How do you bridge the gap between drivers with years of racing experience and drivers with only a few race experiences? With an actual bridge, more specifically, the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge that spans the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
This weekend’s inaugural Music City Grand Prix includes the TA2 division of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. Practice at the 2.17-mile, 11-turn street circuit begins Friday with qualifying taking place before the race on Saturday. Nearly 40 drivers – some with a handful of Trans Am championships and some with just a handful of Trans Am starts – will navigate the city layout that drives by Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, and traverses the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge.
It’s the first Trans Am street race since 2019 when the series raced at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park. While there are some competitors in Saturday’s TA2 race in Nashville who competed in that race in Detroit, there are many who haven’t, which includes all three of TeamSLR’s drivers – Connor Mosack, Chris Liesfeld and Justin Marks.
Nashville presents a level playing field for this driver trio, as everyone is a rookie on the streets of Nashville.
Twenty-two-year-old Mosack is TeamSLR’s veteran driver with 13 career TA2 starts. The Charlotte, North Carolina-native is running the full TA2 schedule in 2021 for TeamSLR after competing in two doubleheaders last year at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, respectively. Mosack secured his first career podium finish June 26 at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course, just a month-and-a-half after graduating with a degree in business entrepreneurship from High Point (N.C.) University.
Liesfeld will make his 11th career Trans Am start Saturday at Nashville and his first since 2019. The 47-year-old from Richmond, Virginia, has only competed in the series’ TA2 division, earning a best finish of third in 2012 at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway. His experience with TeamSLR, however, is deep. Liesfeld’s company, Fields Racing, has been competing with TeamSLR and the Lagasses for several years.
Marks has only competed in seven Trans Am races, but don’t let the dearth of starts fool you. The 40-year-old from Rocklin, California, who now calls the Nashville suburb of Brentwood home is a proficient road-course racer. Marks won a NASCAR Xfinity Series race in 2016 at Mid-Ohio and an ARCA Menards Series race in 2010 at Palm Beach (Fla.) International Raceway. He also has eight wins in the GT category of the Rolex Grand-Am Sports Car Series, including a 2009 victory in the prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
Of all the drivers competing at Nashville, Marks arguably knows the most about the track. He is a part of the ownership group behind the Music City Grand Prix. He also has a keen understanding and appreciation of the effort TeamSLR puts into preparing its racecars. Marks owns Trackhouse Racing, which is currently in its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series season.
TeamSLR is owned by the father-and-son duo of Scott Lagasse and Scott Lagasse, Jr. They have combined to win more than 100 races and seven championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. They are hands-on owners, meticulous in their car prep and driver prep. They get man and machine to sing from the same sheet of music, and that’s appropriate when you’re racing in Music City.
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Connor Mosack, driver No. 28 Nic Tailor Custom Fit Underwear/Interstate Foam & Supply Chevrolet Camaro: |
Chris Liesfeld, driver No. 96 New Field/M1 Racecars/Fields Racing Chevrolet Camaro: |
Justin Marks, driver No. 99 BC Forever/M1 Racecars/Fields Racing Chevrolet Camaro: |
Scott Lagasse, Jr., owner of TeamSLR and driver coach: |
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