Information By: LAZ DENES / SILVER HARE RACING – AUSTIN, TX
Location: Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas
Layout: 3.4-mile, 20-turn road course
Format: 30 laps or 75 minutes
Weather: Partly cloudy, upper-70s
TA2 Winner: Brent Crews
Silver Hare Racing:
● Jake Drew – Started 7th, Finished 7th (Running, completed 28/28 laps)
● Vincent Apple – Started 30th, Finished 20th (Running, completed 28/28 laps)
● Boris Said Jr. – Started 20th, Finished 36th (Accident, completed 20/28 laps)
Noteworthy:
● Drew clinched 2024 TA2 Rookie of the Year honors with his seventh-place finish Sunday. He also finished second in the Young Guns championship for drivers age 25 and under, and fourth in the overall national championship, all despite not joining the series until the second round of the season.
Jake Drew, Driver, No. 57 Silver Hare Racing/Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro:
“We worked our tails off, for sure. I mean, we all kept our heads in it. I think we started a little bit behind the 8-ball, but we kept working till the very end and qualified pretty well, had a good start, and we were in the hunt, for sure. There definitely were a lot of cautions and what not. I was trying to save the equipment early on, but we had a fast car – maybe not the fastest, but the best racecar. It was tough to make moves out there. I tried to go for maybe a little too much and gave myself some damage that put us on the back foot for the last 10 laps or so. I was trying to hang onto it there and lost it coming to the white (flag). Overall, I would have liked to have seen what would’ve happened, points-wise, if I had run the first race. I feel like I made steady gains all year, just kept learning the car, learning this team, and just keeping on working with this family oriented team. It’s been a blessing, for sure.”
Vincent Apple, driver, No. 5 Silver Hare Racing/Hope for the City Chevrolet Camaro:
“Considering I’ve never driven one of these cars before Friday, I’ve never seen this track before, it’s just been a whole learning experience every single lap and every single lap of the race. It was definitely enjoyable and definitely different, coming from open wheels to fenders and trying to push people around so they don’t keep you too much on the inside. It’s a lot of fun, very physical. Working with Silver Hare for the first time, I mean, the whole team’s been fantastic. Jake (Drew) was such a massive help for me to watch his videos and just talking to him on how he’s driving the car. Yesterday after qualifying, I spoke with him a lot, and then again this morning. And then as I was doing the race each lap, I was thinking about the stuff he said and making those changes, and I could definitely feel the difference in the car just coming alive a bit more and trying to work through people and catching everybody. It was definitely enjoyable. The team was unbelievable. Everybody was fantastic.”
Boris Said Jr., Driver, No. 75 HendrickCars.com/Silver Hare Racing Chevrolet Camaro:
“Overall, I think it was a good season. It was just a rough way to end it. That was blatant. But, other than that, it was good. It was all about growing and getting faster every time we went to the track.”
Laura Hull, Co-Owner, Team Manager, Silver Hare Racing:
“You know how they say things are bigger and better in Texas? Well, we had some big successes and we had some things that weren’t. First off, I want to thank each and every one that’s part of the Silver Hare Racing family. Our guys, they work so hard. Maurice and I couldn’t be more proud of each and every one of them, they’re like part of our family. A big thank you to every one of them. We’ll look forward to the 2025 season. This weekend didn’t turn out exactly as we had hoped. We did have a newcomer, Vincent Apple, who has past racing experience in open wheel, and I think he clearly showed us and everyone he’s still got it. Hopefully we’ll see him with Silver Hare Racing again in 2025. Jake Drew, the kid never gave up, there is no quit in him. We’re extremely proud of him. He had a small incident with the front end of the car that slowed him down toward the end of the race, but he never gives up. We’re extremely proud of him and look forward to what will be a very bright future in front of him – a successful one, for sure. He came here this weekend with a huge lead for Rookie of the Year, even with missing a race, so talk about a big victory for us, having Jake Drew come here and do that. So that alone is an awful lot to celebrate. Boris Said, Jr., he fought the entire race. Unfortunately, he also had an on-track incident that did some damage to his left-rear tire, just very unfortunate. But we want to thank the Saids for running with us. We enjoy their company and having them around, we very much do. They have a great family, a lot to be proud of. I want to congratulate our competitors and we look forward to another strong season in 2025. It’s great competing with everyone. Last but not least, I want to thank my husband, Maurice. This is a dream that he’s always had, and I’m just privileged and proud to be a part of that dream of his. We don’t know exactly where life takes us, where we’re going to be, but he and I are going to do it together, and I couldn’t enjoy life any more than I do with the original ‘Silver Hare.’”
Next Up:
The 2025 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series season kicks off Feb. 20-23 with the traditional Sebring SpeedTour at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway. The weekend schedule and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.