Herzog Steel Mustang driver Josh Haynes has clean swept a thrilling Round 3 of the TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek Steel Framing at Queensland Raceway.

PHD Motorsport’s Graham Cheney got the best start of the top three in Race 3, taking Gartner for second on the side of Turn 1 before out-braking Haynes into Turn 3.

Drama struck at Turn 4 when TFH Racing’s Des Collier turned Jason Pryde at Turn 4, before Hayden Jackson turned John Holinger when he checked up to avoid Pryde. Danny Reidy also suffered big damage when he had nowhere to go in avoidance and barrelled into Jackson.

Cheney lead the field on the restart before Haynes passed him into Turn 3, as Hughes and Gartner got passed on the inside of Turns 4 and 5.

Mark Crutcher lost the rear and spun on his own at Turn 6 onto the main straight.

Tom Hayman charged from the rear of grid to fifth, losing a drag race to the chequered flag for fourth from Cheney.

Gartner got by Hughes for second and hunted down the race leader, setting the fastest lap of the race along the way with a 1:13.4.

Gartner pressured Haynes for the final lap, diving around the outside of Haynes at Turn 4. The pair ran side-by-side through Turns 4 and 5 before Gartner ran out of road and dropped a wheel on the dirt on the outside of Turn 5, just hanging onto second from Hughes.

Haynes lead the field away for Race 4. Gartner challenged Haynes before a safety car on Lap 9 when Collier spun at Turn 3 and became stuck in the sand trap.

Russell Wright moved ahead of Graham Cheney to bring home a strong fourth place, taking out the Circo Masters Class for Round 3.

After a Hyperco Hard Charger Award effort in Race 3, Tom Hayman moved forwards into the top three before a steering rack failure took him out of contention.

Haynes clean swept the weekend with a win in Race 4 from Gartner and Hughes, extending the series lead to 28 points ahead of Cheney.

Round 4 of the TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series Framed by Hytek Steel Framing heads to The Bend Motorsport Park on August 30-September 1.

QUOTES

Josh Haynes, #37 Herzog Steel Ford Mustang

“Honestly, words can't describe how I’m feeling right now. The team's put in so much work, the whole team at Waltec Motorsport. My friends, my family, we’ve put in so much work for this, so it means a lot.

“Shout out to Brad Gartner. We had a very hard race last race. He kept me on my toes all weekend and well done to him.

“Another great round, heaps more points. The Herzog Steel Mustang is an absolute weapon and looking forward to The Bend in two months time.”

Brad Gartner, #22 Hi-Tec Oils Chevrolet Camaro

"I think we had the car to win. Even yesterday, just probably didn't get the race start, it’s probably number one thing.

“I heard Jarrod say the same thing. That race there, best chance to go for the lead was before the safety car and we unfortunately didn't maximise.

“At the end of the day, you've got three 20 year olds driving these cars very fast and it's very good racing, and so much respect for Josh, it’s just awesome racing.

"I can't thank everyone enough. Hi-Tec Oils for giving me this awesome car and everyone involved.

“Next round at The Bend is my home round, so it’ll be max attack. Josh was right there at Morgan Park, but it doesn't always work out for everyone but no, I feel like we maximised what we have and Josh maximised what he had and we're rolling to the next round and that's halfway in the season, I'm keen to get after it.”

Jarrod Hughes, #118 American Muscle Trucks Chevrolet Camaro

“I'm actually a bit happier that we finally got the car to go around the corner not too bad. Before that safety car we were really chasing down the guys in front.

“I can't thank the team at PHD Motorsport enough for giving me the chance to have a drive of this beast this weekend. Obviously we had a few dramas, but it ended up not too bad.”

Josh Haynes has taken back the lead of the 2024 TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by Hytek Steel Framing after taking out the first two race wins at Round 3 at Queensland Raceway.

After a spin at Turn 1 during Qualifying on his second flyer, Haynes returned to the track and bested Tom Hayman on his final lap to take his second Kubota Pole Award of the year with a blistering 1:11.9520, with Hayman joining the front row from Gartner and Hughes.

Drama struck on Lap 1 when Mark Bailey’s JAX Tyres and Auto Camaro turned Mark Crutcher around at Turn 4, with Hayden Jackson also collected on his way through.

