Delivering TA005
The Story of a Stand Out Scheme
Any day spent at a racetrack is a good day - especially if it’s a midweek trip to Carolina Motorsports Park with a pair of rambunctious track day Camaros.
But these Camaros weren’t just your typical ZL1s - impressive as their showroom counterparts may be. No, these cars have a pedigree unlike any other Camaro you’ll ever see on track - and they’re rewriting the definition of what a track day car can be.
Originally campaigned by the race teams of NASCAR powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports, these Camaros have raced side by side with the titans of American motorsports at the hands of some of the sport’s most storied drivers. The chassis belonging to TA005 (seen above) was originally a No. 24 car driven by young sensation William Byron - who wheeled the car to the pole position of the 2019 Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
After serving its purpose well, the chassis was retired from competition in excellent condition and handed over to the Hendrick Performance team of experts for a new lease on life. In less than two months, the car was completely stripped, lightened from the stringent NASCAR minimum weight and improved in areas where their rulebook won’t allow, and reassembled by craftsman into a new and improved Hendrick Performance Track Attack car - the fifth production example built from the ground up.
As a former No. 24 car, it is fitting that TA005’s new owner, Bob from New York, turned his appreciation for Jeff Gordon into his dream car. Taking inspiration from a fantasy Jeff Gordon and William Byron diecast car design, the car was sprayed in longtime No. 24 car sponsor Axalta’s high performance paint to meet Bob’s custom-designed scheme specifications. Wanting to round out his design with a full slate of decals, Bob elected to use Track Attack branding and the number 8 - which is a family racing number.
On a temperate Wednesday morning in April, members of the Track Attack team made the short trip to Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina - where the morning sun set the glistening car ablaze.
After a successful morning shake down of the Chevrolet Performance LSX454-powered car, the crew welcomed Bob to the track for a day of hands-on training and on-track fun.
After periods of extended staring (a side-effect of Track Attack cars) and a walk around tutorial with Lance McGrew, former NASCAR championship-winning crew chief turned Track Attack build team leader, it was time for Bob to hit the pavement for some instructive lead-follow sessions behind Track Attack’s in-house driving salesman, Adam Boatman.
After a lap of crucial tire warming, Bob picked up his pace lap after lap while learning the fast way around CMP’s freshly repaved 2.3 miles of asphalt. It took him no time at all to perfectly execute operation of the user-friendly RaceTech Services 6XD 6-speed sequential transmission - which features automatic rev-matching with the LSX454.
Time after time he followed Adam in the yellow Track Attack prototype Camaro, getting harder on the gas and louder on the ears each passing trip in and out of the woods.
More sessions would follow throughout the day, intermittent with more learning in the garage - which includes all the free laughs and story telling from lifetimes on the racing circuit that a fun track day rightfully entails.
Pleased with the performance of his car and armed with a wealth of new abilities and knowledge, the day ended with a traditional group picture taking to put a commemorative stamp on the day.
While Bob headed off to catch a plane back home to New York, the crew loaded the car back into the race hauler whenceforth it came and returned to Charlotte - from which it will be delivered free of charge directly to Bob’s garage, as all Track Attack cars are to customers in the contiguous United States.
As with every Track Attack delivery day, it was another unforgettable experience for everyone involved and has the Track Attack team eager to deliver our next builds in just a few weeks time! Stay tuned for coverage of our next trip to the track from the picturesque VIRginia International Raceway in May.
Until then, we’ll be bringing you more coverage of TA005 and our current builds on our website, Facebook and Instagram accounts, and with exclusive videos on our YouTube channel - so be sure to follow us across our platforms.
To learn more about Track Attack cars and to secure your slot on the coveted Track Attack build list, on which only two spots remain for guaranteed delivery in 2021, browse our full website at www.hendricktrackattack.com or give us a call at 844-924-4888 today.
