(Press Release from Lime Rock Park)
Under beautiful, sunny skies with a packed crowd of enthusiastic fans filling Spectator Hill, the inaugural SpeedTour All-Star Race at Lime Rock Park brought together motorsports legends and Trans Am Series stars for an exhilarating showdown on Saturday. From the 20 legendary All-Star drivers, to Mark Martin and Ray Evernham coming out of retirement for IROC, down to Geoff Bodine as the Grand Marshal and Al Unser Jr and Mike Joy in the commentator booth, the Lime Rock Park grounds were packed with legends of the sport.
The competing All-Stars boasted an impressive cumulative record, including 11 NASCAR championships, an INDYCAR championship, 13 road racing championships, an IROC championship, three USAC championships, four Rallycross championships, and three off-road championships. The All-Star field also featured Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 winners, and competitors who have triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Nürburgring, and Daytona.
SpeedTour All-Star Race Thrills as Andy Lally Wins Inaugural Race
Andy Lally continued his winning record at Lime Rock Park. The race, featuring CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series racecars, saw the pairing of All-Star driver Lally and 2023 TA2 Series champion Brent Crews triumphantly taking the top step of the podium. Their combined performance, with Lally’s second-place finish in the All-Star race and Crews’ third-place finish against Trans Am competitors, earned them 35 points and a $50,000 prize.
Lally has now won four races with four different sanctioning bodies at Lime Rock Park. The 49-year-old Long Island native made his professional debut at Lime Rock Park in 2001’s Grand-Am Rolex Series race, winning the SRII class in a Nissan Lola.
“This is a special moment,” said Lally. “I’ve had a handful of race wins at Lime Rock, but this is really cool. To share this track with some of my heroes and guys that I look up to and respect at the highest levels of the sport is amazing. And then, to also share it with tomorrow’s stars is incredible. This race is the brainchild of Tony Parella; there’s so much that he put on the line for this and risked. We got a really good show out of it. [Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte], on both ends of our podium here, are guys that I’ve respected since I was really young, and they’ve accomplished so much. But then the guys that I’m standing right next to, both Thomases [Merrill and Annunziata] and Brent [Crews] here, are just monster future stars, and it’s really cool to be up here with them.”
The race commenced with All-Star drivers, led by Scott Speed in the No. 17 Team SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro, who secured the pole in qualifying. Speed maintained his lead from the start, closely followed by Lally and Adam Andretti. A mechanical issue forced Geoff Brabham’s No. 97 Ford Mustang to retire early, prompting a double yellow flag. Despite challenges, Speed held the lead to the first checkered flag, with Lally in second and Paul Menard in third.
After a driver change during a competition break, the Trans Am pros took over, with Tristan McKee leading in the No. 17 Camaro. Crews quickly overtook McKee, while Thomas Annunziata and Connor Mosack made significant strides through the field. Annunziata eventually took the lead from Crews, with Mosack continuing his impressive drive from 17th to fourth.
In the end, Lally and Crews emerged victorious with a combined score of 35 points. The runner-up duo of Labonte and Thomas Merrill scored 33 points, while Ryan Newman and Annunziata rounded out the podium with 32 points. Crews and Lally celebrated their victory with a $50,000 check, gold Bell helmets signed by all 40 drivers competing and custom trophies.
Mark Donohue Honored in Touching IROC Tribute
In a thrilling revival of racing history, IROC made its long-awaited return to the track after nearly two decades. The highly anticipated exhibition race, held on the original Lime Rock Park circuit layout, showcased a captivating display of automotive heritage, grouping cars from the same decades for a spirited drive around the original circuit layout.
Highlighting the event was the 1973 Porsche RSR, originally driven by Mark Donohue, crossing the finish line first piloted by the car’s owner Bob Woodman. This victory was a fitting tribute, as Donohue was the first ever IROC winner in 1973 and secured three additional IROC race wins in the same Porsche.
The event also celebrated the reunion of several original racers with their iconic cars. Among them was Mark Martin, a celebrated name in motorsports with 96 victories across NASCAR’s top-three series, 13 IROC race wins and five IROC series championships. Martin was reunited with his No. 14 Dodge Avenger, donning his original 1995 True Value driver suit to complete the time-period look.
“I didn’t even know this car had an engine in it,” Martin laughed. “When they put this deal together, I called and said look to see if there is even an engine in that car. They said there is, and I sent it to Ray (Evernham) and they rebuilt the fuel system and brakes, and here it is, running perfect after all that time.”
In a lighthearted moment, Martin quipped about the suit fitting “a little tighter in the stomach and bigger in the chest than it used to,” adding a touch of humor before naming Lime Rock Park his new favorite track.
“I sure wished I raced here when I was younger,” said Martin. “I LOVE this race track, absolutely love it. It would be, if not my favorite, right up there with Watkins Glen. It reminds me of a super speedway. It’s not a real stop-and-go, you’ve got Turn 1, but after that man, you can let ‘er rip. I love it.”
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