Matos emerges scathed to win wild TA2 contest. Crews on pole for Sunday's TA race.

Rafa Matos was the most likely race winner–until he became the most unlikely winner.

Through much of Saturday’s Trans Am TA2 contest at WeatherTechRaceway Laguna Seca, Matos led the way in his no. 57 Concord American Flagpole Chevrolet Camaro, often pulling up to 10 car lengths ahead of Mike Skeen’s no. 2 Guthrie’s Garage Camaro. In the waning moments, however, Skeen had fallen toward the back of the field while Matos was clinging to fifth after some wild moments on track.

With time and laps winding down, Julian DaCosta in the no. 30 Nitro Motorsports Camaro tagged the race-leading no. 10 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry driven by Brent Crews entering the Corkscrew. That opened the door for Adrian Wlostowsky’s Spot-On Services Ford Mustang.

But his lead was short-lived. As time expired on the race, capped at 75 minutes or 45 laps, Matos slipped by, retaking the lead and claiming the victory.

“I hate to come in with a damaged car,” Matos says, gesturing toward the crumpled nose of his Camaro. “But whatever it takes.”

Wlostowski crossed in second on the provisional board while Gian Buffomante took third in his no. 95 Nitro Motorsports Mustang–which came as a surprise, even after all the late race carnage.

“I’m like, ‘Whoa,’” Buffomante says with a smile. “I started 21st.”

The young driver’s podium was actually sixth place overall in a contest in which the National Championship series shared the track with cars from the Western series. Third, fourth and fifth spots were claimed by Western competitors Brody Goble, Kyle Kelley and Michael LaPaglia.

Goble, who pilots the no. 69 Brown Bros. Mustang, earned the Western victory without much fuss–unusual on the day.

“The long-run pace wasn’t there, but we were good on restarts,” he says. “We were clean the whole time.”

Many of the frontrunners finished with buckled sheet metal, even though there were only four full-course caution periods.

The accordion of cars into Turn 2 after the green flag dropped proved costly to JC Meynet and the no. 28 B-Bar Ranch Camaro and Mia Lovell’s no. 40 Nitro Motorsports Toyota Camry. After that, the race was relatively clean until the clock started ticking down in earnest.

“I’ve never had so many cars sideways in front of me at 100 miles per hour before,” Wlostowski observes. “Tempers were flaring.”

For much of the race, the battle for third was between Thomas Annunziata and the no. 90 Nitro Motorsports Camry and Tristan McKee. But Annunziata–National series points leader entering the round–hit McKee’s no. 128 Spire Gainbridge Camaro, knocking them off the pace.

They finished ninth and 10th, respectively. 

After a late-race restart, Skeen ducked inside of Matos in Turn 4. The battle continued into Turn 5.

“The 2 moved me out of position,” Matos says. “That made life difficult.”

For much of the 75-minute battle, Salinas’ Thomas Merrill in the no. 26 HP Tuners Camaro and Sam Corry, driver of the no. 70 Nitro Motorsports Camry threatened–in a back-and-forth exchange–to claim a podium spot. But the afternoon’s high contact attrition caught up with both. Merrill finished in 26th, with Corry right behind.

“TA2 is so competitive, you never know what is going to happen,” Matos observes.

Results were still unofficial at press time.

TA Qualifying for Sunday’s race

In Saturday’s qualifying for the TA and GT cars in both the National and Western series, Brent Crews made up for a disappointing outing in TA2 in which he wound up in 20th after briefly holding the lead, by capturing pole position in the no. 2 Weaver Concepts Dodge Challenger.

Crews’ time of 1:21.810 was a few tenths quicker than Chris Dyson in the no. 16 Gymweed Ford Mustang.

Paul Menard will start third on Sunday in the no. 3 Pittsburgh Paints Mustang.

Western series drivers will be on track, as well. Cole More, piloting the no. 99 Moore Motorsport Mustang grabbed the pole ahead of Ken Sutherland’s no. 85 Kallberg Racing Challenger.

The Cube 3 Architecture Trans Am TA series takes the green at 1:20pm on Sunday, with a field of 21 TA and GT cars.