There’s longevity, and then there’s Greg Pickett, who has been nearly synonymous with the Trans Am Championship for five decades.

Pickett competed in his first Trans-Am race in 1975 at Road America. In the time since, he has racked up numbers and statistics second only to Paul Gentilozzi in series history. He won the 1978 Category II Drivers’ Championship and finished second in the Trans-Am championship in 1980 and ’84. He helped launch Jack Roush’s legacy as a Trans-Am team owner by being the first driver to win for him in 1985.

In his Trans-Am career, Pickett has scored victories at not only Sonoma, but Mosport, Road America, Lime Rock, Portland, Mid-Ohio, Brainerd, and the Detroit street circuit, among others. No other driver can claim a win in five different decades, including this past season in Trans Am West.

His is not only a story of longevity as a competitor, but in his dedication to helping the series succeed. Following a dormant spell for the Championship after the 2006 season, Pickett helped revive it in 2009. His Muscle Milk brand became the series’ title sponsor, and America’s longest-running road racing series was born again to great success.

Pickett didn’t sit idle during Trans Am’s down period. Instead, Pickett raced in the American Le Mans Series and in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He twice finished second in the ALMS LMP1 Drivers’ Championship, and scored two team titles as team owner – proving he could win anyway.

Pickett’s longevity in and dedication to the Trans-Am Series is a story that has yet to reach its conclusion, is one that will not likely be matched.