Tag: Runoffs

Kurt Rezzetano led flag to flag from the Tire Rack Pole for his fifth SCCA National Championship Runoffs win and third in a row in the Touring 2 class, closing out the Hagerty Race Days from VIRginia International Raceway.

Pulling his No. 37 Phoenix Performance/Hoosier/Hawk Ford Mustang GT away from the field in the early stages, the newly crowned gold medalist saw his entire lead wiped out during a full-course caution just inside the halfway point of the race.

That didn’t change the running order, at least for long, but it at least changed the race dynamic. Scotty White drove his No. 0 Knight Transport/Goodyear/Hawk Dodge Viper past Rezzetano on the lap 11 restart, diving to the inside in Turn 1. Rezzetano gave it right back, whipping back into the lead in Turn 4 to get in position to use his strength in the run up the hill through the Climbing Esses.

For the remaining four laps, the same scenario repeated. White’s Viper would close up to the rear of Rezzetano down the back straight and on the way to the flag; Rezzetano’s Mustang would ease away in the tighter sections of the track.

At the end of 15 laps, it was the Mustang and Kurt Rezzetano in front of White by 2.867s.

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“You can’t take it lightly, no matter what you think you’ve got,” Rezzetano said. “Look at the qualifying days — it started out with a little gap and every day it got closer and closer. There’s no games played, because we’ve all been there. You’ve got to have your head on straight when you’re racing guys like this.

“When I saw the full course [caution], I knew I was in a little bit of trouble. We started on stickers [tires] … and I was doing everything I could to cool them off. Luckily, this place is huge and I could do a little bit of straight line driving and keep the heat out of the tires. Scotty’s car has a big steamroller of a rear tire on it, so I knew I had to be delicate with it. Luckily, I could get out of Oak Tree just good enough to keep him behind me and it worked out that I could stay ahead.”

White scored his seventh career podium finish, leaving third-place finisher Mark Boden seven seconds behind.

“I think Kurt had his hands full a little bit, we just didn’t quite have enough to get there,” White said. “Kurt is a hell of a shoe. I’ve seen Kurt’s data, I know what it takes to keep up with him, and it ain’t easy.

“I thought we had a shot, and certainly we had a little more juice when the green dropped, but then you have to whoa the thing down and do all the other stuff. It was fun racing with him. I was better in a few spots, he was better in a few spots, and I was hoping if I could just get to his bumper at the top of Roller Coaster I would have him by the finish, but I just couldn’t quite get there.”

Boden, driving the No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports Porsche 911, was, besides Rezzetano himself, the one driver who was not happy with the full-course yellow. Chasing down White for second in the first stint of the race, his Porsche never quite rebounded on the restart, and instead was fighting off John Heinricy’s No. 35 Hoosier/Mobil/Hawk Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing and David Sanders’ No. 73 Phoenix Performance/Hoosier Chevrolet Corvette for the final podium position in the second stint.

“It tends to be the cars that rely a little bit more on motor have a little better opportunity to recover,” Boden said. “The Porsche is tough. Years ago when they took all the aero off, you’re going up the esses with the motor behind you and nothing to stabilize it, and it just takes the tires off. You’re just really hanging on. John was coming. I’d look coming out of [Turn 5] and I’d think, ‘I have a gap,’ and I’d look in Turn 10 and think, ‘I don’t have a good gap.’ I managed to hang on, and you just look at who you’re racing with and everything they’ve done in their careers, and it’s pretty fun.”

With Heinricy finishing fourth and Sanders fifth, five different makes completed the top five. With Alan Kossof (996-generation Porsche 911, different from Boden’s 997-generation) in sixth, Joe Boden (Porsche Cayman) in seventh earning the Sunoco Hard Charger Award, and Brian LaCroix (C6-generation Corvette vs. Sanders’ C5-generation) in eighth, no cars repeated at the top of the field, making Touring 2 the most diverse field at the Runoffs.

