Trans Am Series readies for 30th race at VIRginia International Raceway this weekend

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli will contest its 30th and 31st races under the series' banner at VIRginia International Raceway on Sunday, September 20, continuing a legacy dating back to the very beginning of Trans Am racing.

VIR was part of the inaugural Trans Am Series schedule in 1966. Bob Johnson and Tom Yeager piloted a Ford Mustang to the overall victory in that event, while Horst Kwech and Gaston Andrey won the Under 2 Liter category in their Alfa Romeo.

That would remain the only Trans Am event at VIR for more than 30 years, with the track sitting dormant for much of that time. The track reopened in 2000 under the ownership of Connie Nyholm and Harvey Siegel, and Trans Am returned to VIR in 2002.

Boris Said capped off a championship season in that event, the final race of the 12-race 2002 season. Said scored his eighth win of the year, crossing the line nearly five seconds ahead of Tony Ave.

Another hiatus followed, but VIR has been a staple of the Trans Am calendar since 2009. The circuit has hosted a Trans Am event every year since then except 2012.

In the TA class, two drivers have won three times at VIR. Paul Fix won three consecutive TA races at VIR between 2014 and 2016, while Ernie Francis, Jr. won in 2017 and swept a doubleheader weekend at the track in 2020.

In 2023, Connor Zilisch pulled off a sweep of a different kind at VIR. He started the weekend by making his TA class debut, dominating the event and leading every lap. The next day, Zilisch scored his fifth CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series win of the season to cap off the incredible trip to VIR.

>> Watch 'Road to Glory' Throwback Episode Featuring Connor Zilisch

There have been 14 different winners in 15 CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series races at VIR. The only repeat winner, Cameron Lawrence, scored victories in 2013 and 2015. leading to 11 different winners in the last 11 TA2 races at the track.

In 2018, Scott Lagasse, Jr. scored the first CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series win of his career at VIR. While that proved to be his only win as a driver in the series, he remains a series fixture as owner of TeamSLR.

Tyler Kicera also earned his first TA2 Series win at VIR in 2020. He added another TA2 win two years later at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.

Last month, Richard Childress Racing announced that Carson Brown would be part of the team's NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series lineup for the 2027 season. Brown won the 2025 CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series event at VIR for his first career win with the series.

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli and CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series take the track at VIR later this week, September 17-20. Live coverage will be available on RacingAmerica.TV and @TheTransAmSeries on YouTube.