Ricca Autosport heads to Barber Motorsports Park this weekend for Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2026 TC America Championship with the title fight tighter than ever and a new driver joining the Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO program.
Andre Castro arrived at Road America leading the standings but now sits second following two podium finishes in Wisconsin, leaving the Ricca Autosport driver with two more opportunities to close the gap before the season finale. Castro, Justin Gravett, Matan Rosenberg, Eric Kunz and Shelby Mills will be joined in Alabama by Cooper Travis, a rising driver from Weddington, North Carolina, who makes his TC America debut in the No. 76 Hyundai.
Fast Facts:
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Championship Fight Tightens – Castro sits second in the standings, seven points behind the leader, after finishing second and third at Road America. Two rounds at Barber remain before the season finale.
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Podium Pace, Reliability Focus – Ricca Autosport placed cars on the podium in both Road America races. The team now turns its attention to resolving the mechanical issues that ended weekends for Rosenberg and Kunz.
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Cooper Travis Joins the Lineup – Travis, currently second in the Formula Race Promotions F1600 championship, will drive the No. 76 Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO.
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Six Cars Strong – Ricca Autosport fields six Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVOs, including the No. 18 entered by Fawn Group MS by Ricca Autosport.
Championship Battle Moves to Alabama
Andre Castro and Ricca Autosport come to Barber with momentum. Despite giving up the championship lead, the No. 77 Hyundai driver stood on the podium in both Road America races, finishing second in each after fighting at the front against the Toyota contingent. Castro took the lead from Braydon Arthur early in Race 2 and stayed within striking distance for much of the race.
Matan Rosenberg returns to the No. 78 Hyundai after showing real speed at Road America. He qualified fifth and quickly moved into second in the opening laps of Race 1, running at the front with the Toyotas before a coupler failure ended his day. He is also coming off a championship-winning weekend at GridLife, where he swept all four GLGT races at Laguna Seca.
Gravett recorded consecutive podium finishes at Road America, and Mills scored two top-five finishes and a Super Charger Award. The result showed that multiple Hyundais can contend for wins, and the team heads to Barber intent on turning that pace into points.
With the gap to the lead at seven points, every position at Barber matters. Ricca Autosport will look to keep all of its cars at the front and to finish every race with confidence and clean lines.
Cooper Travis Joins Hyundai Program
Travis brings a self-made path to the team. He began with HPDE track events alongside his father at age 14, earned his SCCA competition license with no karting background, and raced part of a season in Spec Racer Ford at 17. In 2025 he moved to Formula Race Promotions, running an F1600 Formula Ford as a privateer and recording consistent top-five finishes.
In 2026 he returned to FRP with the goal of winning the championship and currently sits second in points. That title will be decided in October at Barber Motorsports Park, so the circuit will be familiar territory for him later this season. He joins the No. 76 Hyundai at Barber and meets the full Ricca Autosport crew in person for the first time next week.
Team Notes for Barber
Barber's rolling, technical layout rewards precision and consistency, and the Alabama heat late in the day will be a factor for cars and drivers.
"We left Road America knowing we had the speed to win, and now it's about putting a complete weekend together. We're excited to welcome Cooper to the program. Barber is a track where clean execution matters, and we've put a lot of work into the reliability side since Wisconsin. Andre is right in the fight, and we're going to give him and every driver in this group the best possible car for Hyundai."
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With Castro holding only a 10-point advantage, the championship remains firmly within reach for the field. For Ricca Autosport, the objective is clear: maximize the opportunity, keep the Hyundai Elantra N1 TC Evo cars at the front, and leave Road America with momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.
Race 1 is scheduled for Friday, September 25 at 11:15 am ET. Race 2 is scheduled for Saturday, September 26 at 9:25 am ET. Both races will be available through the TC America live stream and GT World YouTube channel.
Additional information, including session results, driver quotes and media assets, will be available following the event weekend.
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Justin Gravett – #8 Hyundai Elantra N1 TC Evo
“I’m really excited to head to Barber Motorsports Park. With just two weekends left in the SRO TC America season, we’re getting down to the final stretch. Barber is the only track on the schedule this year that I haven’t been to before, so Practice 1 will be my first time ever on track there. I’m excited to learn the circuit, get comfortable with the track in the Hyundai Elantra N1 TC Evo, and see what we can make happen!”
Eric Kunz – #33 Hyundai Elantra N1 TC Evo
“I'm looking forward to going back to Barber, it is one of my favourite tracks on the calendar. With a little bit of luck this weekend I think we could get back on the podium.”
Andre Castro – #77 Hyundai Elantra N1 TC Evo
“I have a good amount of experience at Barber; I finished 2nd in my most recent race there, so I’m hoping for more success this weekend. Hopefully we can reclaim the overall championship lead, as our #77 team is only a handful of points behind the top spot. Thanks again to Borkan & Scahill LTD, Mockett, GenRacer, UChicago, Olivia Racing, and Hyundai for all their support this year.”
Cooper Travis – #76 Hyundai Elantra N1 TC Evo
“I’m looking forward to meeting the team and driving something completely new to me this weekend. my goal is to absorb as much information as possible and hopefully translate that to the race.”
Matan Rosenberg – #78 Hyundai Elantra N1 TC Evo
“I’m excited to be heading into the next round of TC Americas at Barber Motorsports park. I think that track is going to suit our well handling Hyundais very well, giving us a good chance to be on the podium. After showing solid pace the last weekend I hope to bring that pace here and have some great racing.”
Shelby Mills – Fawn Group Motorsports by Ricca
#18 Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO
“I cant wait to get back on track at Barber next week, its such an amazing facility. I’m looking to build on the momentum that I have and keep working my way up the results sheets. Our Hyundai Elantra N TC Evos have historically been very strong at barber and i’m hoping to capitalize in that.”
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2026 TC America Powered by Skip Barber Schedule
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Sonoma Raceway — March 26–29
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Circuit of the Americas — April 24–26
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Sebring International Raceway — May 7–9
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Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta — June 12–14
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Road America — August 28–30
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Barber Motorsports Park — September 25–27
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Indianapolis Motor Speedway — October 8–11
Media Contact:
Alicia Busa
alicia@aliciabusa.com
440-667-0079
About Ricca Autosport:
Ricca Autosport is the official SRO Hyundai USA partner competing in the SRO TC America Powered by Skip Barber Racing School. A Motorsports Logistics Company, Ricca Autosport offers sales, support, and service. With three team and manufacturer championships and two driver championships since 2023 they have the race winning experience and hardware to deliver results for their partners and drivers. For more information, visit ricca-autosport.com and tcamerica.us