The 60th running of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs, the Pinnacle of American Amateur Motorsports, crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Road Racing National Champions this year at VIRginia International Raceway — in Alton, VA — during Hagerty Race Days, Friday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 1.

Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, is available throughout the three days of competition at SCCA.com/live, and at SCCA’s official YouTube and Facebook social media channels. Live timing and scoring for each race is also available at SCCA.com.

Below are provisional results for Sunday’s Touring 2 race at the 2023 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.

1, (1), Kurt Rezzetano, Phoenixville, PA, Ford Mustang GT, 15.
2, (2), Scotty B White, Auburn, WA, Dodge Viper SRT-10, 15.
3, (3), Mark Boden, Winnetak, IL, Porsche 911/997, 15.
4, (4), John Heinricy, Clarkston, MI, Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, 15.
5, (5), David Sanders, Malvern, PA, Chevrolet Corvette C5 Z06, 15.
6, (6), Alan Kossof, Prospect Hts, IL, Porsche 911/996, 15.
7, (8), Joe Boden, Winnetka, IL, Porsche Carrera S, 15.
8, (7), Brian LaCroix, Hyannis, MA, Chevrolet Corvette C6, 15.
9, (9), Matthew O’Toole, Glenview, IL, Porsche 911/997, 15.
10, (10), Aaron Kaplan, Evanston, IL, BMW M2CS Cup, 15.
11, (11), Scott Sewell, Fort Worth, TX, Porsche Cayman GTS, 15.
12, (12), Alan Phillips, Glassboro, NJ, Ford Mustang GT, 15.
DNF, (13), Tom O’Toole, Wilmette, IL, BMW M2CS Cup, 5.

Race Stats
Length of Race: 49.05 miles
Overall Time of Race: 37:53.503 (77.669 mph)
Margin of Victory: 2.867 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:01.201 (97.128 mph)
Lap Leaders: #37, Laps 1-15
Sunoco Hard Charger: #45 Joe Boden

One of the last Hagerty Race Day contests Sunday at VIRginia International Raceway during the 60th running of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs was H Production (HP). The 24-car field took to the 18-turn, 3.27-mile circuit, and things got frantic into Turn 1 as competitors tried their best to improve positions early in the 15-lap event.

The end of lap one saw Tire Rack Pole winner Chris Schaafsma, from Wheaton, IL, leading in the No. 1 Hoosier/Race-Keeper/G-Loc/NGP Volkswagen Golf. Second was Steve Sargis, in the No. 18 Hoosier/Carbotech Triumph Spitfire. Third was Will Perry, who started fifth in a Honda CRX Si, and right behind him was Chris Albin driving the No. 3 Over The Limit Racing/Hoosier Volkswagen Golf.

By the third lap, Schaafsma had a three-second lead on Sargis, and Albin had gotten around Perry for third. After that, the top three positions did not change the rest of the race. Schaafsma, the defending HP National Champion, slowly extended his lead to what ended up being a 16-second advantage on runner-up Sargis. And during that run, Schaafsma turned a lap of 2m14.681s, which reset the HP race lap record at VIR.

“My team that helps me, volunteering their time, did such a great job helping us find just a little bit more in every part of the car,” Schaafsma said, who now has two Runoffs gold medals to his name. “The car was much easier for me to drive than it has been in years past. I’m super happy and super proud of my team.”

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Sargis worked hard to keep in contact with Schaafsma in the opening corners, but just couldn’t get the job done. From there, he ran unchallenged the entire way in second to make his 22nd Runoffs podium appearance.

“I lost Schaafsma’s draft at the beginning,” Sargis said. “So, I knew I was pretty much in trouble then. But I don’t think I could’ve ran with him anyway. He was just too fast and too good today.”

Albin finished another 18 seconds back in third to earn his third visit to the Runoffs podium.

“The car ran great,” Albin said. “Schaafsma let me have his spare shocks last night. So, after qualifying third, we changed everything, and it drove awesome. I could even hold it flat through the Climbing Esses.”

