TA2 car and he did a great job today. He qualified fourth and finished fifth. These guys are pretty rough when it comes to driving these TA2 cars but he hung in there and got a top five, so that was cool.”

“We qualified the TA car on the grid in P5, got a great start, I was running fourth. Myself and Teran had a battle going and he got by me so I was back in fifth. I go around the hairpin after 5 laps or so here and all of a sudden I got sideways and I spun and I had no power at all. As they found out afterwards I had three broken ground wires for some reason and I had no power. I was dead in the water! So that was the end of my day. We were having a great race up to that and as it turns out Tomy had spun so I would have been in front of him. It was turning out to be a really good race.”

About the year as a whole, he added, “Overall when you look back at everything, I really wasn’t even intending on running TA at all. One thing led to another and I drove Pancho Weaver’s car but I was still thinking I don’t know if I can do this or not! But we got better and better and better. We’ve come to CoTA and qualified fifth and were fourth until the last minute of the session. As it turned out I was fourth anyway.”

“So we’ve come a long way. These cars are just monsters to drive and it’s just been a thrill to see the improvement. I’m not at the sharp end of the races yet, but today was the first time this year I got into a really good battle – with Oscar Teran. He’s a really good driver. Panamanian Champion. He races clean and races close. The banquet’s going to be fun tonight and it’s going to be a good way to finish it off!”

The new partnership for 2022 with Forgeline Wheels is another step forward for Trans Am, which is well positioned to be more competitive and more popular than ever next year. With a full season now under his belt, a settled team and a reliable and increasingly competitive car, expect Ken and his Franklin Road Chevrolet Camaro to cement his position among the Trans AM elite when racing resumes at Sebring in February.

Visit the team’s website for Showtime Motorsports, showtimemotorsports.net. Learn more about the Showtime Motorsports team partner, Franklin 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.

SONOMA, Calif., (November 8, 2021) – This weekend, Flying Lizard will return to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with Chris Bellomo for the season finale of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America Presented by the Cayman Islands. After making his debut in the series earlier this season at Road America, where he showed good potential with great pace, Bellomo and his No. 68 Porsche 991 Cup car will close out the year with a triple-header during the Motul Petit Le Mans weekend.

“It’s always exciting to be back at Road Atlanta and we’re looking forward to finishing the season on a high note with Chris,” said Program Manager Darren Law. “He performed well at his Road America debut but we had other commitments this year that prevented us from racing in more of the Porsche Carrera Cup North America events. Now he’s coming fresh off winning the championship in the Yokohama Drivers Cup, so we’ll bring that momentum to Road Atlanta and finish the year strong.”

Racing in support of Petit Le Mans, an event where Flying Lizard has celebrated much success over the years, the Porsche Carrera Cup North America will have a total of 32 entries competing in the final event of the season. Bellomo and the No. 68 Porsche will compete in the Pro-Am 991 class which uses the 991.2 model cars, running in three 45-minute races.

On-track sessions begin on the morning of Wednesday, November 10, giving competitors two practice sessions before qualifying that afternoon. All three races will air live on www.imsa.com/tv, and live scoring available on imsa.com/scoring.

Event Schedule | All Times U.S. Eastern

Wednesday, November 10
8:45 am – 9:15 am Practice 1
12:45 pm – 1:15 pm Practice 2
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm Qualifying

Thursday, November 11
12:10 pm – 12:55 pm Race 1
4:45 pm – 5:30 pm Race 2

Friday, November 12
11:15 am – 12:00 pm Race 3

About Flying Lizard Motorsports
Based out of Sonoma, California, Flying Lizard Motorsports is one of the most iconic sports car teams in motorsports, having celebrated ten driver and team championships, as well as competed internationally at the 24 Hours of Le Mans eight times.

The Lizards burst on the American Le Mans Series scene in 2004, competing in the GT class until 2012. In 2013, the team moved to the GTC class, still competing in legendary events such as the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona. In 2014, the team expanded its program to include running two Audi R8 LMS in the TUDOR Championship, and in 2015, again expanded the program to include two Porsches in Porsche Club racing. Flying Lizard closed out the season with a dominating win at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill with Toyo Tires, a win they repeated in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The 2020 season proved the team’s most successful to date, earning four titles in the GT4 America championship. Flying Lizard Motorsports has proven to be a championship contender no matter the race series or race car. For more information, visit lizardms.com.

Natalie Decker claims first National SGT win; Joiner, Lux and Young finish top in their respective classes

AUSTIN (7 November 2021) – Matt Brabham made his Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli debut a race to remember, passing Ernie Francis Jr. in the final 50 feet on the last lap to win by 0.393 seconds on Sunday at Circuit of the Americas during the Heacock Classic season finale.

A late caution set up a two-lap fender-rubbing dash to the checkered flag. Francis Jr., who had led every lap from the pole in the No. 98 Future Star Racing Ford Mustang despite constant pressure by Brabham, had to settle for second. Brabham was filling in for Chris Dyson in the No. 20 ATWELL CBD Ford Mustang, who sat out the finale due to family matters. (Race Results)

“I was surprised, I just got a run on Ernie (Francis Jr.) on the last lap,” Brabham said. “It was the last lap, and I thought he had it because I wasn’t close enough. I had made some in-car adjustments and I managed to be fastest in the Esses at the end, and I got a run down the back straight. I was surprised he gave me a car length, so I stuck it down in the inside and we ran side by side. The track limits for both of us went out the window, and I got a little tap in the last corner as he was trying to get me a little loose coming to the checkered flag.

