WATKINS GLEN, NY (Saturday, June 22, 2024) – Team TGM continued its barnstorming 2024 season with Matt Plumb and Paul Holton extending the strong championship lead by taking their first victory and fourth top-five finish.

Starting on the outside of the front row, Holton grabbed second place early before the first caution of the day came out.
Cautions would rule the first half of the race. However, when points championship leader Matt Plumb took over the car in the second half of the race, things settled down and went green to the end.
Fuel strategy came into play again at Watkins Glen International as it did in round four at Mid-Ohio. With just over six minutes to go in the two-hour race, the first two competitors had to come into pit lane for a splash of fuel, handing over the lead to Plumb, who was good on fuel to the end.
This win also ties Matt Plumb (with Billy Johnson) as the most winningest driver in IMSA Michelin Pilot GS competition. He also has the most podium finishes at 52.

In Victory Circle Matt Plumb said, “That was a perfect example of a full team win right there. Everybody on the box got all the strategy just perfect. Kept feeding us just the right information, what numbers we needed to do fuel wise, the pace, the gap.
“It’s been a while (since the last win) but I’m incredibly lucky to be doing this. Incredibly lucky to have a guy like Ted Giovanis and Kristina (Giovanis) in my corner. Thanks to my buddy Paul (Holton), we have a long history of driving together and it’s just great to get this win as a group.
Team owner/driver Ted Giovanis continued, “Our team strategists Joe Varde and John Terry had the situation well in hand, not taking the fuel chances the others opted for. Matt (Plumb) and Paul (Holton) ran a flawless race, not missing a step."

“Matt now has a 240-point lead in the championship. We’re thrilled with the significant margin for the No. 46 in the driver and team championships going into the second half of the season."
“Hugh and I had a steady race as well. We had a very comfortable lead in the Bronze Cup championship going into the race and finishing second among the Bronze drivers will extend that lead."
“I couldn’t be more proud of the entire team for bringing home the win for Matt and Paul. It was a fantastic day with the victory and a great points haul for both cars.”
Next, Team TGM will begin the second half of the ten-race season at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada on July 12-14.
FOLLOW TEAM TGM:
Twitter: @GoTeamTGM
Instagram: @Team_TGM
Facebook: @TeamTGM

Matt Plumb - “I remember when Billy broke the tie for the most wins in the series, and that angered me a bit because he’s quite a bit younger than me. The most special thing is the group that we are with. It’s incredibly hard to win in the series. I went into this year thinking, ‘win the war not the battle,’ and there are a lot of pieces that have been working to our advantage. “Paul and I have a long history of driving successfully together, obviously I’ve had a long history with TGM, 4-5 years. We’re just starting to get some momentum going. “Today it really was the strategy that won the race. We two knuckleheads just kept from screwing up and did what we were told, we don’t deserve a whole lot of credit. “I was concerned (about fuel), we’ve been a little confused about our mileage in the past, we’ve gotten some different readings, and the math wasn’t working in the past. Our strategist felt confident but there was a margin of error which had us slightly concerned. “As a driver, you think at any minute something is going to sputter, so it’s a bit nerve-wracking for me.”
Paul Holton - “During Matt’s stint I was actually plugged into the cool suit machine sitting on the box. Nice, cool, calm, and collected at the finish. But the boys said we were good (on fuel), so I certainly trust the guys on the wall. They said it was tight at the end but I know they called the right strategy. “When they called me into the pit early, I kinda questioned on the radio, ‘are you guys sure we want to do this’, but man, it was the move. “We had a faster pit stop at the end, and we had the right strategy. Credit to the Team TGM crew, they gave us a fast car, and they called a fantastic strategy today and Matt did a great job going out there and going fast, plus saving some gas.”

Ted Giovanis - “We’ve been building and trying to have a strategy to get to the championship. This is part of the building blocks. We want to win every race but we know we can’t, so some are strategy, some are handling, some are just situational.“I think that some guys dropped out that were in front of us, and the next thing you know we materialized in the lead with the 46 car. I think it sets them up, it’s a great thing for them.“Unfortunately, they will finish the rest of the season with a target on their backs, but then also Hugh and I are in a good position for the Bronze Cup, and I think that sorta fits together, so everything is looking very good. It’s great for the team, the team really did a great job, they did a great job of prepping the cars and keeping us going. We will take from this and learn from it and keep going.”
Hugh Plumb - “First and foremost, this is absolutely all about the team. We’ve been kinda circling this for a long time. We have a plan this year, not that we typically don’t have a plan, but the plan is coming together, and everybody on this team is truly working as a team player.“From the top down, we are all moving in the same direction and today is just a real testament to exactly that.”

Comments