The real battle in HP happened behind the top three finishers. There you had Perry in fourth, who had been reeled in by Enrik Benazic in a Honda Civic Si, Vesa Silegren in a Honda CRX, Mike Ogren in a Volkswagen Scirocco, and Jason LaManna in a Volkswagen Rabbit.

Benazic, Silegren, Ogren, and LaManna had been dicing it up lap after lap for most of the race. When they caught Perry on lap 11, they quickly demoted him to eighth. But a lap later in Turn 4, LaManna and Benazic made contact, thus removing them from the battle.

Silegren and Ogren stormed around the circuit a few more times, and were still nose-to-tail when they approached the finish line. It was Silegren who ended up claiming the fourth spot by only 0.148sec over Ogren. Perry then held on to finish sixth.

The Sunoco Hard Charger award went to Edward Werry, who started 22nd and finished in 13th position.

The 60th running of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs, the Pinnacle of American Amateur Motorsports, crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Road Racing National Champions this year at VIRginia International Raceway — in Alton, VA — during Hagerty Race Days, Friday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 1.

Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, is available throughout the three days of competition at SCCA.com/live, and at SCCA’s official YouTube and Facebook social media channels. Live timing and scoring for each race is also available at SCCA.com.

Below are provisional results for Sunday’s H Production race at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.

1, (1), Chris Schaafsma, Wheaton, IL, Volkswagen Golf, 15.
2, (2), Steve Sargis, Hartford, WI, Triumph Spitfire, 15.
3, (3), Chris W Albin, Maryland Hts, MO, Volkswagen Golf, 15.
4, (7), Vesa Silegren, Cleveland, TN, Honda CRX, 15.
5, (4), Mike Ogren, Dunedin, FL, Volkswagen Scirocco, 15.
6, (5), Will Perry, Sale Creek, TN, Honda CRX Si, 15.
7, (11), Angus Crome, Maryville, IL, Volkswagen Golf, 15.
8, (10), Greg Gauper, Hubertus, WI, Honda Civic Si, 15.
9, (6), Enrik Benazic, Farmingdale, NY, Honda Civic Si, 15.
10, (12), Scott Hileman, Johnstown, OH, Volkswagen Scirocco, 15.
11, (14), Matthew Benazic, Whitestone, NY, Honda Civic Si, 15.
12, (16), Michael Miller, Moore, SC, Austin-Healey Sprite, 15.
13, (22), Edward Werry, West Deptford, NJ, Honda Fit, 15.
14, (15), Joe Camilleri, Toronto, ON, Volkswagen Scirocco, 14.
15, (18), Frank Schwartz, Davisburg, MI, Mini Cooper, 14.
16, (24), John Fine, Norcross, GA, Honda Civic SI, 14.
17, (21), Jerry Oleson, Aurora, CO, Austin-Healey Sprite, 14.
18, (13), Kendall Jones, Armada, MI, MG Midget, 12.
19, (23), Tom Broring, Derwood, MD, Triumph Spitfire, 12.
20, (8), Jason LaManna, Rochester, NY, Volkswagen Rabbit, 11.
21, (9), William Trainer, Lake in the Hills, IL, Volkswagen Scirocco, 10.
22, (19), Vincent LaManna, Ontario, NY, Volkswagen Rabbit, 9.
DNF, (20), Jack Schulz, Monett, MO, MG Midget, 4.
DNF, (25), Taylor Hyatt, Fayetteville, PA, Volkswagen Golf, 4.
DNS, (17), Charles Guest, Greensboro, NC, MG Midget, .

Race Stats
Length of Race: 49.05 Miles
Overall Time of Race: 34:00.944 (avg. 86.519 mph)
Margin of Victory: 16.327 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:14.681 (87.407 mph)
Lap Leaders: #1, Laps 1-15
Sunoco Hard Charger: #53 Edward Werry

Nolan Allaer doubled up on his weekend with National Championships in two of the SCCA’s traditional open-wheel classes, and brought a Ford motor back to the Formula F SCCA National Championship Runoffs winner’s circle for the first time since 2011.

