| The Team TGM Driver Is Tied with 2023 CTMP Winner Billy Johnson Heading into This Weekend’s Race July 8, 2024By Mark RobinsonIMSA Wire Service |
 Entry List (Click Here) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Matt Plumb returns to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this week with a bit of a vengeful edge in his mind.It was at the historic road course in Bowmanville, Ontario, a year ago where Plumb temporarily lost his share of the lead in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge career victories in the Grand Sport (GS) class. Having regained that stature with a win last month at Watkins Glen International, Plumb seeks to take sole possession atop the chart in the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120 on Saturday. Plumb and the No. 46 Team TGM Aston Martin Vantage GT4 that he shares with Paul Holton lead the GS standings by 240 points following their June 22 triumph at The Glen. It was the 24th GS victory for Plumb, drawing him even with Billy Johnson for most in series annals. Johnson secured his 24th GS win a year ago at CTMP, which left Plumb – who had been winless for nearly seven years until the recent victory – admittedly miffed. “I remember when Billy broke the tie for the most wins in the series, and that angered me a bit because he’s quite a bit younger than me,” Plumb jokingly said after winning at Watkins Glen. Now that he’s drawn even with Johnson once more, Plumb can return focus on the bigger picture: capturing the GS season championship. He and Team TGM have built their points advantage through consistency, finishing no worse than sixth in any race through the first half of the 10-race season. “It’s incredibly hard to win in the series,” Plumb said. “I went into this year thinking, ‘Win the war, not the battle,’ and there are a lot of pieces that have been working to our advantage. Paul and I have a long history of driving successfully together. Obviously, I’ve had a long history with TGM – four, five years. We’re just starting to get some momentum going.” True, but parity has ruled the GS class this season, with a different winner in all five races so far. While the No. 46’s championship points margin seems comfortable, with 23 GS entries this week, a subpar finish could chop into – or completely eliminate – that lead. Four other teams – the No. 57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT GT4, No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW M4 GT4, No. 91 Kellymoss with Riley Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport and No. 71 Rebel Rock Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo – all lurk within 240 to 320 points from the No. 46 and are eager to capitalize. The Touring Car (TCR) class, meanwhile, has been dominated by the No. 17 Unitronic/JDC-Miller MotorSports Audi RS3 LMS TCR and co-drivers Chris Miller and Mikey Taylor, who’ve won four of the first five races and built a 220-point cushion in their class. They are the defending TCR winners at CTMP, with Taylor using a late bump-and-run maneuver on the No. 33 Bryan Herta Autosport with Curb-Agajanian Hyundai Elantra N TCR for the lead that prevented native Canadian Robert Wickens from taking a second straight win at his home track. Michelin Pilot Challenge will conduct a pair of 60-minute practice sessions Friday at the 2.459-mile, 10-turn CTMP circuit. Qualifying rolls off at 8 a.m. ET Saturday. The two-hour race streams live on Peacock in the U.S. and IMSA.tv globally starting at 1:20 p.m. Saturday. |
