| POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (July 16, 2026) – Hot off wins last month at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Road America, CD Racing’s Matthew Brabham’s goal this weekend at Watkins Glen in his #16 GYM SODA Ford Mustang is to expand his lead in the 2026 Trans Am by Pirelli season championship. CD Racing team owner and leader Chris Dyson, who has dominated the Trans Am races this decade at the historic New York circuit, is racing in select events this season. Dyson is entered in the team’s #20 RACER/GYM SODA Ford Mustang, the same chassis with which he has taken two of the three of his victories in the six most recent Trans Am races at the Glen. For Dyson it’s a return to a circuit he’s known all his life, and the site of many of his own racing successes. “I love the Glen and any time I have the opportunity to race at that track I’ll be there,” Dyson said. Watkins Glen will mark the three-time Trans Am champion’s third and fourth races of the season. On-track misfortunes earlier this year dropped him to fourth-place finishes at Lime Rock and Indy. “I’ve got the rust off now, and I’m feeling good about the weekend.” Dyson noted that double-header weekends represent a challenge for drivers and for teams. “Modern Trans Am cars are designed for 100-mile sprints, followed by several days of maintenance in the shop. That critical work has to get done overnight between the Saturday and Sunday races. So it’s important for the driver to take particularly good care of the car, not using up more of it than necessary to win. And while it’s always important not to wreck the car, it’s super-important not to have a big crash on Saturday and then not to make the start on Sunday!” Dyson & Brabham Family Histories at Watkins Glen Watkins Glen figures prominently in both the Dyson and Brabham families’ motorsport history. Dyson Racing traces its origin back precisely to Watkins Glen in 1974, where Rob drove a Datsun 510 sedan in his first SCCA race, which was also his and the team’s first win. In 1987, at the height of IMSA’s GTP era, Price Cobb and Vern Schuppan drove a Dyson Racing Porsche 962 to victory in the prestigious Camel Continental. In addition to his recent domination of the Trans Am at the Glen, in 2002 Chris Dyson won the Glen’s Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series 6-Hour race, one of five race wins that season on his way to the series rookie-of-the-year award. Finally, Rob Dyson gave a candid and fascinating 30-minute talk on Watkins Glen at a recent International Motorsports Research Center symposium: A driver’s reflections on Watkins Glen at 75 While this weekend will mark Matthew Brabham’s Trans Am debut at Watkins Glen, the third-generation racer in 2017 won the Glen round of the SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks Series, an off-road event with jumps and crash landings – nothing like racing on the traditional road circuit. (Brabham was the series champion 2018-2020.) Matthew’s dad, Geoff Brabham enjoyed success at Watkins Glen, winning twice there during his 1979 Formula Super Vee championship season. He also twice won the Six Hours of The Glen (1988 and 1989) driving for Nissan. And from 1961 until his retirement following the 1970 season, Matthew’s grandfather, three-time F1 World Champion Jack Brabham raced in the series’ U.S. round at Watkins Glen. No race victories, but in 1966, the year of his third title, Jack did win the pole in his own car, a Brabham-Repco.Click here for more on Chris Dyson Racing. Watkins Glen Schedule Qualifying takes place Friday, July 17, 2:40 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. ET The first 100-mile race takes the green flag Saturday, July 18, at 10:30 a.m. The second 100-mile race starts Sunday, July 19, at 2:05 p.m. ET Broadcast Schedule All Trans Am races are live-streamed on the Trans Am YouTube channel. |