Allaer’s second of two gold medals at the 2023 SCCA Runoffs came on the final Hagerty Race Day on Oct. 1 in a race-long battle with Jonathan Kotyk and William Ferguson.

The 15-lap race featured six official lead changes between Tire Rack Pole Award winner Allaer and Kotyk’s Honda-powered No. 08 Mygale SJ14, but official lead changes are only measured at the start finish line. In reality, the leader of the race changed no fewer than 14 times, with all three front runners sharing the point of the race.

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With each driver taking the time to size up the competition, it was clear to everyone — the announcers on the broadcast call, and certainly the drivers on course — that the best placement on the final lap would be running second. Running third meant too much ground to cover, and being out front left the driver susceptible to the draft. Armed with that knowledge, the 19-year-old Ferguson made the move in advance of the final run through the Climbing Esses, but just barely miscalculated and slid off the track.

That left Kotyk and Allaer’s Ford-powered No. 11 Martini/Chandon/Evan Williams Van Diemen RF00 to settle the score, with both well aware that they were approaching a lapped car that could help or hurt depending on placement.

In an effort to keep Allaer behind, Kotyk slowed the pace slightly down the hill and behind the lapped car until both had cleared Hog Pen and were on the front straight. The pair ran down the front stretch side by side, with Allaer’s run getting the front half of his car past Kotyk at the stripe for a 0.051sec win.

“The entire race was back and forth, trying every outcome, and trying to figure out where the best place to be on the final lap was going to be,” Allaer said. “Going up into the last lap I see lapped traffic, and that threw a wrench in everyone’s plans. Chasing Jonathan, I knew he was going to try to use him as a pick, I just didn’t know where or when. I thought it would have come on the back straight, but then he held off. He was smart and tried to use him on the Roller Coaster, too, and made that big lunge on the outside. Then it was the same thing, using him all the way to the line and it ended up being the lapped car’s draft that got me to pull in front of him at the line.”

Allaer’s win represented the first for Ford in the class since 2011, with Honda taking the previous 11. Before the 21-year-old, three-time champion did it this year, the last to accomplish the feat was Lewis Cooper III — who happens to be Allaer’s uncle and did it in the exact same race car.

“It’s the same car that he won with in 2011. He’s been a big motivation of mine, and he’s been really helping me get into this position and make this possible. He was pushing me forward, and wanted to do it with a Ford, so it’s a big honor to be able to do it with that Kent engine.”

Kotyk had won four of the previous five Formula F Runoffs races and walks away with his sixth podium in seven attempts.

“I got a good run out of Oak Tree, and Nolan was able to out tow me using that big top end,” Kotyk said. “He passed me into the brake zone, but I outbraked him into the Roller Coaster and soft pedaled it into Hog Pen because I saw the lapped car. I didn’t want him to interfere with our race, and I didn’t want obviously to catch him and have to brake. I tried to stay in the draft with that lapped car, and was thinking about trying to box Nolan in, which was going to work, but it didn’t matter. That car was going to go by.”

With Ferguson’s spin, Bob Perona earned the final podium position. It was the third career podium for Perona, who faced a challenging weekend mixing his personal racing with his day job — even if his day job involves work with professional racing teams. Perona started sixth and earned the Sunoco Hard Charger for his effort.

“This was a tough week,” Perona said. “I had to miss the Tuesday session because I was coaching in Road Atlanta, and Wednesday it rained, and Thursday was a great session, I just screwed up. I think the car has a bit more pace, I just didn’t put it in the right position at the start and you have to battle through. I’m really happy with this, honestly. I’ll take it and try again next year.”

Calvin Kautz finished fourth, just ahead of Ferguson — who recovered to earn a top-five finish.

The 60th running of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs, the Pinnacle of American Amateur Motorsports, crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Road Racing National Champions this year at VIRginia International Raceway — in Alton, VA — during Hagerty Race Days, Friday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 1.

Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, is available throughout the three days of competition at SCCA.com/live, and at SCCA’s official YouTube and Facebook social media channels. Live timing and scoring for each race is also available at SCCA.com.

