| Thomas Merrill | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1987-04-17)April 17, 1987 (age 38) Salinas, California, United States |
| Trans-Am Series career | |
| Debut season | 2017 |
| Current team | Mike Cope Racing |
| Racing licence |  FIA Bronze(until 2022) FIA Silver(2023–) |
| Car number | 26 |
| Championship titles | |
| 2023 2022 2018 2006 | Asian Le Mans Series – GT Trans-Am Series – TA2 Trans-Am Series West Coast Championship – TA2 SCCA San Francisco Region Formula Continental |
| Statistics up to date as of March 8, 2025. | |
Thomas Merrill (born April 17, 1986) is an American racing driver who competes in theTrans-Am Series.
AlongsideNicky Catsburg and Chandler Hull, he was the2023 Asian Le Mans Series champion in the GT class. He also won the TA2-class title in the 2022Trans-Am Series.
Merrill was exposed to racing at a young age, as both of his parents were racing drivers themselves, taking part inPorsche Club meetings around his hometown ofSalinas, California. Merrill himself began racing at age 8, culminating in his firstkarting title in 1998 at the age of 11.[1] Following on his from initial title victory, he would win six consecutive championships over the following years, including back-to-back national titles in 2005 and 2006.[2]
In 2006, Merrill transitioned intoformula racing, taking part in theSCCA San Francisco Region Formula Continental series, where he won thirteen of fourteen races en route to the championship.[3] The following year saw him step up toPacific F2000,[4] where he finished second in the championship behind Patrick Barrett.[5]
In 2008, Merrill graduated to theRolex Sports Car Series, embarking on a part-time program in the GT class forPR1 Motorsports.[6] Appearing atHomestead, Laguna Seca,[7] andWatkins Glen,[8] Merrill claimed a best finish of 12th. He returned to the team in 2009, making his debut at the24 Hours of Daytona[9] alongside another appearance at Laguna Seca. 2010 and 2011 saw Merrill run just one race each in the Rolex Sports Car Series andIMSA SportsCar Challenge, after which he appeared to scale back his professional racing duties.
Near the end of the 2017 season, Merrill began competing in theTrans-Am Series, driving for Big Diehl Racing. After making his debut atCircuit of the Americas, the team confirmed a full-season entry into the West Coast Championship for 2018.[1] In just his second official race in the championship atAuto Club Speedway, he scored his first TA2-class victory.[10] Through the five-race season, of which Merrill competed in only four races, he won all four races in which he competed. With 140 points scored, he won the TA2 West Coast Championship.[11] He stepped up to the nationwide championship for 2019, albeit not for the full season. Through the eight races he competed in, Merrill claimed back-to-back victories at Laguna Seca[12] andLime Rock,[13] as well as an additional victory in the season finale atDaytona.[14] A potential fourth victory was stripped atVIR due to a reckless driving penalty.[15] When the dust settled, he finished 8th in points, with nearly half the points total of series championMarc Miller.[16]
In early 2020, Merrill embarked on a one-off effort in theIMSA Prototype Challenge, driving for K2R Motorsports alongsideSteven Thomas. The duo scored a Bronze Cup-class victory at Daytona,[17] before teaming up again for the season finale atRoad Atlanta, where they would claim an overall podium.[18] Merrill also returned to Trans-Am in 2020, driving for Mike Cope Racing.[19] He claimed just one TA2 victory in 2020, scoring overall honors atMid-Ohio in June.[20] He would finish fourth in the championship, with 173 points.[21]
Merrill participated in several programs in 2021, splitting his efforts between Trans-Am andsports car racing under theIMSA andSRO umbrellas. His Trans-Am program formed the majority of his efforts, as he claimed six podiums and one race victory during the season,[22] finishing fourth in the TA2 championship once again.[23] Merrill also competed in the Michelin Endurance Cup sub-championship of the2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship, driving in the LMP2 class for WIN Autosport alongsideTristan Nunez and former teammate Thomas.[24] The trio claimed a class victory at the6 Hours of Watkins Glen,[25] and also claimed a podium atPetit Le Mans. In addition to a temporaryGT4 America Series program with Stephen Cameron Racing, Merrill took part in theIndianapolis 8 Hour forDXDT Racing, driving alongside Erin Vogel andMichael Cooper.[26]
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2022 saw Merrill score his first Trans-Am TA2 championship. After winning his first race of the campaign at Lime Rock,[27] he followed it up with another victory in the subsequent round at Mid-Ohio.[28] Merrill scored the championship on a tie-breaker, ending level on points withRafa Matos. Matos began the weekend with a strong points lead, however a 40th-place finish for the Brazilian and a race victory for Merrill saw the latter take the championship.[29] During the 2022 season, Merrill felt he was "at home" in the series,[30] and he was pleased with the development the series had experienced since he began racing in 2017.[31] Merrill also made his debut at the24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022, racing in the GTE Am class forWeatherTech Racing alongsideCooper MacNeil andJulien Andlauer.[32] The trio would finish second in the GTE Am class, marking Merrill's first Le Mans podium in his maiden appearance.[3] Merrill made a number of additional one-off appearance during 2022, including a podium finish for Jr III Racing in the IMSA Prototype Challenge at Mid-Ohio.[33]
Merrill began his 2023 campaign by returning to the 24 Hours of Daytona, driving for AWA in the LMP3 class.[34] AlongsideWayne Boyd, Anthony Mantella, andNicolás Varrone, Merrill claimed victory in the LMP3 class – his first class victory at the Rolex 24.[3][35] Merrill was also embroiled in a battle for the final spot inNorthwest AMR'sFIA World Endurance Championship entry withAxcil Jefferies, although Jefferies would go on to secure the seat.[36] In February, Merrill traveled to the Middle East to compete in the2023 Asian Le Mans Series with Walkenhorst Motorsport. Teamed up withNicky Catsburg and Chandler Hull, Merrill claimed two victories, three podiums, and the GT-class championship.[37]
Merrill's full-time programs for 2023 surrounded both the Trans-Am Series andPorsche Carrera Cup North America.[38] In Trans-Am, Merrill claimed his first victory of the season at Lime Rock in May.[39] He claimed his first Porsche Cup podium in July atRoad America.[40] In Trans-Am, Merrill entered the final round at COTA in the hunt for the championship, but ultimately fell short toBrent Crews.[41] In Porsche Cup competition, Merrill would finish 10th in the overall championship.
