Trans Am field adds muscle for critical Sandown showdown

THE National Trans Am Series will roll into Sandown with both new and returning faces on the grid and with three rounds remaining in a compelling title battle.  The V8 Muscle Car series will race alongside a bumper Shannons SpeedSeries program at the iconic Victorian venue with James Moffat holding a slender lead over Lochie Dalton and Tom Hayman following an unpredictable recent few rounds. All three are represented on a strong Sandown entry that includes the return of Nash Morris. Having sat on the sidelines due to other racing commitments at his home event, the Queenslander is likely to be an outright threat at Sandown with plenty of recent circuit knowledge in Supercars competition. Meanwhile, fellow Super2 pilot Elly Morrow will make her Trans Am Series debut this weekend driving a The Racing Academy entry for the first time. Morrow, who races for Tickford Racing in the second-tier Supercars series, will use this weekend as an opportunity to gain relevant knowledge of the Victorian circuit in a highly competitive field. This year marks just the second time the national Trans Am Series will have raced at Sandown, the category having made their debut at the circuit last year when it served as the season finale'. Then, Cody Burcher (Mustang) took pole position over Nathan Herne, with his 1m11.569s flyer standing the qualifying benchmark. The weather-interrupted weekend saw Saturday's opener cancelled due to torrential rain before Nathan Herne and Owen Kelly split the two races held in wet conditions on Sunday, Herne clinching the title in the process. The recent form of Dalton - who won at Winton - and Queensland winner Hayman have year-long leader Moffat clinging to a 13-point lead with three rounds remaining in the 2023 title chase. Sandown will be a big weekend for the Trans Am Series with much of the focus on a busy Saturday program that includes two races - including the day-ending feature race on Saturday afternoon. Saturday's pair of races will be broadcast live on the Nine Network, while all three races will be shown live, ad-break free and later on demand on Stan Sport. The best value tickets in motorsport remain available for the Sandown event and can be purchased online at motorsporttickets.com.au ENTRY LIST

	Car #	Class	SPONSOR	DRIVER	SURNAME	STATE	MAKE	MODEL	COLOUR
1	03	Outright	All American Driveline	Ben	Grice	VIC	Ford	Mustang	Red/White/Blue
2	4	Masters Cup	Crutcher Developments	Mark	Crutcher	NSW	Ford	Mustang	Yellow/Black
3	5	Outright	The Racing Academy	Cody	Gillis	WA	Ford	Mustang	White
4	8	Hoosier Cup	Wealth Rite Racing	Chris	Pappas	QLD	Ford	Mustang	White
5	19	Outright	The Racing Academy	Elliott	Cleary	NSW	Ford	Mustang	White
6	23	Masters Cup	Holinger Racing	John	Holinger	VIC	Chevrolet	Camaro	Black
7	29	Outright	The Racing Academy	Elly	Morrow		Ford	Mustang
8	30	Outright	Tom Hayman Motorsport	Tom	Hayman	NSW	Ford	Mustang	Yellow
9	34	Outright	Team Valvoline GRM	James	Moffat	VIC	Ford	Mustang	Red
10	44	Hoosier Cup	The Tefol Group	Nick	Lange	QLD	Chevrolet	Camaro	Silver/Orange
11	45	Outright	AWC	Lochie	Dalton	TAS	Ford	Mustang	Black
12	66	Outright	Arrow Financial Services	Lee	Stibbs		Chevrolet	Camaro	White
13	67	Outright	Supercheap Auto Racing	Nash	Morris	QLD	Ford	Mustang	Red
14	69	Outright	TFH Hire Services	Joshua	Thomas		Ford	Mustang	White
15	75	Outright	Pioneer DJ	Elliot	Barbour	VIC	Chevrolet	Camaro	White
16	99	Outright	TPS Group/Breeze Holiday Parks	Brett	Holdsworth	VIC	Chevrolet	Camaro	White/Green
17	116	Outright	Sydney Property Care GRM	Edan	Thornburrow	NSW	Ford	Mustang	Black
18	200	Outright	Dream Racing Australia / Auto Fix	Joshua	Webster	TAS	Chevrolet	Camaro	White
19	777	Masters Cup	Dream Racing Australia	Craig	Scutella	NSW	Chevrolet	Camaro	Blue