Below are provisional results with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.

1, (1), Nolan Allaer, Grosse Pointe, MI, Van Diemen RF00 Ford, 15.
2, (2), Jonathan Kotyk, Atlantic Beach, FL, Mygale SJ14 Honda, 15.
3, (6), Robert Perona, Indianapolis, IN, Piper DF3D Honda, 15.
4, (5), Calvin Kautz, Geneva, IL, Piper DF3D Honda, 15.
5, (3), William Ferguson, Pacifica, CA, Piper DL7 Honda, 15.
6, (4), Zachary Rivard, Macomb, MI, Van Diemen RF99 Honda, 15.
7, (7), Matt Boian, Lumberton, TX, Piper DF2C Honda, 15.
8, (8), Robert Gross, Washington Twp, MI, Piper DL7 Honda, 14.

Race Stats
Length of Race: 49.05 miles
Overall Time of Race: 30:23.216 (96.851 mph)
Margin of Victory: 0.051 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:00.583 (97.626 mph)
Lap Leaders: #11, Laps 1-9, 11, 13, 15; #08, Laps 10, 12, 14
Sunoco Hard Charger: #73 Robert Perona

 

All 15 laps in Friday’s Prototype 1 race at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs counted, but a first-lap incident went a long way in determining the winner as Todd Vanacore, of Ormond Beach, Florida, was elevated to his first career National Championship in 17 tries at VIRginia International Raceway.

Vanacore started the race on the Tire Rack Pole, while Jim Devenport roared from fifth on the grid to the battle for the lead at the end of the backstraight on the opening lap, where the two touched fenders. Vanacore’s No. 19 Elan DP02/Mazda spun off track and dropped out of the lead, while Devenport was able to continue moving forward.

The eventual champion dropped back to ninth after the spin, rejoining the field well in back of the race lead. A full-course caution on lap six bunched the field. That meant, while Vanacore remained in sixth place, a large portion of the gap had been erased.

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Using the restart as a springboard, Vanacore moved through the field and got to third behind Devenport and Chip Romer with 10 to go. When Romer’s car started to lose oil, Vanacore had a new challenge and oil on his windscreen.

At the end of 15 laps, Devenport crossed the finish line first in his No. 23 Cranbrook Group Inc Elan DP02 with Vanacore 9.106s behind. But a review of the first-lap incident by the stewards penalized Devenport one position and elevated Vanacore to the gold medal.

“Once I get the trophy in my hand, it will be a good moment,” Vanacore said. “I’d rather have crossed the line first, but there’s no doubt I had the car to beat. I had no problem running those guys down. When Chip started to lose his motor and put oil all over my windshield, I made the mistake of trying to wipe it off with my glove and made a real mess of it. I couldn’t see anything at that point and had to back out of it.”

Devenport didn’t get away scot-free after the first lap incident. Lee Alexander took over the lead on lap two but spun in the Oak Tree turn on lap three. When the full-course caution came out, Devenport found himself in a battle with Romer, which lasted until Romer’s motor issues ended his day with two laps to go.

The eventual result was Devenport’s sixth career podium, and came after his team rebuilt his car following a crash at the Chicago Region SCCA June Sprints early in the season.

“We struggled (in qualifying), actually,” Devenport said. “The setup we’ve been running for two years didn’t work here so we’ve been scrambling trying to figure out why. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we hoped we could get a good start. It was better than expected.”

Standing outside the drama and happy with his third place finish was Jason Miller, who ran his No. 3 Kohler/Millenium/Hoosier Wynnfurst WF1/Kohler to his fifth career podium and second in a row.

“It’s really not me, it’s my entire team collectively. I know I have the hardest working team here, and I’m so thankful to have them. Just to be here and put the car on the podium is just fantastic. We’re real happy today.”

Todd Parks and John Manfroy completed the top five as the final two cars on the lead lap, with Manfroy also claiming the Sunoco Hard Charger for improving from his 10th place on the starting grid.

