PORTLAND, Ore. – On May 21, 1978, Greg Pickett claimed his first Trans-Am victory at Sonoma Raceway, then known as Sears Point Raceway.
Sunday, some 39 years later, Pickett, in the No. 68 Pickett Racing Ford Mustang, replicated that feat at Portland Int’l Raceway during Trans-Am West Coast Championship presented by Pirelli competition. It was the first appearance by Trans-Am Series cars on the West Coast and at Portland since 2009.
For Pickett, the TA class win stands as the 18th of his career in his 183rd start and adds to a now unparalleled career in Trans-Am, with wins coming in five consecutive decades (’70s, ’80s, ’90s, ’00s and ’10s).
The victory also puts Pickett, the 1978 Trans-Am Category II Champion, in the TA points lead for the Trans-Am West Coast Championship, which will conclude this fall at Circuit of The Americas alongside Trans-Am’s primary championship.
Pickett, who began the race on pole, showcased a dominate performance en route to victory, setting the fast lap at 1:13.935 and finishing the race with a lap advantage over runner up Ken Davis, in the No. 64 Davis Stone Chevrolet Corvette.
For Pickett, the milestone encompassed a career in Trans-Am, decades in pursuit of his passion and love of racing.
“This means an awful lot,” said Pickett. “It’s a heck of an accomplishment; to be successful in anything it takes a lot of commitment, passion, drive, stick-to-itiveness— all those old-fashioned sayings that all happen to be true. But then to have sustained it, and to do something really well over a long period of time, to say nothing about five decades, that just comes down to me trying to take care of myself and being blessed with an incredibly supportive family, my wife in particular, and my children, most of whom are here today.
“I raced all the Trans Am greats over the years,” continued Pickett. “There’s just too many for me to mention… having my old teammate Willy T. Ribbs here as the master of ceremonies this weekend is really special to me. All the names that I’ve worked with, Charlie Selix, Jack Roush, my competitors: Tommy Kendall, Dorsey Schroeder, Ron Fellows, Scotty Pruett, you can go on and on. It’s always been my real honor, and still is, to be out here competing in a professional series. Trans-Am is growing. I think the future is incredibly bright, and it’s a future I hope to be a part of. I’m just honored to be able to do this—to call myself a Trans-Am Champion — it’s been a long time now, but to be back in victory circle after all this time, it’s just incredible. I’m just so very thrilled. “
Joining Pickett and Davis on the TA class podium was Brian Richards, in the No. 12 Canned Heat/ Amantii Chevrolet Camaro, in his first Trans-Am appearance since 1994.
In TA2, Shane Lewis, in the No. 92 Turnkey Industries Chevrolet Camaro, endured a second half battle with Chris Cook, swapping the lead multiple times before a late spin by Cook cut the battle short. Cook would recover to finish second and turned the fast lap for TA2.
Lewis, driving for Napoleon Motorsports on the West Coast, now has the TA2 class points lead in the four race championship — setting up a round four showdown at COTA with Brad McAllister.
“It was such a huge effort by Napoleon Motorsport to get three cars here,” said Lewis. “My goal was to have all three of us on the podium; unfortunately that didn’t happen. But for Joe to win Fontana, me to win here— we just have to get one for Justin in Texas, that’ll make a perfect hat trick. I had an awesome battle out there with Chris. The first thing I told Chris when I got out of that car was, ‘I didn’t care if I finished first or second I wanted that battle to go on all day.’ I didn’t want the race to end. He’s such a professional out there on the racetrack and an awesome competitor. He ran me hard, and I’m glad he ran me hard, but there was such a level of respect out there— I had a lot of fun.”
In TA3, Steve Streimer, driver of the No. 42 Lux Performance Group Dodge Viper ACRX, showcased his skillset on his home track — turning a 1:16.671 en route to a comfortable victory in front of friends and family.
The TA4 victory went to another debutant, Tim Brown, driver of the No. 66 Brown Bros Ford Lincoln Ford Mustang, who was joined on the podium by class points leader Guy Dreier.
Source : speedsport.com
Comments
