Richmond, Virginia – All race teams know a thing or two about commitment, determination and perseverance. At times, it’s all you have to keep the vision alive. It can also be the framework that holds an entire race organization intact.

This could not be truer than it was for Fields Racing and their 2015 campaign. In fact, over the last few seasons the team has had it’s share of challenges and plain old fashioned back luck, which hit the team anew during round two of this years Trans Am season at Road Atlanta. Driver Kyle Marcelli had placed well on the grid but unfortunately Marcelli was struck by another car just after the green flag and this set the teams’ aspirations back to a slow simmer. They were out of the race before it even started. But Fields pressed on as always, determined to build a team and a race car that could hold its own at the top level of the Trans Am series ultra-competitive TA2 category.

The team regrouped, began work building a fresh car for Marcelli, and set their sights for races later in the year. Even though this meant Fields would be away from the racing scene for most of the season, the series was always on their mind. “We love racing in Trans Am and our number one goal was to stay focused and rebuild. Working with Kyle has helped refine our approach and we were excited to move on from Atlanta and rejoin the series as soon as possible,” said Chris Liesfeld, owner of Fields Racing.

The next opportunity arrived with the 11th stop on the Trans Am calendar at NOLA Motorsports Park in Louisiana. Fields and their M1 chassis equipped Chevrolet Camaro were ready to iron out the months of preparation, all the while looking ahead to the following event at Circuit of the Americas in Texas. The hard work proved successful and Marcelli had the car going well in P6 when bad luck struck again, but this time in the form of a mechanical issue. “We lost brake pressure 10 laps in and we were out. Luckily no harm was done, we fixed the problem back at our shop, and had everything on point and ready for COTA,” said Liesfeld.

COTA is where their luck started to turn around. Kyle Marcelli and the #96 M1Fastrack/PersonalChefToGo/NEI Chevrolet Camaro had a good practice session but did not compete a lap in qualifying and had to rely on second chance qualifying to earn a position on the grid. “Unfortunately we were unable to complete a lap during qualifying. So we entered second chance qualifying with the best possible outcome of P6, and in just one lap we placed the car P7.”

It was a solid start to the weekend and Marcelli reflected, "I'm proud of Fields Racing. There have been many late nights putting this program together. It was our goal to use NOLA as a test and show up to COTA ready to compete. Overall, I think we accomplished that goal. We proved to ourselves and the competitors that the M1 Chassis is safe and competitive, we also showed that Fields Racing is able to compete with the best of them in the Trans Am TA2 series.” As the race unfolded it became apparent that once again the months of hard work had paid off. “COTA was a thrilling event. The race was exciting, unfortunately it was caution filled which added a lot of drama to the race but overall our car worked really well and I feel we drove a great race moving from P7 up to P2 and ultimately finishing P4. I think we can call this a successful race event for Fields Racing and the number #96 Chevrolet M1 chassis,” said Marcelli. “I look forward to expanding the operation in 2016.”

Lee Quinlan, Team Manager for Fields Racing, who knows first hand about all-nighters at the shop, shared the sentiment. "I'm most proud of the fact that our relatively small team was able to build a car completely in-house and then go challenge some of the biggest and best teams in TA2 for a podium finish right out of the box. Building a new car in the middle of the season was obviously not our plan but it was amazing to watch our team step up to the challenge and deliver a great race car. Kyle Marcelli has proven to be an instrumental addition to Fields Racing. His eagerness to be part of the team and his ability to provide clear and accurate driver feedback is 2nd to none. I'm excited to see what we can accomplish together next year.”

And as the team looks ahead to 2016, there is a strong sense of adventure laced with those magic ingredients of commitment, determination and perseverance. This is a feeling team owner Chris Liesfeld knows well. “Since we started this program in 2011 I can say it’s been a wild ride and that now we are more focused than ever. I can’t express how much I appreciate the hard work of our team, the support of my family back home, and the loyalty of our sponsors. I have to give special thanks to Kyle Marcelli. The skill and professionalism he brings to the table has allowed us to grow and develop a race program that will keep us competitive in TA2 for seasons to come. That has been my vision since day one. To say I am happy about the way our season wrapped up would be an understatement.”

About Fields Racing

Fields Racing is a Richmond, Virginia-based motorsports team. The team is currently running an M1 chassis LS3 powered Chevy Camaro competing in the TA2 category of the SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series. Drivers are Chris Liesfeld and Kyle Marcelli. For more information, visit www.fieldsracing.com.

About Kyle Marcelli

Canadian Kyle Marcelli is an established professional racing driver and one of North America’s top rising stars in professional sports car racing. After a successful career in go-karts and single-seaters, Kyle made his professional debut at the pinnacle of sports car racing, the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in 2010. Kyle’s auto racing accomplishments include; FF1600 champion, FF2000 3rd, Porsche GT3 Cup champion, American Le Mans Series vice-champion, Petit Le Mans winner and Sebring 12 Hours 2nd. For 2015, Kyle is driving for Team Chevy Mantella Autosport in a Camaro Z28.R in the IMSA Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Kyle is a consummate professional both on and off the racetrack. He represents his passion, sport, sponsors, team and fans proudly and effectively. He’s winning, engaging and always visible. For more information visit: www.kylemarcelli.com