Dyson stays on wet tires to score COTA win as Brabham clinches Trans Am title

It’s been 14 months since Chris Dyson stood on the top step of the podium in the Trans Am Series by Pirelli, but on Sunday, in the championship-deciding event at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), the 48-year-old Trans Am legend returned to glory thanks to an alternate strategy call for the No. 20 Chris Dyson Racing team.

While the championship leaders and dominant forces of the season, Paul Menard and Matthew Brabham, chose to come down pit road during a full-course caution to put on slick tires with 12 laps to go, Dyson decided against it and instead stayed on track with wet-weather tires. It paid off.

The gap between the cars on wet-weather tires and slicks was more than 10 seconds over the course of a lap around the 3.41-mile road course in Austin, Texas, giving Dyson, the only TA Class vehicle on the racetrack still on the wet tires, a huge advantage.

“Man, I was hoping it was going to rain, to be honest. I thought we were sunk because the track was drying, and I thought we got to hedge the bet because Matt [Brabham] was coming in for slicks, and I just thought, the guys kept saying it was going to rain in six minutes so I was just hoping it was going to come,” Dyson said after the race. “To be honest, there has been a lot of times where we went and switched to slicks, and Ernie Francis did it a couple of times where he stayed out on the Pirelli wets and was able to get it home.”

“But man, we’re back in Winner’s Circle. It feels great. So proud of the guys putting the Gym Soda car [here]. What a legendary season from [Matthew Brabham] and me, just grabbing a handful of races and running competitively in the old girl here and put it in Winner’s Circle here at the end. I’m just sorry my family’s not here to enjoy it.”

Matthew Brabham, by virtue of taking the green flag on Sunday, clinched the 2026 Trans Am Series by Pirelli TA Class championship for himself and Chris Dyson Racing over Paul Menard.

“I mean championship years are the best years of your career, so, I just can’t thank my team enough," said Brabham. "Chris Dyson, he doesn’t get enough credit for the development he’s done on this car, himself, obviously I’ve been in it every race and he’s made this car better and better every race.”

TA Class – Race Results:

1. #20 Chris Dyson
2. #3 Paul Menard
3. #16 Matthew Brabham
4. #8 Tomy Drissi
5. #57 David Pintaric
6. #59 Simon Gregg
7. #4 Jon DeGaynor (DNS)

By virtue of taking the green flag on Sunday at COTA, Brent Goforth (No. 98 Big Dog Foundation Piers / 6XD Chevrolet Camaro) has been crowned the 2026 Trans Am Series by Pirelli GT1 Challenge champion, but the season-finale wasn’t too kind to the Cleveland, Georgia-native.

With 13 laps remaining in the 30-lap main event, Goforth stopped on the racetrack in Turn 12, effectively ending his afternoon. However, the driver of the No. 98 would still be awarded the GT1 Challenge victory on Sunday over his father Bill, who didn’t take the green flag.

GT1 Class – Race Results:

1. #98 Brent Goforth
2. #99 Bill Goforth (DNS)

There were no entrants in Sunday’s Trans Am Series by Pirelli event in the XGT Class, awarding the championship to Billy Griffin (No. 14 Griffin Auto Care Mercedez Benz AMG GT3) by 103 points over Erich Joiner (No. 10 Good Boy Bob Coffee Porsche GT3R).

With the tricky weather conditions in Austin this weekend, the SGT Class, at times, had speed comparable to that of the leaders in the TA Class due to the various driver aids that the class has versus what the TA Class has.

Zach Arnold, Chris Coffey, and Austen Dinger spent the entirety of the 30-lap contest battling between themselves to be the highest-finishing driver of the SGT Class. As Menard and Brabham chose to pit during the race’s only full-course caution for slicks, which backfired, Zach Arnold was put in position to get an overall podium.

Chris Coffey, by taking the green flag, clinched the Trans Am Series by Pirelli SGT Class championship.

SGT Class – Race Results:

1. #72 Zach Arnold
2. #97 Chris Coffey
3. #88 Austen Dinger
4. #15 Milton Grant
5. #49 Patrick Utt

Derrick Carter has been a mainstay in the Trans Am Series by Pirelli’s GT Class in 2026, and thus, before even making it to COTA for the championship-decider, had clinched the championship.

Carter (No. 24 PortableHoist.com Ford Mustang GT 500) was able to beat Casey Jones to collect his fourth GT Class victory of 2026.

GT Class – Race Results:

1. #24 Derric Carter
2. #28 Casey Jones

Phil Fogg, Jr. was the sole representative for the TA Cup Class in the Trans Am West Coast Championship, making just his second start of the year in the division.

John Moore, not competing at COTA this weekend, has clinched the 2026 Trans Am West Coast Championship title.

TA Cup West Coast Championship – Race Results:

1. #67 Phil Fogg, Jr.

Patrick Utt finished fifth overall in the Trans Am Series by Pirelli’s SGT Class on Sunday but was the only driver who registered for both the National and West Coast Championship this weekend, thus awarding him the victory.

Utt clinched the Trans Am 2026 West Coast Championship SGT Class title by starting the race Sunday.

SGT West Coast Championship – Race Results:

1. #49 Patrick Utt