Chris Dyson to make Trans Am debut at Watkins Glen

Two-time American Le Mans Series champion Chris Dyson will make his Trans Am debut at Watkins Glen, driving the No. 57 Kryderacing Cadillac CTS-V in TA class competition on September 10.

"From the beginning of the year I've known I wouldn't be able to compete full time due to personal obligations," driver and car owner David Pintaric said. "I've been wanting to showcase this car; I feel like it's one of the best out there – Tony Ave built, Kryderacing prepped. Since Sebring we've been looking for a driver to be a guest in the No. 57, a driver who would benefit us as a team and Trans Am as a series. I'm very pleased to announce that driver will be Chris Dyson."

The move was finalized following an early August test at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

"I'm really looking forward to competing in Trans Am," said Dyson. "We got to test together about a couple weeks ago, and it went very well. There's been a lot of chemistry with David from the beginning, and I've gotten to know Matt Miller, who runs the team for David, and he and I have clicked pretty quickly. It's an exciting Series, good competition, really powerful cars; and I think it's going to be a great opportunity for me to go out and race again. I'm very grateful for this."

"[The cars have] enormous horsepower and the distances between the corners is pretty short as a result of that. There's a decent amount of tire, and the cars are not overly dependent on aerodynamics, so I think that puts impetus on the driver to be smooth with the inputs and execute technically all the aspects of driving. With the monstrous torque, you really have to look after the tires; and I feel that brings a lot of skills to bare and I'm quite excited about. It's definitely a driver's car and a timeless formula."

Pintaric said he and Dyson met for the first time at the Mid-Ohio test, and both left feeling enthusiastic.

"He gets it," Pintaric said. "There are a lot of fast drivers out there that abuse a car – he's not one. Still, we were watching every lap, and he just kept getting faster. I think he had a great time – you start doing 177 miles per hour down the back straight at Mid-Ohio, you're having a good time."

Pintaric, who has called the Trans Am series home for the past five years, hopes this serves as a call for other drivers to give the series a look.

"It's been amazing to have seen Trans Am's growth over these past five years," he said. "Drivers need to come experience this, experience these cars, experience this competition; we have a good thing going here. And I mean we. Trans Am isn't just about the sponsors or ownership, Trans Am is about the staff, the competitors, the fans – it's all one family. That's why I'm proud to be bringing Chris to Watkins Glen – it's a good thing for Trans Am, Kryderacing, Tony Ave, and for Chris Dyson. I couldn't be more excited."