March 16, 2025

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Western Championship kicked off its 2025 season at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.

The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Western Championship kicked off its 2025 season at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. This historic event marked the series’ first visit to the 2.64-mile road course near Bakersfield, California. The weekend featured practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday, followed by a thrilling 75-minute (or 38-lap) race on Sunday, March 16, with 23 competitors across multiple classes. A key highlight was the debut of the TA Cup class, featuring high-performance spec tube-frame cars built exclusively by Chris Evans Inc., led by two-time Western Championship winner Chris Evans.

Weekend Highlights

        •       TA Cup Debut: The TA Cup class showcased intense competition in its inaugural Western Championship race. Chris Evans (No. 92 Central Welding Supply/Pinnacle Alloys Ford Mustang) competed alongside other notable drivers in cars his company designed and built.
        •       Photo Finish: The TA Cup race ended in dramatic fashion, with the top finishers separated by fractions of a second after 75 minutes of racing.
        •       Chris Evans Inc. Presence: The company’s engineering excellence was on full display, with multiple entries, including those driven by Evans and debutant Derek Thorn, highlighting the cars’ speed and reliability.

·        Bakersfield Native Derek Thorn, a late model veteran with 59 wins in the SLR Spears Southwest Tour Series made an impressive Trans Am debut.

Race Results (March 16, 2025)

  TA Cup Class:
        1.      John Moore (No. 27 JM Environmental Ford Mustang) - Moore led wire-to-wire from pole (1:40.347), securing his first Trans Am victory by a razor-thin 0.277 seconds over second place.
        2.      Ken Sutherland (No. 85 Kallberg Racing Dodge Challenger) - Sutherland mounted a late charge, briefly taking the lead on the final lap but spinning his tires, finishing second.
        3.      Derek Thorn (No. 08 DTR Marketing/Power Grade/PJR/CEI Ford Mustang) - In his Trans Am debut, Thorn started last after missing practice and qualifying but stormed through the field to take third, less than a tenth of a second behind Sutherland, in a Chris Evans Inc.-built car.
        4.      Ken Thwaits (No. 9 Franklin Road Chevrolet Camaro) - Thwaits, the 2020 XGT National Champion making his Western Championship debut, finished fourth, just off the podium, in another strong showing for the TA Cup class.
        5.      Chris Evans (No. 92 Central Welding Supply/Pinnacle Alloys Ford Mustang) - Evans crossed the line fifth, reinforcing the competitiveness of his company’s cars despite not reaching the podium.

Key Moments

        •       Moore fended off Sutherland’s last-lap pass to win, while Thorn’s rapid ascent from the back to third showcased the potential of the Chris Evans Inc. TA Cup car, narrowly edging out Thwaits for the final podium spot.
        •       Ken Thwaits, starting third in class, held a strong position early but settled for fourth after Thorn overtook him, finishing just off the podium in a tightly contested race.
        •       Chris Evans, despite his experience and the advantage of racing his own design, finished fifth, with the top five TA Cup cars all built by his company, underscoring Chris Evans Inc.’s dominance in the class debut.

The Buttonwillow SpeedTour set an exhilarating tone for the 2025 Western Championship, with Chris Evans Inc.’s TA Cup cars proving their mettle. John Moore’s victory, Derek Thorn’s podium, and Ken Thwaits’ near-miss fourth-place finish highlighted the class’s competitiveness, while Evans’ fifth-place result solidified his company’s role as a cornerstone of the series.

Check out the full Buttonwillow episode Below!