Returning for a cameo at the historic upstate New York venue, Herne was aboard the same #15 Toyota Camry he raced in one-off appearances last year, affectionately known as the ‘Prius’.
The Lismore native was a front-runner throughout much of the weekend, having qualified in sixth position out of 34 entries.
The Trans Am and TA2 double header weekend featured a pair of 75-minute races around the high-speed 5.5km circuit for each category.
In Saturday’s Race 1, facing high humidity from incoming inclement weather, Herne battled a cool suit that wasn’t plugged in to finish third in a chaotic race plagued by incidents.
In what was his first TA2 podium in the US since Virginia International Raceway in 2023, Herne stayed out of trouble, battling up the front for the entire race.
Herne raced through to third in the opening laps, remaining there through quick consecutive safety car interventions and subsequent restarts.
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“I managed to screw up plugging in my cool suit to start, and on a hot and humid day I definitely felt it!” Herne said via social media.
“Luckily enough the ‘door ejecto seato’d’ off the car midway through the race and gave me some old school air conditioning.”
The weekend turned sour during Race 2 on Sunday, when a loose wheel forced Herne into the pits under Safety Car while in the lead.
With the Race 2 grid set by the drivers’ fastest laps in Race 1, Herne started out of fifth position.
Herne darted to third place with an aggressive three-wide move into The Glen’s notorious Turn 1, taking the lead on the way up through The Esses as chaos erupted behind with two separate incidents.
Tristan McKee attempted a move around the outside heading into The Boot, with Herne firmly shutting the door on the exit of the corner to hold the lead as the yellow flag waved.
As the field circulated for several laps under yellow, Herne pitted from the lead, with a loose left rear wheel taking him out of contention.
Herne dropped to 28th as a result, but set about a recovery drive in the laps following the restart.
Utilising a long green flag run, Herne raced his way back inside the top 15, however dropped to a 27th place finish after the same wheel came loose once again.
“Our goal was to come here and ruffle some feathers, which I think we achieved, although a bit of a shame to go home with an empty suitcase,” Herne said.
“I don’t know what kind of black cat walked past me in the US, but it’s pretty bloody effective!”
Herne’s car was run effectively as a privateer effort as per his team in Australia, racing as a satellite entry with Howe Racing Enterprises.
“As much as we stuck with the Howe Racing baseline setup it was awesome to take [Nathan Herne Racing] global and run a car for a race weekend in the US, using a lot of our processes and procedures to stay at the front all weekend long,” Herne said.
“I think with some time we would be in good shape over here!”
Herne now returns home to Australia, with focus turned to Round 3 of the Trans Am Cup Series at Wanneroo Raceway in support of the Perth Super440 on July 31-August 2.
The two-time Trans Am champion holds a 31 point margin over Garry Rogers Motorsport’s James Moffat, with Jarrod Hughes and Todd Hazelwood in third and fourth, with just 35 points separating the top four.
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