TX Speed Blog

NASA  Western States Championship Race Results

Team TXSpeed.com with driver/team owner Jay Matus, charged hard through the field of GTS cars overtaking 15 cars to capture 4th overall and 2nd on the podium for GTS5 of the NASA Western States Championship. Matus also turned his fastest lap time at Sonoma Raceway of 1:44.01 during a race that contained a field of nearly 50 cars with GTS and Honda Challenge.

Special Thanks to all of our sponsors and Crew Chief Mark Evans! Special mention to Tommy of Flying Lizard and Matt from Guard Transmission, without thier help with last minute parts we would not have been able to race the Championship!

Sponsors: VP Racing Fuels, SPL Parts, MCS, EFX Auto,  & Driver Source

Sunday, August 10th, 2014  NBC Sports aired the Toranto and Mid-Ohio Pirelli World Challenge races. Jay’s Optima Battery Best Standing Start Award win was featured during the coverage. Check out this screen shot from the coverage.

Jay started in position 50 and gained 7 spots in the first lap

You can also check out a full Race Report of the Round 11 rain race on Autoweek by clicking here.

Sunday, August 3, 2014 4:00PM CST: Team TxSpeed.com with driver/team owner Jay Matus are heading back to Texas after its first debut in Pro-Racing with Pirelli World Challenge (PWC). Team TxSpeed.com pays high compliments to PWC and all the people dedicated to making these events happen: the personnel, the participants, the series sponsors and the fans of Pirelli World Challenge are first rate based on the experience of Team Tx Speed.

Matus has been chasing down cooling problems ever since arriving at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and unfortunately those problems re-materialized during round 12 of PWC. However, true to the winning drive of Matus, he overtook several of his GTS competitors and had his sights on how to continue to gain position when the #71 Porsche had a mechanical that forced the end of the race for Team TxSpeed.

Matus and his Team have a Championship spirit and head home with thier sights on resolving the mechanical challenges they have been facing. They come away from the PWC event with a solid showing and The Optima Battery Best Standing Start Award for Round 11 of Pirelli World Challenge. Keep checking Facebook for more updates on what is next for Matus.

Saturday, August 2, 2014: Success for Porsche Race Team TxSpeed.com Racing and Driver Jay Matus at first Pro-Race in Pirelli World Challenge. We debuted at Mid-Ohio with PWC receiving the Optima Battery Best Standing Start Award by passing 7 competitors in the first lap of the race. Team TxSpeed had been chasing mechanical issues since arriving on Thursday and was unable to get much pratice and missed qualifying. So, Matus started in last position in a field of 52 cars. The team was very proud of Matus because of overtaking several drivers in the first lap and finishing the race with no damage as several accidents occurred at the beginning of the race and then later as the rain hit. Team TxSpeed is looking forward to Sunday’s race. Stay tuned for more details, photos and video.

Congratulations Jay on your Optima Battery Best Standing Start Award!

You can watch PWC Round 11 HERE and PWC Round 12 HERE.

On June 20th, Team TX Speed descended upon Hallett Motor Racing Circuit for the NASA Summer Shootout. John Lionberger, driver and owner of team TX Speed’s Porsche Boxster, was excited to learn a new track in a car he had not driven since January 2014. On Saturday June 21st John went out for some shake down laps in the car and came in feeling good about his lap times and ready for race 1. Race 1 and 2 were a success, John crossed the finish line with 2nd place wins in both races, an impressive finish for someone who just learned the track and had some serious competition in his class and lap traffic from other classes. Sunday’s race 3 was the Championship race for the weekend. The car felt really good and John was ready to win it. As the team stood by and watched, John moved up the ranks in his class to take the win! John was presented with the 1st place trophy for the weekend in GTS3. To top off a great weekend John achieved his best lap time of the weekend 1:25.9 in race 4. Looks to us like John is ready for Nationals.

Team TX Speed started out a great 2014 season with a bang at the Motorsports Ranch of Houston on January 17th through 19th. It almost seems like an annual tradition for team Tx Speed to be in the front running. Jay Matus started out the weekend in his black Porsche 911 and won all four races of the 2014 season opener. Saturday afternoon a gentleman named Ryan Rounkle approached Jay and our crew chief, Mark Evans. They started talking about racing and how Ryan just started. Ryan drives a white Porsche GT3 and was driving in the GTS3 class, until Jay urged him to switch into the GTS4 class alongside of him. From there, Jay and Mark decided to take him under their wing to show him the ropes. Right after meeting Ryan, they knew that he would be a great addition to Team TX Speed.