Russell Wright was on a charge early, moving passed the TFH Hire pair of Josh Thomas and Des Collier into the top ten.

Tom Hayman was keeping Haynes honest until the final lap, stopping on the main straight with a driveline issue. Hayman missed Race 2 but will be back in action on Sunday with a gearbox leant by the Jackson team.

Domain Ramsay was having a good race in sixth before he became stuck in gear and dropped back to 12th.

Brad Gartner was promoted to second in Race 1 from Super2 driver Jarrod Hughes.

Haynes lead the field away for Race 2, as PHD Motorsport’s Graham Cheney jumped Hughes for third around the outside of Turn 1.

Mark Crutcher made a demon start from the rear of grid to be in eighth by the end of Lap 1.

Mark Bailey recovered from his spin in Race 1 to move back up to eighth.

Wright moved into the top five, and hurting along Hughes but settled into fifth.

TFH Hire’s Josh Thomas parked the TFH Hire Mustang on Lap 8 with a driveline issue.

Danny Reidy spun the Desert Palms Alice Springs Camaro at Turn 1 with two laps to go.

The race was called one lap early, as Haynes tool the win from Gartner and Cheney.

The TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series Framed by Hytek Steel Framing returns for Races 3 and 4 tomorrow at Queensland Raceway. All the action is live on SBS On Demand, Fox and Kayo. 

QUOTES

Josh Haynes, #37 Herzog Steel Ford Mustang

“We’ve had a really good day. I lost a bit of confidence in qualifying after putting it in the sand trap at Turn 1, so the focus was just to get out there, get a clean start in both races, get through Turn 1 and keep my head down.

“It’s still very early days. We've still got two long races tomorrow, so it's all a tyre game at the moment. It was good to look after our tyres because we've got two long races tomorrow. The car feels good, the team’s done an awesome job and this Herzog Steel Mustang is a weapon.

“We've had a good start to the weekend, so hopefully we can keep that going.”

Best of luck. Thank you very much. Thanks everyone at home. 

Brad Gartner, #22 Hi-Tec Oils Chevrolet Camaro

“Good old saying, ‘second sucks’, so we've got work to do. I think later on in the race, we've got five laps of the race and then a couple of purple sectors there at the end. So, I don't know if it's me at the start, ust probably taking too long to get a full confidence. It's a hard thing to just go out there and break at the 150 mark straight away, so we need to build that because other than that, we were the fastest car on track after lap four, so we just need to do something about that and tune it up for tomorrow.

“There was a bit of cloud cover, the track was fast, so we didn't have to rag it to get that number. It was just cool to run behind Josh but he's fast and we’ve got a good team, so we'll get the Hi-Tec Oils Chevy fast for tomorrow and go again.

Graham Cheney, #51 PHD Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro

“I definitely have a bit of work tomorrow if these races play out like they did today. Jared [Hughes] definitely made me work for that one. He was filling up all the mirrors and I knew I had to get in front of him at the start because I know he's got the pace and just had to keep him there. 

“We've got definitely good pace around the outside of turn one and two and that's where I drove around the outside of Jarrod.”

Super2 youngster Jarrod Hughes is returning to the TA2 Muscle Car Series and hopes to replicate his debut heroics in the stars and stripes.

Hughes will make his second TA2 start at this weekend’s Two Days of Thunder event at Queensland Raceway.

The cameo makes sense with his next Super2 round with Image Racing at Townsville next weekend.

He knows how to get the job done on the Trans Am machines, having enjoyed a memorable debut.

In last year’s season finale, Hughes wowed at a soaked Calder Park, steering an AC Delco Mustang to victory in three of the four races.

But instead of jumping back in a Ford this weekend, he will be racing a Camaro for PHD Motorsport.

The #118 will stand out, proudly representing the seats and stripes thanks to backing from American Muscle Trucks.

After enjoying a successful debut, Hughes cannot wait to chase more victories around the “Paperclip.”

“I am very excited to make a return to TA2. It was such a great event and I had an awesome time at Calder Park,” Hughes told AUTO ACTION.

“I was very keen to come back and can’t thank Graham (Cheney) and Paul (Hadley) enough from PHD to have another go at the TA2 cars.

“I am looking forward to an awesome weekend.”

Reflecting on his Calder Park debut, Hughes said the unpredictable nature of the TA2 on a wet track suited his style.