The 60th running of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs, the Pinnacle of American Amateur Motorsports, crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Road Racing National Champions this year at VIRginia International Raceway — in Alton, VA — during Hagerty Race Days, Friday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 1.

Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, is available throughout the three days of competition at SCCA.com/live, and at SCCA’s official YouTube and Facebook social media channels. Live timing and scoring for each race is also available at SCCA.com.

Below are provisional results for Friday’s Prototype 1 race at the 2023 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.

1, (1), Todd Vanacore, Ormond Beach, FL, Elan DP02 Mazda, 15.
2, (5), Jim Devenport, Alamo, CA, Elan DP02 Mazda, 15.
3, (6), Jason Miller, Plymouth, WI, Wynnfurst WF1 Kohler, 15.
4, (8), Todd Parks, Winchendon, MA, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 15.
5, (10), John Manfroy, San Jose, CA, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 15.
6, (2), Chip Romer, Lake Havasu City, AZ, Elan DP02 Mazda, 13.
7, (4), John Mcaleer, Roswell, GA, Elan DP02 Mazda, 11.
8, (3), Lee Alexander, Springfield, TN, Stohr WF-Z Kawasaki, 8.
DNF, (9), Greg Case, Peoria, IL, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 3.
DNS, (7), Matthew Gendron, Monson, MA, Downing Atlanta Peach Mazda,

Race Stats
Length of Race: 49.05 miles
Overall Time of Race: 30:33.367 (96.315 mph)
Fastest Race Lap: 1:44.329 (112.835 mph)
Lap Leaders: #23, Laps 1, 3-5,10-15; #48, Lap 2; #29, Laps 6-9
Sunoco Hard Charger: #22 Jon Manfroy

Defending GT-Lite (GTL) National Champion Peter Shadowen was fastest in class during qualifying at the 60th running of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs, thus earning the Tire Rack Pole Award. But that advantage lasted all of one corner as Graham Fuller, of Summit Point, WV, powered past in Turn 2 for the GTL lead Sunday morning during the third and final Hagerty Race Day at VIRginia International Raceway.

As the opening lap continued, Shadowen fell back to third after being passed by Michael Lewis in the No. 32 Goodyear Mazda RX-7. James Gregorius, in the No. 9 Livonia Redemption Center Mazda RX-7, slotted into the fourth position and was followed by the Mazda MX-5 of Jonathan Goodale.

Over the next several laps around VIR’s 18-turn, 3.27-mile circuit, Fuller stretched out his lead to as much as 2.4s in the No. 22 Toyota Tercel. It’s a car he’s not overly familiar with at the moment.

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“Honestly, I just bought this car,” Fuller said. “This was only the second or third time I’ve been in it.”

While Fuller and Lewis checked out from the rest of the field, the fight for the last step on the podium waged on. Lap three saw Shadowen still in third, followed by Gregorius and Goodale. Chris Kopley and his Mini Cooper, however, were closing in to join that battle, and soon got by Goodale to claim the fifth position.

A third of the way through the event, Gregorius passed by Shadowen heading down the 4,000-foot Madison Avenue backstraight. Shadowen, who had been involved in a Prototype 2 incident during qualifying, admitted after Sunday’s race that both he and his Honda CRX were a little low on power.

“I don’t think the driver had any juice today as I’m still recovering from the Prototype 2 crash,” he said. “And, honestly, the car felt flat. It just didn’t seem to have the ‘go.’ And I don’t know if the driver had the ‘go’ even if the car did.”

With laps clicking away, Lewis managed to close within a half-second of Fuller. But there just weren’t enough laps remaining to mount a serious attack. So, Fuller claimed victory, his first at the Runoffs, and also earned his first Super Sweep honor after claiming the Runoffs title, the Hoosier Racing Tire point championship, a U.S. Majors Tour point championship, and a Super Tour race win – all in the same class this season.

“Drive clean, drive smooth, and stay in front,” said Fuller about his race strategy while standing atop the victory podium preparing to celebrate with some Mazza Sparkling Wine, the Official Sparkling Wine of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs. “The track got a little slippery in places toward the end of the race, and it was really affecting my run.

