Adam Carolla leans back and closes his eyes. Outside, mechanics peer into his no. 5 Franklin Roads Apparel Camaro. Some body panels have been removed, but spattered dirt coats the parts remaining on the car, evidence of an off track excursion.
“I used to like this track,” Carolla says with a wry smile.
The comedian, actor and radio personality is filling in this weekend, April 22-23, for Showtime Motorsports driver Paul Menard in TA, the top class of Trans Am racing.
Menard won at Charlotte in the series' previous outing. And Carolla has racing experience. But it’s his first ride in a TA car in five years and the whims of nature have made the adjustment all the more difficult.
As he went on track Thursday for the first practice session, it began to drizzle. With a wet track and slick tires, he backed off the throttle.
“I was a little apprehensive,” he says.
Friday’s session went much better for Carolla. He brought his lap time around the 11-turn 2.2 mile course down to 1:31 and knew he could go quicker, targeting the high 1:20s.
But again nature intervened. Runoff from an early morning storm was glazing turn 3 and water pools in a couple of places just off the track. The car slid and ended up against the wall.
“It’s been emotionally difficult,” he admits. Carolla finished third in his previous Trans Am appearance at Willow Springs. But the cars have changed since. “You have to learn pretty quickly,” he adds. “It’s a fast group.”
Carolla has driven WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca many times in vintage racers. This is his first appearance at the track in an 875 horsepower TA car.
The accident was disappointing, but he’s impressed by the Camaro—although it’s forcing him to unlearn some habits. There’s no need to press the clutch, which threw off his rhythm on Thursday.
Except for the obvious, he says, “today’s been good.” The car did not appear to be hurt badly.
Carolla is not certain how the one-race deal with one of Trans Am's top teams came about. He clearly enjoyed the experience at Willow Springs.
“Ever since I’ve been trying to get back,” Carolla says. “Once someone said Trans Am, I was in.”
The TA class qualifies at 5:15pm on Friday, April 22 for Saturday’s race. The green flag flies Saturday at 1:05, with TA and GT classes in competition.