After qualifying Saturday morning, this put Jay in the front of the pack to start race number one. He went on to win the race with his best time of 1:37:1. Race number two is where it got a little more interesting. Ryan joined the race and started at position number 8 and had a lap best of 1:43:3. At this point, he was there for competition licensing but eventually moved up to officially join race number three on Sunday afternoon. Mark Evans saw there were quite a few “small” adjustments that could be made. He reset the shock settings and canister pressures to Ryans car along with resetting the sway bars. In addition to those setting changes, Jay offered to switch the tires he was racing on to use his slicks to see if it could make a difference in his lap time. After the adjustments, tire change and tips from Jay, he was able to cut four whole seconds from his best lap time. The whole team was ecstatic about the improvements they had already seen from Ryan’s driving. We were definitely rooting him on the whole way and we were even able to get some live footage from the races all weekend, one of which where he almost lost control but because of his amazing driving skills he was able to pull it out and regain control. It was definitely an exciting thing to watch and we are so excited to have him part of our racing team.

Our team is committed to delivering a winning experience and at the same time keeping it fun. Our team currently works together on an everyday basis to make sure we come up with the best possible decisions for each one of our drivers. We’re looking forward to a great 2014 season and can’t wait to see what accomplishments we can achieve this year.

Be sure to check us out at our next event coming up April 25th through the 27that Texas World Speedway in College Station, TX. Without the help and generosity of our sponsors these events wouldn’t be possible so we would like to extend an extra thank you to those responsible for our racing success.

• Hoosier Racing Tire – www.hoosiertire.com Provides a competitive edge to Team TxSpeed with their Tires Designed for Champions and the personal service provided by Hoosier employees offering outstanding set-up advice
• VP Racing Fuels – www.vpracingfuels.com Fueled by VP’s 109 Motorsport, the acceleration and efficient burn rate aids Team TXSpeed in “Makin’ power”.
• DriverSource of Houston – www.driversource.com: They ensure that the TxSpeed racecar is tuned for optimal performance and providing the right type of power and torque for a Championship Team. DriverSource is a unique concept of sales, service, storage, detailing, and racing support; tailor-made to the enthusiast automotive lifestyle. With an extensive showroom of high line luxury, sports, exotics, classics and collectibles; a full fledged service department and secure car storage all in one facility, DriverSource is sure to cater to all your needs.
• California Motorsports of Arizona is Team TxSpeed’s “go to guys” for the Porsche’s transmission repair, rebuilding, service, support and development. www.californiamotorsports.net
• AWE Tuning – www.awe-tuning.com AWE’s Performance Engineering for German Autos, continuing product innovation and support keep Team TxSpeed at the fore front of winning.
• OG Racing for excellent attention to customer service and product delivery that aids TxSpeed in success.
• EFX Auto Body – Owner Mark Evans is not only Team TX Speed’s crew chief he is also responsible for keeping our cars in “show car” condition. He is an expert in race car body work in Houston, TX.

NASA Texas at Hallett – Summer Shoot Out, June 22-23, 2013

After 10 months of hard work rebuilding Team TX Speed’s Porsche 911 Carrera #171, we anxiously travelled to Hallett Oklahoma to put our tires to the pavement. Jay Matus drove his newly rebuild Porsche 911 #171 in GTS4 and Kevin Mixon joined team TXSpeed for the weekend driving our Porsche Boxster #172 in GTS4.

On Saturday, Jay took the car out for some shake down laps in warm up and practice. During those sessions, his lap times were consistently between 1:22 and 1:21. In Race 1 & 2, Jay took first place with his fastest lap at 1:21.4 while Kevin Mixon took 2nd place with his fastest lap at 1:24.4. At the end of the day on Saturday, the team was discussing some set up changes to the 171 car so that we could try to break our previous track record of 1:20.09.

On Sunday, Jay was ready to break his track record. Race 3 was around 10:15am and the weather was warm but not as hot as the two afternoon races from Saturday. We had a new set of tires on the car and we changed the wing angle. We were confident that all things considered, we had a good chance at obtaining the new record. As soon as Jay went out on track he could tell something was not right with the car. He was able to complete 2 laps, one of which was, according to the traqmate, predicted to be a 1:19! Once the car was back in our paddock, we realized he would be done for the weekend; the oil separator went out. Kevin Mixon went on to win first place for team TXSpeed in Race 3 and 4.