“It’s been seven years of a lot of hard work,” Fuller continued. “It’s a good feeling to be on the top step.”

Indeed, Lewis closed the gap as best he could, whittling down the margin of victory to 0.316s after the 15-lap contest. With that runner-up finish, Lewis has now appeared on the Runoffs podium a total of 23 times.

“Graham did a good job with no mistakes,” Lewis said afterwards. “We needed one more lap, but doesn’t everyone say that?”

Gregorius was never able to close in on Fuller and Lewis out front, but he was also never really challenged for the third spot. That resulted in his first visit to the Runoffs podium after five tries.

“This feels real good. I could get used to this,” Gregorius said about standing on the Runoffs podium. “I was trying to reel those front guys in, but they were just gone.”

Shadowen was able to hold on to finish fourth, and Kopley finished fifth to earn the Sunoco Hard Charger award after starting in the eighth position.

The 60th running of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs, the Pinnacle of American Amateur Motorsports, crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Road Racing National Champions this year at VIRginia International Raceway — in Alton, VA — during Hagerty Race Days, Friday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 1.

Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, is available throughout the three days of competition at SCCA.com/live, and at SCCA’s official YouTube and Facebook social media channels. Live timing and scoring for each race is also available at SCCA.com.

Below are provisional results for Sunday’s GT-Lite race at the 2023 SCCA® National Championship Runoffs, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.

1, (2), Graham Fuller, Summit Point, WV, Toyota Tercel, 15.
2, (3), Michael Lewis, Poway, CA, Mazda RX-7, 15.
3, (4), James Gregorius, Livonia, NY, Mazda RX-7, 15.
4, (1), Peter Shadowen, West Palm Beach, FL, Honda CRX, 15.
5, (8), Chris Kopley, Easton, CT, Mini Cooper, 15.
6, (6), Jonathan Goodale, Conifer, CO, Mazda MX-5, 15.
7, (7), Roy Lopshire, Blue Springs, MO, Toyota Tercel, 14.
8, (9), David Blain, Trent Woods, NC, Mazda Miata, 14.
9, (10), Kenneth Berdine, Arnoldsburg, WV, MG Midget, 13.
10, (11), Roger Welling, New Milford, PA, Nissan 200SX, 7.
DNF, (5), Eric Vickerman, Howell, MI, Mazda MX-3, 0.

Race Stats
Length of Race: 49.05 Miles
Overall Time of Race: 33:04.858 (avg. 88.964 mph)
Margin of Victory: 00.316 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:11.277 (89.673 mph)
Lap Leaders: #22, Laps 1-15
Sunoco Hard Charger: #03 Chris Kopley

Calvin Stewart led the Formula 600 race to the green from the Tire Rack Pole at the 60th running of the SCCA National Championship Runoffs at VIRginia International Raceway in his No. 07 SabbathTruth.com/Hoosier Novakar J10 Suzuki. Stewart’s qualifying time was fast, but it wasn’t head and shoulders above the nine-car field, as James Weida started in second with a qualifying time only 0.116s off Stewart’s; third-place starter Jason Martin had logged a qualifying time another 0.338s slower. But after 15 laps and a seemingly uncountable number of lead changes, an elated Stewart clinched his second Runoffs gold medal.

The green flag flew on Sunday, Oct. 1, on the final of three Hagerty Race Days, and it showed how hooked up the front pack were as they pulled from the rest of the field. Stewart held the point with Weida on the inside and Keith Joslyn perched outside. But Martin showed how relentless he was going to be, driving to the lead by Turn 4.

Through Roller Coaster and onto the front straight, it was Martin with a slight gap on Stewart and Weida. Joslyn, meanwhile, was holding on right behind.

Come lap three, Stewart made a move for the lead into Roller Coaster, with him and Martin running side-by-side nearly through Hog Pen – that battle, which continued to VIR’s Turn 5, opened the door for Weida to reel in the leaders. Meanwhile, Joslyn, who had seemingly been sitting in the catbird seat, began to fade.