“That was so much fun, racing like that, door to door, leaning on each other and coming to the checkered,” added Brabham, who won the SVRA Formula B group earlier in the day driving a 1971 Brabham BT35. “That was awesome, and I can’t thank Chris Dyson and CD Racing enough for the opportunity.”

Francis Jr. got off to a great start and pulled out a two-second lead after four laps. Brabham then came on strong. The third-generation racer needed only three laps to get within one second of Francis Jr., and he was able to stay within several-tenths of a second for the lead, lap after lap.

Caution waved for the second time on lap 26, setting up the two-lap shootout. Francis Jr. started to slow, losing oil pressure on the final lap. The pair raced side-by-side before Brabham made a move to the outside to make his one and only pass just feet from the finish line.

“It wouldn’t have been our 2021 season if something didn’t happen; I lost oil pressure on the final lap,” Francis Jr. said. “I am glad to finish this race in the car, the last few races have been tough for us and we’ve struggled a lot this season. I am proud of the team for creating a car that finished the race, and was super-fast all weekend.

“In the race, I was feeling super good and Matt (Brabham) was just staying with us the whole time,” Francis Jr. continued “It was a great race out there with him though. Matt and I had a great battle those last few laps, we were side-by-side about half way through the last lap. That’s one of my best battles I’ve had in Trans Am. I am looking forward to what’s next.”

The late sprint also helped Tomy Drissi gain the podium. The driver of the No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro lost third midway through the race to 2021 ProAm Challenge champion Oscar Teran, driving the No. 3 Oscar Teran Racing Ford Mustang. Drissi regained third with a pass on the final lap.

“I just didn’t have it today, and Oscar (Teran) ran a good race,” Drissi said. “The car didn’t turn very well. The late yellow came out, which was lucky for us. Then we went side by side in a couple of areas where you aren’t supposed to be, and it worked out. Thank you Lucas Slick Mist, and thank you to the guys at Burtin Racing for working so hard.”

The late restart impacted the three other classes as well.

Erich Joiner won in XGT, passing Jason Hart with two laps remaining. Joiner remained undefeated in seven races driving the No. 10 Good Boy Bob Coffee Porsche 991 GT3 R, and led the opening 11 laps. Hart – a veteran racer/coach – took over the lead on lap 12, and held it until Joiner regained the point after the final restart.

“We had a really great race today at Austin – a world-class track – especially with our GT cars,” Joiner said. “Jason and I had a really good battle. I started out in the lead; he got around me, and I let my tires cool and regroup a little to make a run at him for the end of the race. Fortunately, it worked out. He’s a heck of a driver and he has a beautiful car, but boy, the Porsche handled beautifully and the braking is phenomenal.”

Hart was a late replacement for fellow Texan Mike Weathers in the No. 48 GSpeed Corvette. It was his fourth Trans Am race and his first podium finish of the season. Hart’s most recent result was a fourth-place finish from the pole in TA2® at Watkins Glen in 2017.

Justin Oakes started on the SGT pole and seemed headed to his seventh victory in eight races, driving the No. 11 Droneworks Corvette.

But he brought out a final caution when he encountered a problem just seven laps from the finish. That gave the lead in SGT to Cindi Lux, driving the No. 45 Lux Performance/Black Rock Coffee Dodge Viper. The Oregon driver scored her her fourth-consecutive, and seventh career, SGT West Coast victory after coming home ninth overall.

“It was a good day for Lux Performance, both of our Vipers were represented on the podium today,” said Lux. “I just kept my head down and worked my way around the action. This is the first time that a West Coast car has finished in front of the National Series group, so today was a big deal for the whole team.”

Natalie Decker finished 10th overall in the No. 29 NI29 Technologies Audi R8, taking SGT National honors while coming from behind to take the SGT ProAm Challenge title.

“Wow, my first win in the National Series, and we got the ProAm SGT title!” said Decker. “The Ave Motorsports team is just amazing, I love working with all of them. I wouldn’t be here without the support of my sponsors, who joined me at the track today.”

Carey Grant matched his career-best finish by taking second in the No. 6 Grant Racing 2 Porsche 991 GT3 Cup. His father Milton Grant completed the podium, also winning SGT Masters honors in the No. 55 Sentry Self Storage/Fairfield Inn Porsche 991.1.

Mirroring the overall result, Austin driver Sean Young took GT honors in his Trans Am debut. The driver of the No. 74 Corsair Racing Ginetta GT 55 GT4 passed Paul Costas in the No. 13 GSpeed Corvette on the final lap to win in his first Trans Am start.

“The car was absolutely beautiful out there today,” said Young. “It was a tough race with a lot of action. It’s an honor to win at Circuit of The Americas.”

Following the winter break, Trans Am opens its 55th season on February 24 at Sebring International Raceway.