Veterans, families and fans treated to a perfect day of racing and remembrance

LAKEVILLE, CONN. (26 May 2025) — Beneath brilliant blue skies and a warm late-spring sun, Lime Rock Park delivered the perfect backdrop for the final day of the Trans Am Memorial Day Classic. A soaring C-130 flyover by the United States Air Force capped off race ceremonies that honored fallen soldiers, veterans, active-duty military and Gold Star families. Before the crowd-filled hillside, the Connecticut National Guard presented the colors while Samantha Norton sang the National Anthem.

The celebration of service was matched by spirited competition on track as Paul Menard claimed his second-straight Memorial Day Monday victory in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, pulling away from his closest championship challengers in a commanding drive. Menard’s win marked his third triumph of the 2025 season, cementing his momentum heading into the Trans Am summer stretch of the schedule.

The 100-mile TA feature began with local favorite and pole sitter Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) and teammate Matthew Brabham (No. 21 GYM WEED Ford Mustang) leading the field to green. Dyson, who set a track qualifying record of 48.977-seconds earlier in the day, got a strong launch, but Brabham was immediately struck by electrical issues and forced to retire on the opening lap. Dyson surged ahead, with Menard (No. 3 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Ford Mustang) and Adam Andretti (No. 17 Top Liner Chevrolet Camaro) settling into a tight three-car train in the early laps.

That battle quickly unraveled when Dyson tangled with a lapped car and made hard contact with the wall on Lap 9, abruptly ending his day and triggering a brief caution.

On the Lap 13 restart, Menard made a clean break while Andretti spun his tires, giving Menard all the space he needed to stretch his legs in clear air. Behind them, Tomy Drissi (No. 8 Trench Shoring Co./Motul Chevrolet Camaro) and Amy Ruman (No. 23 McNichols Co./Valley Automotive Group Chevrolet Corvette) locked into a spirited battle for the final podium position.

Andretti clawed back some time in the final 20 laps, but Menard’s early gap proved insurmountable. With no further cautions to regroup the field, Menard cruised to the checkered flag, with Andretti finishing second and Drissi edging Ruman for third. Dyson was ultimately credited with fifth. (Watch the full race replay here)

“I just had an amazing car all weekend,” said Menard. “Obviously, practice was cut short [due to rain], so we didn’t get to work on it very much. It’s a lot of fun coming to Lime Rock, seeing all the fans here. I wish that [Chris Dyson and I] could have battled it out; Chris and [Matthew] Brabham were going to be super quick, but they had their issues. But from then on, we were just cruising and trying to manage a gap with Adam [Andretti]. Memorial Day weekend at Lime Rock Park, we saw some awesome racing Saturday, awesome racing today.

“We thank our teams, we thank our sponsors, we thank everybody, but we wouldn’t be here without the military and without everybody that puts their lives on the line every single day,” Menard continued. “Not just today, it’s every day, all year long. And that’s why we’re here to honor them.”

From patriotic ceremonies to fierce competition, Monday at Lime Rock Park was a fitting finale to a holiday weekend that paid tribute to service and celebrated the spirit of American motorsport.

Lime Rock Park returns to action for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series at the LIUNA 150 June 27-28.

For more information or tickets, visit https://limerock.com/events/nascar/