Team TXSpeed is in preparation for the NASA National Championship in September at Miller. We are hopeful for a national win in GTS4 after a long awaited start to the 2013 season. We look forward to the competition.

Team TXSpeed is grateful for our partners and industry advisors, each of whom contributes greatly to the on-going success of this race team.

NASA Texas at MSRH – January 28-29, 2012/Blitz Group
PCA Lone Star Region at TWS – March 16-18, 2012/Red Group
NASA Texas at TWS – April 28-29, 2012/Blitz Group

Team TxSpeed Started the 2012 Season Breaking Track Records

Team TxSpeed started off the season strong at the NASA Texas season opener at MSRH on January 28-29. Jay Matus, driving No. 171 a Porsche 996, swept the competition and left the track with an overall win in his class, German Touring Series 4 (GTS4) making him the points leader in the NASA Texas Region. Jay also set a new track record with a time of 1:36.995 in Race 3 on Sunday.

Team TxSpeed continued its dominance at the NASA Race April 28-29 at Texas World Speedway. Jay started off with an exceptional qualifying time of 1:48.4. During the first race of the weekend on Saturday April 28th Jay amazed the crowd by keeping up with Steven Hill’s Ferrari, which is classed above our No. 171 car in Super Touring 1 (ST1). Team TxSpeed had flash backs to the PCA event in May 2012 at TWS where we witnessed Jay Matus move from the back of the pack to 4th place overall, passing 30 cars using all parts of the track to his advantage. Jay proved to his competition that he can put his car anywhere on the track and make any line work for him. During the PCA event Jay also set a class record and a new personal best with a 1:46.5. After winning two races Saturday April 28th team TxSpeed was off to a confident start. Sunday morning Jay again qualified with an exceptional time of 1:47.0, leading GTS4. In race three Sunday morning Jay dropped the left front wheel off the curbing and broke a wheel bearing on the left side of the car. He continued the race and took first place. Team TxSpeed left the track with three solid wins, keeping Jay as the points leader in the NASA Texas Region. Wheel bearing replacement is already in progress on our 996 and we will be back and ready for the next NASA Event in June at Hallett.

Team TxSpeed is grateful for our partners and industry advisors, each of whom contributes greatly to the ongoing success of this race team.

EFFORT will field multiple cars in the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix support race at the Circuit of The Americas Nov. 16-18

PEARLAND, Texas, Nov. 2, 2012

Jay Matus, owner of Texas Speed Racing and The Texas Mile, will join the EFFORT Racing team at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) for the final round of the 2012 Pirelli GT3 Cup Trophy.

“EFFORT has given us the opportunity to be part of the opening weekend of COTA in support of the inaugural Formula 1 Race. There’s only one time in history that this will occur and we are honored to be a part of it “said Shannon Matus, Jay’s wife and long-time collaborator.

“We’ve been a part of Texas motor sports since 1991 as first participants and then becoming event organizers and creators and a two-car Porsche race team owner. Even though I do not race myself, the experiences I have had and the friendships we have formulated is what has me as addicted to the sport as much as any driver or crew member.”

After many years of competitive events with the Skip Barber Series and SCCA, Jay and Shannon wanted to help advance the opportunities in amateur motor sports in Texas. In 2001, the Matuses launched the Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana arm of the National Auto Sport Association (NASA), where Jay also holds multiple regional German Touring Series (GTS) titles. Jay is also the 2010 NASA GTS3 National Champion, placed second in the NASA GTS4 Nationals in 2011, and placed second in the NASA GTS3 Nationals in 2006. With NASA, the Matuses where part of many first in Texas as well as being part of the first NASA National Championships in 2006 and in 2003 creating the internationally recognized Land Speed Venue, The Texas Mile.

“The heart and soul of everything we’ve done in racing has always been about the overall experience for the people and the love of the sport. EFFORT Racing is much the same in their endeavors leading with an intense focus on core values of what it takes to be champions.” Shannon said.

“Chuck Toups, EFFORT’s owner, gave us the go-ahead to put an additional car in the field. We’re happy to be able to give that opportunity to Jay. The Matuses have been a lot of help to me along the way and I’m happy to be in a position to give something back to them for being such an integral part of Texas Motor Sports,” said EFFORT driver Michael Mills.

“We thank all of our Texas Mile and Texas Speed fans and sponsors for supporting our efforts in motor sports. We’re living the dream,” Shannon expressed.

Texas Speed Racing: Team TxSpeed is an amateur road racing team that has a reputation for operating in a manner found with highly respected professional teams. With this team, “The Race for Quality has NO Finish Line.”