Phillips Continues Hot Start in Atlanta
The teams of the Trans Am series visited Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for round two on the schedule of the 2026 Cube3 Architecture TA2 series season. A track where Cale has plenty of experience, and is known for its high speeds and drastic elevation changes. Some great weather led to some intense racing throughout the 100-mile event.
For Thursday’s test sessions, morning rain produced a still somewhat damp track for the first session. The #99 Mincey’s Graphics/SNP Inc Camry felt good in the first test session, but a conservative approach from the driver did not show the team’s true speed. In the second session, a loose rear hub prevented the driver from getting anything more than one lap, as the team had to return the car to the hauler for repairs. Key input from driver coach Tyler Kicera produced big gains in lap times from testing to the next days practice and into qualifying. After qualifying was completed for the 31-car field, Cale found himself in the 21st starting position overall, and 4th in the Pro/Am class.
The race would prove to be a series of tough battles at the front of the Pro/Am class, with three different drivers leading throughout the race. Phillips lost some spots on the initial start, but was able to slowly work his way back towards the front on subsequent restarts to position himself in second in Pro/Am. Phillip’s managed to avoid a few incidents, and battled hard for many laps with the #26 car for the lead. Unfortunately, the checkered flag flew under full course yellow conditions, which resulted in finishing 2nd in Pro/Am, and 10th overall.
“It was a tough battle for most of the race between me and the #26. I felt I was in a good position there on the second to last restart and had a bit of a run on him into turn 3. The car started to overheat a little from the grass on the grill in the middle of the race, so I was doing everything I could under caution to try to clear it. I am really happy with how we have started the year, and I can feel that first win is coming. Thanks to the whole Nitro Motorsports group for everything they do, and this new Toyota Camry body is fast. It looks like we will go into Sonoma with the Pro/Am points lead, so the goal is to maintain that now. Sonoma will be a new track for me, so I got some homework to do before we go out there next month.”
Catch our next race in Trans Am TA2 at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma CA. This event will be a double header race weekend, with races on both Saturday, April 25th and Sunday April 26th.