Thirty-five years in the making, the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli is set to return to Lime Rock Park. This Memorial Day weekend will mark the 35th Trans Am event at The Park.

The Trans Am Memorial Day Classic returns to Lime Rock Park with SVRA and International GT May 21-24.

To celebrate the 35th Anniversary, here’s a look at some of Trans Am’s memories at Lime Rock Park over the last seven decades. 

1968-1971 (Images Provided by Randy McKee)- Trans Am first competed at Lime Rock in 1967 – the second season of the series and the beginning of its “Golden Years.” Peter Revson won the opening event in Bud Moore’s Mercury Cougar. Mark Donohue won the 1969 round in a Roger Penske Chevrolet Camaro and won again in 1971 in a Penske AMC Javelin. In between, local standout Sam Posey and Parnelli Jones won in Ford Mustangs, beginning Lime Rock’s “who’s who” of Trans Am winners.

Late 1970s-Early 1980s (Images Provided by Randy McKee)- The later 1970s and early 1980s Trans Am events featured more victory lane variety as imports came to the fore thanks to the efforts of drivers like Al Holbert, Milt Minter and Paul Miller winning in Porsches, Paul Newman’s success in a Nissan, while Greg Pickett looked to extend the Chevrolet legacy with his 1981 triumph in a Corvette.

Late 1980s-Early 1990s (Images Provided by Randy McKee)- American muscle returned to dominate Trans Am in the later 1980s and early 1990s. Dorsey Schroeder won three Lime Rock races in Ford Mustangs, while Scott Pruett won in a Mercury Merkur, Tommy Archer in a Dodge Daytona, and Tommy Kendall in a Roush Mustang.

Late 1990s-Early 2000s (Images Provided by Andy Hartwell)- The later 1990s and early 2000s saw exotic imports challenging the domestic Corvettes, with winners including Boris Said in a Panoz Esperante and Johnny Miller in a Rocketsports XKR.

2010-2019 (Images Provided by Chris Clark)- After a seven-year absence, Trans Am returned to Lime Rock in 2010, won by Tony Ave. Simon Gregg won the next race in 2012, before Paul Fix II reeled off three straight victories to make it five-in-a-row for Corvette.

Other winners include seven-time champion Ernie Francis Jr., who won TA3 American Muscle in 2014-15, and Bob Stretch, TA2 in 2012-13.

2020-2025 (Images Provided by Greg Clark and Shawn Pierce)- The COVID-19 pandemic forced cancellation of the 2020 event, however, the Trans Am Series came out of the blocks from the COVID-19 pandemic strong in 2021, with Lime Rock Park’s annual Memorial Day Classic returning as a season highlight.

The new decade started off strong, with Dyson Racing winning three consecutive events. Team principal Chris Dyson won back-to-back, with teammate Andy Lally third in 2021 and Matthew Brabham second in 2022. Third-generation star Brabham won the 2023 event. Both Dyson and Brabham return this weekend.

Former NASCAR Cup Series regular and 2011 Brickyard 400 winner Paul Menard took over in 2023 with his first of two consecutive LRP triumphs – going on to capture the series title in both seasons. He will be looking to make it three in a row this weekend.

Another driver with a famous name is Adam Andretti, coming off three consecutive podium finishes at Lime Rock Park.

Rafa Matos is a driver to watch in TA2, winning in 2023 and 2024. Always competitive at LRP, the top seven finishers were within one second at the checkered flag in the 2024 event. Toyota is the defending TA2 winner, with Sam Corry and Thomas Annunziata placing 1-2 one year ago. This weekend, Corry is seeking his third-consecutive LRP podium in a Toyota Camry for Nitro Motorsports.