Nitro Motorsports Wins with Rafa Matos and Jared Odrick at Road America

July 1, 2024

Matos and Odrick Put Nitro Motorsports on Top

July 1, 2024 – If the saying is that winners win, Nitro Motorsports proves this is true. Winners of multiple Trans Am Series Presented by Pirelli events in 2024 to date, Nitro Motorsports added two more victories this weekend at the 4.048-mile, 14-turn, Road America facility in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Extending his championship point lead and series record win number, Rafa Matos won the Pro class, while Jared Odrick scored his first career Pro/Am win to make it a double victory for Nitro Motorsports.

It was a solid qualifying result for Nitro Motorsports at the close of the session, as the robust program had a trio of drivers in the top-five on the results sheets. However, following post-qualifying technical inspection, Ben Maier was stripped of his time for his rear wing height being out of tolerance and moved to the tail of the field. Rafa Matos, the current TA2 Trans Am point leader, would occupy the front row while Thomas Annunziata was set to line up in row two. In the Pro/Am class, Jared Odrick slotted into the fourth position as Nitro Motorsports put three drivers in the top-seven, as Michele Abbate and Brad McAllister earned P6 and P7 starting spots, respectively.

Qualifying ResultsRafa Matos – 2nd
Thomas Annunziata – 4th
Brent Crews – 11th
Gio Ruggiero – 16th
Jared Odrick – 17th (4th in Pro/Am)
Michele Abbate – 20th (6th in Pro/Am)
Brad McAllister – 21st (7th in Pro/Am)
Ben Maier – 31st

Back to the track on Saturday, the drama was present before the green flag as Thomas Annunziata’s car missed the call to the grid, and he was dropped to the tail of the field and forced to start alongside Maier. 

“It is a big mistake that happened to Thomas today,” explained Nitro Motorsports’ Nick Tucker. “Track officials were allowing spectator traffic to flow around a traffic circle on the way to the grid, stopping the #90 and holding him in place. When we were finally allowed to move his car, the grid had closed. We left plenty of time to get there, but Track Officials must not have been aware of our series protocol, which hurt our chances.”

In the 25-lap affair, it was all Nitro Motorsports as the potent program took top honors in both the TA2 Pro class and Pro/Am division. Rafa Matos extended his point lead with his series-leading 24th victory, as he set the fastest lap of the race and won by nearly two seconds. Thomas Annunziata and Ben Maier had spirited drives through the field as they sliced and diced their way forward to finish fifth and sixth on track. Meanwhile, Brent Crews improved on his qualifying effort to put a quartet of Nitro Motorsports drivers in the top-ten. Pro/Am driver Jared Odrick scored his best result of the season, finishing 11th overall, but was the first driver across the line in the Pro/Am class to earn his first career Trans Am Series victory. Brad McAllister finished 15th overall and fourth in Pro/Am, while Michele Abbate was tenth in class. Gio Ruggiero was on a climb forward before he had issues and was eventually classified in 27th overall. 

Tucker added, “Great to close the weekend with another win and four drivers in the top-ten. Congrats to Rafa on his victory but have to feel bad for both Thomas and Ben, who started at the back of the 30+ car field and finished in the top-six. We could have had three drivers on the podium today with their speed and our efforts as a team. Congrats to all!”

The Nitro Motorsports Trans Am Series team will enjoy a three-week break before returning to the track at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut, over the July 19-20 weekend.

For more information on Nitro Motorsports, please visit them online or contact Nick Tucker via email HERE or visit them online at www.RaceNitro.com.