Dylan Thomas wins 2023 TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek after dramatic calder finale

CXC Racing’s Dylan Thomas has claimed the 2023 TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek after a dramatic season finale at Calder Park Raceway won by rookie AC Delco Mustang driver Jarrod Hughes.

After a fifth place finish in Race 1 on Friday, Thomas placed fifth, seventh and sixth to secure his first national championship win by 18 points over Beaches SeaDoo Mustang driver Josh Haynes.

It wasn’t with our hardship, with the CXC Racing team having to repair Thomas’ Mustang after a brush with the wall on the front straight during a warm up session in the early afternoon to assess driving conditions during the torrential conditions in the morning.

Race 2 saw TFH Hire Services Mustang driver Nash Morris lead the field away after his win in Race 1. Hughes took the lead from Morris on Lap 2, and gapped the field by eight seconds to score his maiden TA2 win in only his second solo start. Baccus Marsh Motorsport Mustang driver Brad Gartner charged from ninth to third, before getting by Morris with two laps to go to finish second, earning the Hyperco Hard Charger Award for his efforts alongside Mark Crutchers’ charge from 18th to 11th.

Hughes went back to back in Race 3 with a lights to flag win over Gartner. Morris held second for the whole race until Gartner dove down the inside of Morris at Turn 6 as the pair negotiated lapped traffic down the back straight.

Race 4 got off to a chaotic start when Lee Stibbs spun at Turn 3 on the opening lap, before he was collected by Russell Wright and Greg Keam. The race was red flagged to recover Wright’s stricken Mustang, before the race restarted with a four lap dash to the flag. Jackson Rice jumped to second off the restart, but later spun out and finished back in tenth, while Hayden Jackson stormed from fifth to third ahead of championship runner-up Josh Haynes who claimed the Wilwood Big Breaker Award.

Hughes also took home the Bowden’s Best Presented Award in the AC Delco Mustang, as well as the Racetech Rookie of the Round.

The championship winners will be officially crowned at the 2023 TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek and HiTec Oils Super Series Awards Night on Sunday 3 December.

QUOTES

Dylan Thomas, #68 CXC Ford Mustang, 2023 TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek Champion

"This is definitely pretty special. ever since I put it in the wall this morning in that warm up session in the wet the guts have been pretty tight. 

“We had a pretty cruisy weekend, we didn't have to do a lot so when I put it in the wall it actually brought the intensity up. 

“We put the championship together throughout the whole year and Josh Haynes and Jackson Rice were awesome all year, credit to those guys."

Jarrod Hughes, #118 AC DELCO Ford Mustang 

"We were not expecting any of this at all, I am speechless, it is awesome. I can't thank everyone who has supported me enough. The TA2 team has given me the opportunity to do this, it is very cool. 

“I have to thank Tony Sewell he has been the brains behind it all, I can't thank him enough as well as all the people from AC Delco as well as all my other supporters, this is pretty cool.”