Sally McNulty gears up for 2022 TC America season with big goals

Shift Up Now athlete Sally McNulty returns to a full season in TC America: behind the wheel of the #78 Borla Exhaust VGRT Civic Si, McNulty aims to become the first woman to win the championship.

Photo courtesy: Team Sally Racing

As we approach the start of the SRO America season in two weeks' time at Sonoma, California, alongside GT World Challenge America and GT4 America, TC America powered by Skip Barber championship will also make its on-track return.

All the SRO America's series have lately witnessed a significant rise in female entries, notably with victories in class and overall in GT3 by Erin Vogel, Taylor Hagler and Ashton Harrison. But TC America was no less impressive, with Samantha Tan and Olivia Askew entering selected rounds in the TCX class, Lindsay Brewer in the TC category and Sally McNulty - the only full-time female racer in 2021 - in TCA.

A Shift Up Now athlete, McNulty announced her return to the series, aiming to become the first woman to win the overall championship.

“I cannot wait for this season to start,” said McNulty. “We had a successful test day at Sonoma Raceway, where we worked on the car’s setup, showed great pace, and have a strong starting point for the season opener".

She will drive the #78 Borla Exhaust VGRT Civic Si in the TCA class.

"I really want to be a fierce competitor this year for the championship", she continued.

"I’m a firm believer that nothing comes easy; you have to work hard for it, and I want to put in the work. I’m so thankful for all the partners who have come on board for the 2022 season as we fight for the TCA championship!”

McNulty's career in motor racing started by participating in track days, learning the basics of the sport. From there, she progressed to local NASA competitions, further building experience and racecraft. She then advanced to TC America in 2019, where she claimed several top-five finishes.

As driver/owner of Team Sally Racing, McNulty developed an in-depth understanding of the machinery: she is in fact an expert restorer of Honda Civics and has worked first hand on her own race car through the years. This season, she will partner with VGRT Racing - a Florida-based racing team in an effort to maximise her winning chances in the competitive environment of SRO America.

The team recently celebrated a last-lap victory in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge round at Sebring and committed to the full season in TC America, running the #78 Borla Exhaust entry of Sally McNulty.

McNulty has also built an online following of over 272,000 followers, which helps the athlete's work on and off the track.

“Even as a female race car driver, it can be hard to stand out in this business,” she explained. “I wanted to use my social media page to not only just share what’s going on in my racing career, but I realized I can also share all of the cool car projects I’m working on, offer tips and pointers, and also showcase all of my real-life applications of all of my sponsors’ products.”

The online exposure has helped her attract new sponsors - as well as she continued to increase awareness for female racers in the sport: together with Shift Up Now, McNulty and her colleagues led by Indy500 star Pippa Mann work to help provide more opportunities for women in motorsport.

The 2022 TC America season is set to begin on April 15-17 at Sonoma. Each weekend will consist of double-headers of 40 minute each, all live streamed on the GT World Youtube channel. The seven-event calendar across North America will then round out its season in October at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

2022 TC America Calendar

Rounds 1 & 2 / Sonoma Raceway / April 15-17

Rounds 3 & 4 / Ozarks International Raceway / May 20-22

Rounds 5 & 6 / VIRginia International Raceway / June 17-19

Rounds 7 & 8 / Watkins Glen International / July 22-24

Rounds 9 & 10 / Road America / August 19-21

Rounds 11 & 12 / Sebring International Raceway / September 23-25

Round 13 & 14 / Indianapolis Motor Speedway / October 7-9

Photo courtesy: Team Sally Racing