“It was really good. The style of that car and track really suited what Paul (Morris) has taught me,” he said.

“I love those cars but not going to lie, when we went into the first race I was thinking ‘gosh all I have heard is how bad these cars are in the wet’ but I really enjoyed it.

“Being low grip you are having to hang on the whole time.”

However, being in the Camaro will be a new challenge with slightly different aero even though the chassis are the same.

The TA2 field has been further boosted by the arrival of Trans Am drivers Tom Hayman, Mark Bailey and John Holinger, while TFH Racing returns with Josh Thomas and Des Collier.

There will be three 12-lap sprints before an 18-lap finale with the four races spread across the weekend.

All the action from Round 3 can be viewed live on SBS Viceland, Fox Sports and Kayo.

Hayden Jackson will enjoy extra support from Dream Racing Australia this weekend at Queensland Raceway for the third round of the 2024 TA2 Racing Muscle Car Series season.

With the series running in Queensland Raceway’s marquee ‘2 Days of Thunder’ meeting, Jackson will enjoy the support of two key Dream Racing Australia personnel for the round.

Multiple Australian Touring Car Championship winner Glenn Seton and Trico Trans Am Series podium finisher Jackson Rice will impart their knowledge to Jackson as he aims to build on a relationship with Dream Racing Australia, which started at the Calder Park finale last season.

Seton has joined Dream Racing Australia this season to focus on the engineering processes and so far it has proven successful.

Jackson enters the round 10th in the standings, but will be aiming to build on his points score following a podium result at Morgan Park last round.

The TA2 Racing Muscle Car Series will contest four races at the ‘2 Days of Thunder’ making up Round 3 of the season at Queensland Raceway on June 26-30.

QUOTES

Hayden Jackson

#81 MGW/Team RSG

“We had some good pace in the rain and the dry running was where the wheels fell off at the end of the weekend, but it was a strong recovery to sixth in the last one,” said Jackson.

“I’ve spent a bit of time with him approaching this round just getting to know him a little bit better and what he’s going to work on with the car. It’s going to be great and I can’t wait to work with him, he’s a legend. Glenn is a nice bloke, he’s humble and genuine.

“I love working with Jacko too, he’s a nice fellow. It’s very good to get tips and tricks out of him, the little nuances to drive the cars fast.

“At the end of the day we just want to finish. We’ve had too many zeros in the first two rounds already, so the more points we can collect now to try and get back to where we should be.”

A host of national racing stars will join a 21-strong field set to take on Queensland Raceway this weekend, 28-30 June, for Round 3 of the TFH Hire TA2 Muscle Car Series framed by HYTEK Steel Framing.

Last time out saw Brad Gartner clean sweep Round 2 at Morgan Park in the Hi-Tec Oils Camaro, while Josh Haynes hung on to the series lead after a puncture produced a tough weekend in the Herzog Steel Mustang to be level on points with Graham Cheney.

The grid has been strengthened by the return of debut round winner and Super 2 young-gun Jarrod Hughes. Hughes will steer a third car out of the PHD Motorsport stable alongside category stalwart Paul Hadley and equal series leader Graham Cheney.

Also joining the grid for his TA2 debut this weekend is current Aussie Racing Cars runner-up Brandon Madden in the Riskie Racing Ford Mustang. Madden is a two-time state Holden HQ Champion and scored a race win on debut at Queensland Raceway in the Aussie Racing Cars in 2023.

Dodge Challenger racers Connor Roberts and Hayden Jackson return after strong rounds at Morgan Park. Trans-Am drivers Tom Hayman, Mark Bailey and John Holinger join the grid this weekend to gain some extra miles, while TFH Racing return with a two-car effort for Josh Thomas and Des Collier, stepping up from Aussie Racing Cars and Formula RX8.

The Circo Masters Class will be hotly contested with Round 1 winner Anthony Tenkate back in action against Mark Crutcher, and after filling in for Elliot Barbour as Driving Standards Observer at Morgan Park, 2017 series champion Russell Wright will make a welcome return to the TA2 grid.

After a solid debut at Morgan Park, former Super Ute racer Steve Wilson is back in action at Queensland Raceway, alongside speedway converts Danny Reidy, Domain Ramsay and West Aussie Jason Pryde.