In 2024, Merrill returned to AWA, expanding his presence beyond the 24 Hours of Daytona to the entireMichelin Endurance Cup with the team.[42] However, Merrill's seat would cease to exist beyond the2024 12 Hours of Sebring, with Anthony Mantella withdrawing the entry following the second round of the season.[43] Following on from his second-place championship finish in 2023, Merrill once again was runner-up in TA2 in 2024. His #26 scored two race victories, at Road Atlanta[44] and Watkins Glen,[45] but Merrill ultimately finished 80 points behind series champion Rafa Matos.
Alongside a continuation of his Trans-Am duties, Merrill began competing full-time in theGT4 America Series in 2025, joining Adrian Comstock in a Pro-Am entry for Archangel Motorsports.[46]
* Season still in progress.
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | PR1 Motorsports | GT | Pontiac GXP.R | Pontiac 6.0 LV8 | DAY | MIA 16 | MEX | VIR | LGA 21 | LIM | WGL 12 | MOH | DAY | BAR | MON | JER | MIL | 68th | 44 |
| 2009 | PR1 Motorsports | GT | Pontiac GXP.R | Pontiac 6.0 LV8 | DAY 11 | VIR | JER | LGA 9 | WGL | MOH | DAY | BAR | WGL | MON | MIL | MIA | 51st | 42 | |
| 2010 | Corsa Team PR1 | GT | BMW M6 | BMW 5.0 LV10 | DAY 11 | MIA | BAR | VIR | LIM | WGL | MOH | DAY | JER | WGL | MON | MIL | 72nd | 20 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position)
| Year | Team | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | WIN Autosport | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 LV8 | DAY 5† | SEB 4 | WGL 1 | WGL | ELK | LGA | PET 3 | 6th | 1032 | ||||
| 2023 | AWA | LMP3 | Duqueine D-08 | NissanVK56DE 5.6LV8 | DAY 1† | NC† | 0† | ||||||||||
| Turner Motorsport | GTD | BMW M4 GT3 | BMWS58B30T0 3.0 LTwin TurboI6 | SEB | LBH | MON | WGL | MOS | LIM | ELK | VIR | IMS | PET 7 | 52nd | 268 | ||
| 2024 | AWA | GTD | Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R | ChevroletLT6 5.5 LV8 | DAY 18 | SEB 22 | LBH | LGA | WGL | MOS | ELK | VIR | IMS | PET | 56th | 251 |
† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.
† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP3 Championship.
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 |  WeatherTech Racing |  Julien AndlauerCooper MacNeil | Porsche 911 RSR-19 | GTE Am | 343 | 35th | 2nd |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nolasport | SEB 1 10 | SEB 2 9 | LBH 1 7 | LBH 2 10 | MIA 1 28 | MIA 2 15 | WGL 1 | WGL 2 | ELK 1 10 | ELK 2 2 | IMS 1 5 | IMS 2 7 | LGA 1 8 | LGA 2 18 | AUS 1 8 | AUS 2 27 | 10th | 92 |
* Season still in progress.
Thomas Merrill will complete the team's lineup for the Michelin Endurance Cup races...
In the end the #17 AWA Duquiene D08 as the only car not to suffer a significant delay, Wayne Boyd coming home to take the win and claim the watch with Nico Varrone, Anthony Mantellaand Thomas Merrill.
Dickinson took his No. 53 Kellymoss Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car to a 6.372-second win over the No. 47 Nolasport entry of Thomas Merrill...
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Trans-Am Series West Coast Championship TA2 Champion 2018 | Succeeded by Brad McAllister |
| Preceded by | Trans-Am Series TA2 Champion 2022 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Asian Le Mans Series GT Champion 2023 With:Nicky Catsburg & Chandler Hull | Succeeded by |