Chauncey “Jocko” Maggiacomo is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his winning the SCCA Trans Am Series championship in 2026.

The second-generation driver who still calls Poughkeepsie home won the season opener at Pocono, added a victory at Road America and led the points all season en route to taking the title in the TA I class for cars prepared to SCCA production and sedan specifications.

He finished third overall in the overall points, trailing only George Follmer and Hurley Haywood in their new turbo-powered Porsches.

“I loved Trans Am,” Maggiacomo said. “I would have stayed in it, but I couldn’t afford it at that time. Looking back, winning the Trans Am title was very exciting for me. I talk about it many times.”

While the Trans Am Series didn’t compete at Lime Rock Park that season, LRP played a major role in Maggiacomo’s championship.

“While we didn’t race there, we spent a lot of time testing at Lime Rock,” he recalled. “We also ran (and won!) our first professional race there, and that led to me being in Trans Am.”

Maggiacomo caught the Trans Am bug watching a race with his dad at Watkins Glen, and seeing Parnelli Jones, Mark Donohue and the other legends got him excited to give that type of racing a try. He wrote to General Motors for information, and then purchased a used (and probably abused) Chevy Camaro SS396 Camaro for $400 from a friend who worked at Hertz.

After extensive work preparing the new car, Maggiacomo then ran in a mid-week test at Lime Rock, which was preparing for its first IMSA Camel GT race in 1972. His times caught the attention of IMSA founder John Bishop, who offered him a provisional license that would lead to a full IMSA license if he stayed out of trouble in the race.

He not only stayed out of trouble, he won the TO class – although he didn’t realize it until after the checkered flag.

“The race was very stressful, very confusing for me, especially the pit stops – my team and I had never done that before,” he recalled. “We had no radios. I just ran consistently. But I had no idea about the number of laps – I didn’t even know the race was over when I saw the checkered flag. It was really enjoyable.

“After the race, I got my IMSA license, my USAC, Trans Am and FIA license – all that in one shot after winning that race at my age,” continued Maggiacomo, who was 24 at the time.

Looking to move to Trans Am, he originally considered buying a former Smokey Yunick Camaro, but then decided to get a former Penske AMC Javelin.

“Their last race car was destroyed, so we got their show car,” said Maggiacomo. “It was chromed and polished – even the bottom of the hood was polished like a mirror. We did a lot of work on that car, trying a lot of different things, a lot of engine stuff. We even used a different type of Goodyear tire intended for a big-block class. We also made a lot of different fiberglass parts made for the car.”

Maggiacomo raced – and won – several SCCA Nationals in 1975 in the new Javelin. Then it was up to a full run in Trans Am in 1976. He followed up his victory at Pocono by winning at Road America, plus a second at Mosport and fourths at Brainerd and Trois-Rivieres.

After Trans Am, Maggiacomo’s next career step was what was then the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, running an AMC Matador in 11 races over several seasons. Since then, he helped sell a number of former Penske Camaros that formerly raced in IROC.

Jocko’s father was a star of the oval tracks, and in that era when there was little cross-over between ovals and road courses, Chauncey Senior was highly regarded by both groups. His Lime Rock record included a win in one of the 1960 Lime Rock Little LeMans endurance race, driving a Studebaker Lark sedan.

Maggiacomo and his wife Deborah now run a successful sign business in Poughkeepsie and look forward to attending events at Lime Rock Park – where his professional career started.

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli returns to Lime Rock Park for the Trans Am Memorial Day Classic May 21-24, bringing one of American road racing’s most historic championships back to The Park. Later in the season, the machines and memories of Maggiacomo’s era will once again take center stage when Historic Trans Am headlines Historic Festival 44 over Labor Day weekend in 2026.

For Lime Rock Park tickets and event information, https://limerock.com/majors/

Additional photos via David Livshin