The format for the weekend will see three practice sessions on Friday. Qualifying will feature a split 15-minute session for the Bottom 50% and Top 50% of the field on combined practice times. Races 1 and 2 will take place on Saturday over 12 laps. Sunday’s action will see Race 3 over 12 laps before an 18-lap finale.

All the action from Round 3 can be viewed live on SBS Viceland, Fox Sports and Kayo. Check local guides for further details.

QUOTES

Josh Haynes, #37 Herzog Steel Ford Mustang

“Morgan Park was a tough round for us as a team, we still took home a lot of positives and came away with the championship lead. Unfortunately 2 tyre punctures let us down, we showed some great speed, the car had a lot of pace and we are really looking forward to taking all that into Queensland Raceway this weekend. 

Queensland Raceway is going to be unreal, there is obviously a lot more cars this weekend with great competition especially with it being some people’s home track. I am really looking forward to showing what we have got, we are going to come back stronger than ever, rub some panels and have some fun.”

Jarrod Hughes, #118 American Muscle Trucks/ Alpha Omega Chevrolet Camaro

“Paul Hadley, Graham Cheney and the rest of the PHD Motorsport team have been kind enough to support me in getting a drive in the TA2 Muscle Car at Queensland Raceway. When they put the opportunity forward to me I thought there is no way we can’t do that and with it being a local round for me it was a bit of a no brainer. We have a lot of local support jumping on board for the weekend and I am really looking forward to getting stuck into it. 

Obviously after the success we had at Calder Park last year my approach is pretty high, I have had a pretty good year so far in the Super 2 and GT4 series so I am going into Queensland Raceway with the ambition to try and win. This is the first time I have driven the Chevrolet Camaro, so Friday is going to be a pretty big day for us to try and get used to the car and making sure we have it in the right window for qualifying Saturday morning.” 

SCHEDULE

Friday 

Practice 1 - 9:50am (20 minutes) 

Practice 2 - 12:55pm (20 minutes)

Practice 3 - 4:00pm (20 minutes)

Saturday 

Qualifying bottom 50% - 10:45am (15 minutes) 

Qualifying top 50% - 11:05am (15 minutes) 

Race 1 - 1:15pm (12 laps)

Race 2 - 3:37pm (12 laps)

Sunday 

Race 3 - 1:15pm (12 laps)

Race 4 - 3:48pm (18 laps)

ENTRY LIST

#3 Steve Wilson, Chevolet Camaro, Wilson Autosports 

#4 Mark Crutcher, Ford Mustang, Crutcher Developments 

#5 Danny Reidy, Chevrolet Camaro, Palm Deserts Alice Springs 

#12 Mark Bailey, Chevrolet Camaro, Jax Tyres and Auto

#14 Jason Pryde, Chevrolet Camaro, JPM

#19 Connor Roberts, Dodge Challenger, Arrow Transport Repairs

#22 Brad Gartner, Chevrolet Camaro, Hi-Tec Oils 

#23 John Holinger, Chevrolet Camaro, Holinger Racing 

#30 Tom Hayman, Ford Mustang, Di Prinzio Concreting 

#37 Josh Haynes, Ford Mustang, Herzog Steel

#50 Paul Hadley, Chevrolet Camaro, PHD Motorsport 

#51 Graham Cheney, Chevrolet Camaro, PHD Motorsport

#55 Russell Wright, Ford Mustang, Crew Commercial Real Estate 

#57 Brandon Madden, Ford Mustang, Riskie Racing 

#63 Describe Collier, Ford Mustang, TFH Hire Racing 

#69 Anthony Tenkate, Ford Mustang, Tenkate Plant Hire 

#71 Domain Ramsay, Chevrolet Camaro, C&H Trucking 

#81 Hayden Jackson, Dodge Challenger, Maitland Glass and Windscreen 

#118 Jarrod Hughes, Chevrolet Camaro, PHD Motorsport 

#169 Joshua Thomas, Ford Mustang, TFH Hire Racing 

BROADCAST

Live Stream Saturday & Sunday 10:30am - 1pm 

Hi-Tec Oils Super Series, TA2 Australia and Speedcafe Facebook Pages 

Television Saturday and Sunday 1pm-5pm 

SBS Viceland, Sky Sports, Fox Sports and Kayo Sports