(High Point, NC)  Over the years, Watkins Glen International has played host to NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula 1.  This past weekend, the Trans Am Series made its return for the first time in two years.  With the scheduled Canadian event being canceled due to COVID restrictions, Trans Am doubled down and made the Watkins Glen event a double header.

Race-one on Saturday was full of action and the all-classes format made for some hectic moments.  Tyler Kicera (no.5 Silver Hare Racing Ford Mustang) started seventh, while Michael Self (no.7 Sinclair Oil Chevy Camaro) started nineth, and team owner and driver, Maurice Hull (no.57 Stephanie Quayle Chevy Camaro), started 20th.  Self and Kicera both ran well inside the top-ten early, working through a few early caution periods.  With five laps to go, Kicera was running in the lead pack when he made contact with a lapped car in the bus stop.  His race was ultimately cut short because of the incident, but Self managed to rally on the final restart to finish P7.  Hull advanced three places to finish P17, running his fastest laps of the weekend.  Race-two grid positions were also up for grabs on Saturday, with Kicera setting the sixth fastest time, Self nineth and Hull twentieth.

Race-two on Sunday was again an all-classes format.  Kicera lost one spot on the initial start and settled into P7.  An intense, multi-lap battle for sixth ensued with Adam Andretti, until Kicera finally managed to reclaim the spot.  Self had been running P9 until he was forced to retire with a mechanical issue on the nineth lap of the race.  A caution at two-thirds distance set up a ten-lap sprint to the finish.  Kicera restarted strong and advanced to P5 at the bottom of the esses.  The second, third and fourth place cars tangled seconds later, setting up a scary crash at the top of the esses.  Narrowly avoiding the spinning car of Mike Skeen, Kicera emerged in second place with very little damage.  The race was stopped for cleanup efforts, and when the race restarted, Kicera went to work challenging Connor Mosack for the lead.  Kicera soon felt the pressure from behind in the form of a hard charging Rafa Matos.  Switching from offense, Kicera did all he could to defend against Matos, holding on to P2 for his second podium of the season.

After the race, Kicera said, “It feels good to pull off a second-place finish today after some of the challenges we faced this weekend.  I was really lucky to have made it through the crash in the esses.  I actually felt like I had a car that could win on the first lap after the restart, but as I faded a bit, Rafa was pressuring me hard from behind.  I threw everything I had at him to hold the position, and he raced me really clean.  It was a great day for my guys and the whole Silver Hare Racing team.  Huge thanks to them for all of their hard work.”

Moving to a backup car after suffering damage in Saturday’s race, Hull face some challenges of his on Sunday, but managed to bring his Stephanie Quayle Chevy Camaro home in P18.

Next week, the Trans Am series will visit Virginia International Raceway for the penultimate round of the championship.  Based in High Point, NC, Silver Hare Racing considers the event their home race.  Tyler Kicera dominated the event in 2020 and looks to return to the top step of the podium.  Stay up to date and be sure to follow Silver Hare Racing across social media.

For more information about Silver Hare Racing, please visit www.SilverHareRacing.com

For more information about Sinclair Oil Corporation, please visit www.SinclairOil.com

And follow across Social Media – @TeamSilverHare, @TylerKicera, @MichaelSelf, and @SinclairOilCorp.

Photo Credits: Chris Green