Historic Trans Am racing brings old-school muscle cars from the 1960s and 1970s to the track. This racing class competed at the 10/10ths Motor Club track.
You ca almost hear the roaring grumble of the massive V8 engines under the hoods of the historic cars competing at the 10/10ths track. The sounds, smells, and feel of old-school road racing meets a brand-new, state-of-the art track and facility just outside of two turns of the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The Heritage Invitational Goes Off With a Bang
The first-ever sanctioned racing event held at this track is part of the Heritage Invitational, and it features cars from the 1960s and 1970s roaring around the track to see who would make it to the podium. These legendary muscle cars roar around the track, presenting the crowd with loud and proud Mustangs, Camaros, Javelins, Firebirds, Cougars, and more. These cars are actual Trans Am race cars, not reproductions. They continue to race hard half a century later and take on the winding pathways of the 10/10ths course for a joyful day of fun and fuel-filled adrenaline.
What Is Historic Trans Am Racing?
This special racing series features a handful of events each year with cars from a bygone era, the Muscle Car Era, racing around the track. These cars represent a time when amateurs would bring their modified muscle cars to the track for some fun and when automakers would sponsor drivers to head to some top tracks to showcase the latest and greatest muscle cars. Automakers knew that winning on Sunday meant sales on Monday, which was the goal of each sponsorship.
Which part of the track was used?
Racing included twelve competitors and their glorious cars who began the day practicing, sighting in, and learning the course. The 10/10ths track is made to be used in three different ways:
10/10ths Track Configurations
- Full Circuit – 1.7 miles, 19 turns
- Short Course – 1.1 miles, 13 turns
- Inner Loop – 0.567 miles, 7 turns
The Historic Trans Am racing utilized the Short Course, which runs directly behind the newly built clubhouse, giving spectators an elevated viewing position for the fastest part of the track, along with the start/finish line.
Two groups of racing fun
The Historic Trans Am racing around the 10/10th Motor Club track lasted 25 minutes each, with exciting finishes and amazing laps around the track. The racers who grabbed the podium after each race were:
Final Results For Group A
Racing went underway, and the glorious sounds of old-school cars filled the North Carolina landscape. Group A of the Historic Trans Am racing at the Smith Heritage Invitational was off and running, with many cars fighting it out for the lead spot. After a few laps, it was pretty clear which cars were going to finish near the top of the leaderboard. The podium for this inaugural race consisted of:
- 3rd Place – Ken Adams #11
- 2nd Place – Peter Klutt #63
- 1st Place – Scott Joy #17
Final Results For Group B
After the first race was over and a short pause to get the second group going, Group B was underway. The first race featured a couple of cars being lapped on the track, but that wasn’t the case during this second run. Group B seemed to be much closer together and didn’t have as many cars lagging behind the leaders. Still, at the end of the 25-minute race, the podium consisted of:
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- 3rd Place – Bill Ockerlund #6
- 2nd Place – Jim Hague #16
- 1st Place – Mike Bacciocco #48
What’s Similar About The Two Winners?
The winners of these first two races are both classic Chevrolet Camaro models. The Camaros have the advantage of including power steering, allowing drivers to steer them more easily than cars without power steering. At most tracks, this isn’t an advantage because cars can maintain higher speeds, but the 10/10ths course has many turns, causing cars to slow down and steering to become more difficult in cars without power steering.
The racing action during the Heritage Invitation on the 10/10ths Motor Club racetrack was a huge hit. The thunderous roar of the Historic Trans Am series racers was a fitting touch for the Grand Opening of this new track and clubhouse facility.
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