Championship contenders Meza, Day pace CUBE 3 TA2 Series practice at VIR

Helio Meza (No. 28 Alessandro’s Racing Chevrolet Camaro) has been fighting tooth-and-nail to get the championship lead back from Team SLR teammate Alon Day (No. 17 JSSI Chevrolet Camaro) ever since a string of bad luck this Summer cost the 19-year-old the points lead.

But, week in and week out, the two Chevrolet-backed drivers continue to have control of the speed charts, and that was the case once again in Saturday’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series practice from VIRginia International Raceway.

Meza was the quickest driver in Saturday’s practice session, posting a fast lap of 1:49.291 around the 3.27-mile road course in Alton, Virginia, leading the session by more than four tenths of a second over championship contender Alon Day, who laid down a time of 1:49.836.

Team SLR occupied the top-three spots, with TA Class championship leader Matthew Brabham (No. 48 Pintaric & Associates Chevrolet Camaro) ranking third quickest in the session, almost a full second behind Meza.

Noah Harmon (No. 7 High Point Rockers / CUBE 3 Chevrolet Camaro) was the fastest of the non-Team SLR drivers in the practice session, ranked fourth, while Lanie Buice, another driver out of the Scott Lagasse, Jr.-owned stables rounded out the top five.

Adrian Wlostowski was sixth, with Graham Jacobson seventh, Gian Buffomante eighth, Gavin Gleitsman ninth, and Jace Denmark rounding out the top-10. Keelan Harvick, making his CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series debut in the No. 62 Toyota Camry XSE for Kevin Harvick Incorporated, was 13th quickest in the session.

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series:

1. #28 Helio Meza (1:49.391)

2. #17 Alon Day (1:49.836)

3. #48 Matthew Brabham (1:50.378)

4. #7 Noah Harmon (1:50.849)

5. #27 Lanie Buice (1:50.953)

6. #3 Adrian Wlostowski (1:51.221)

7. #19 Graham Jacobson (1:51.305)

8. #95 Gian Buffomante (1:51.320)

9. #51 Gavin Gleitsman (1:51.428)

10. #68 Jace Denmark (1:52.070)

Jared Odrick (No. 00 Pop Art Snacks / Black Underwear Chevrolet Camaro) was the quickest of the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series PRO-AM drivers, ranked 14th overall, with a lap time of 1:52.731. Cale Phillips was second in-class, two tenths off from Odrick.

CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series PRO-AM Series:

1. #00 Jared Odrick (1:52.731)

2. #99 Cale Phillips (1:52.934)

3. #72 Preston Peables (1:55.375)

4. #24 Aiden Dorvee (1:55.822)

5. #44 Patrick Paul (1:56.157)

6. #98 Doug Winston (1:56.830)

7. #29 Maciej Tuniewicz (1:57.886)

8. #47 Stephen Sauers (1:58.157)

9. #66 Christina Lam (1:58.303)

10. #53 Bryan Scheible (1:58.977)