The TA2 Series by CUBE 3 Architecture has become a hotbed for talent in the world of motorsports. Both current drivers in the Trans Am series who are exploring other racing avenues and former drivers who have climbed the ranks in motorsports are finding success in various forms of racing, including top-tier stock car and sports car racing.
The comprehensive driver-development programs and the experience gained in powerful, heavy, full-bodied stock cars without any driver aids make TA2 an ideal testing ground. It allows drivers to refine their racing skills and prepares them for the next stage of their careers.
Seventeen-year-old Connor Zilisch kicked off the 2024 TA2 season with a win at Sebring International Raceway. In the 2023 season, he triumphed six times. Beyond the Trans Am paddock, he has been making a name for himself in all facets of motorsports. He began the year with a victory in the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Daytona and followed it up with another win in the same class at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Zilisch has also achieved three wins in the ARCA Menards Series and one win in the ARCA East Series. He made his NASCAR Truck Series debut at Circuit of The Americas, securing a pole position and a top-five finish. Additionally, he claimed victory in the CARS Late Model Stock Tour at Hickory Motor Speedway. Zilisch has a multi-year development contract with Trackhouse Racing and Chevrolet and is set to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut with JR Motorsports later this year at Watkins Glen International.
Brent Crews, the 2023 TA2 champion, has one ARCA win to his name and has consistently finished in the top five in almost every race he has competed in the series. Recently, he secured a second-place finish at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Crews has also achieved two victories in the CARS Late Model Stock Tour this season, with the most recent one coming on the Fourth of July at Caraway Speedway. Despite running part-time in Trans Am in 2024, Crews has already won two races this year. He emerged victorious at Mid-Ohio in the TA2 class with Nitro Motorsports and at Road America with Weaver Racing Concepts in his first-ever TA-class start. Crews already has a development deal with Toyota Racing Development and is managed by Kevin Harvick’s KHI Management and Kevin Harvick Inc.
Connor Mosack, a two-time Trans Am winner, continues to compete full-time in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series for Silver Hare Racing in 2024. However, he is also making waves beyond Trans Am. The 25-year-old has achieved two wins in the ARCA series, with the most recent one occurring at Kansas Speedway earlier this year. Mosack has also made several starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series this season. In the Xfinity race on Chicago’s Street Course, he qualified third and finished sixth, competing against a field filled with Cup Series regulars.
Apart from Zilisch, Crews, and Mosack, other former Trans Am drivers have found success in the ARCA Racing Series. William Sawalich, who began racing in Trans Am in 2022, has secured four victories in ARCA this season, as well as a win in the ARCA West Series. Jake Finch, the 2024 ARCA winner at Talladega Superspeedway, also has experience in the Trans Am Series. In fact, current or former Trans Am competitors have won nine out of the 11 ARCA Menards Series races this year. Gio Ruggiero has a victory in the ARCA East Series, while Sam Mayer has triumphed in the ARCA West Series. Sean Hingorani, a driver in the 2023 TA2 season, has achieved back-to-back wins in the ARCA West Series.
The Xfinity Series is another arena where numerous Trans Am alumni are excelling. Austin Green, who raced full-time in 2023 and is currently competing part-time in TA2, has made an impact in the NASCAR Xfinity Series while driving for Trans Am team Peterson Racing, owned by two-time TA champion Doug Peterson. Green has achieved three top-10 finishes and one top-five finish in the Xfinity Series, including a fourth-place finish at Sonoma Raceway. He is the son of 1994 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion David Green.
At Iowa Speedway a few weeks ago, all of the top five finishers in the Xfinity Series race had experience in TA2. Winner Sam Mayer, Riley Herbst, Corey Heim, Sammy Smith, and Sheldon Creed have all made starts in Trans Am. At New Hampshire Motor Speedway, winner Christopher Bell, Creed, and Carson Kvapil were among the top five finishers and are also Trans Am alumni.
Even at the NASCAR Cup Series level, successful competitors like Bell, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, and Ty Gibbs have dabbled in Trans Am’s CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series.
For some, the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series is the ultimate destination for highly competitive road course racing that is cost-effective. However, for those who dream of reaching the next level, it is one of the best development series for purpose-built, high-powered stock cars.
