Reigning Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli’s Big Machine Vodka SPIKED Coolers TA2 Series champion and defending Lime Rock race winner Thomas Merrill earned Friday’s Motul Pole Award with a 51.652s lap around the picturesque Connecticut circuit.
Mike Cope Race Cars dominated the top three, with Evan Slater in the No. 6 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro qualifying second and Thomas Annunziata in the No. 90 Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang qualifying third.
“I owe this pole to my crew. This is actually the same setup we rolled off the truck with,” said Merrill. “They did an amazing job with their preparation for this weekend, and we unloaded with a great car. Every time we changed it in practice, we made it slower, so we went back to what we started with. It shows the work they’ve been putting into this. It’s a great day for the Cope cars. To lock out the top three like that is pretty cool. I’m very proud of them.”