“The car was a rocket ship at the start – we had a great start,” Joslyn said of the early laps in his No. 55 ASI Signage Innovations Scorpion S1 Rotax, adding that the car’s setup didn’t stay perfect for long. “We started overheating the left rear, making me slow down for all the right turns — which is most of them. I had an off at Oak Tree, and then I had an off in the Esses, which I’ve never had any problem there before.”

George Bugg high centered in Turn 1 on lap six, forcing the race’s only full-course caution.

The green flew once more to start lap eight, with Martin leading Stewart, Weida, and Joslyn –Stewart quickly launched back into the lead followed by Martin in hot pursuit, with Weida in the mix, passing for second into Turn 6. Then by Oak Tree, Weida slipped into the lead for the first time.

Back and forth the battle went, with the front pack dicing for the top spot. Then on lap 12, Weida made the pass for the lead into Turn 3 — but that was short lived as he spun on corner exit of Oak Tree, allowing Martin and Stewart to rocket into the distance, and handing the third position to Joslyn.

Martin’s driving style in his No. 78 Novakar J10 Suzuki differed greatly from Stewart’s, with Martin tossing the car with confidence and using fast hands to keep it under him.

“That’s just how the car is — it slides everywhere,” Martin said. “It’s a lot like a go-kart; you just hang the back end out and catch it. It’s just the fast way around with the car.”

With two to go, Stewart passed on the front, with the multi-turn battle resolving by Turn 5 and with Martin up front. On the final go-round, Stewart went for the pass into Roller Coaster on the outside with the two touching. Martin held the lead, but Stewart pulled out for the pass on the front straight, taking the win and the National Championship title by 0.112s.

“I had [Stewart] everywhere except that straightaway, and he took advantage of it and he got his elbows out,” Martin said on his way to victory circle to spray Mazza Sparkling Wine with the rest of the podium finishers. “But we tried hard and I’m just happy to finish – happy to get the podium.”

Stewart said he knew he was quicker than Martin in certain sections. “I knew there were a couple sectors that he was quicker,” Stewart said. “If I could just run down the middle and make it harder for him to get by — he would get by, and I would give him just enough room to get by, but he would get by. And I would say, ‘Well OK, good job!’ I had to hand it to [him]. We’ll try next lap and see what happens. But [Martin and Weida] put on an awesome fight — it was fun.”

Joslyn took advantage of Weida’s spin to finish third, with H. Cory McLeod and David Lapham rounding out the top five. Martin, meanwhile, earned the Sunoco Hard Charger Award with his run from third on the grid to second.

The 60th running of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs, the Pinnacle of American Amateur Motorsports, crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Road Racing National Champions this year at VIRginia International Raceway — in Alton, VA — during Hagerty Race Days, Friday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 1.

Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, is available throughout the three days of competition at SCCA.com/live, and at SCCA’s official YouTube and Facebook social media channels. Live timing and scoring for each race is also available at SCCA.com.

Below are provisional results for Sunday’s Formula 600 race at the 2023 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.

1, (1), Calvin Stewart, Novi, MI, Novakar J10 Suzuki, 15.
2, (3), Jason Martin, River Grove, IL, Novakar J10 Suzuki, 15.
3, (4), Keith Joslyn, Grand Island, NY, Scorpion S1 Rotax, 15.
4, (5), H Cory McLeod, Charlotte, NC, Red Devil Aero Rotax, 15.
5, (6), David Lapham, Commerce Twp, MI, Novakar J10 Suzuki, 15.
6, (9), Jack Walbran, Saint Louis, MO, Scorpion S1 Suzuki, 15.
7, (8), Robert Gray, Yorktown Hts, NY, Novakar J9 Suzuki, 15.
8, (2), James Weida, West Lafayette, IN, Scorpion S1 Rotax, 13.
DNF, (7), George Bugg, Toney, AL, Novakar J10 Rakavon Suzuki, 6.

Race Stats
Length of Race: 49.05 miles
Overall Time of Race: 33:13.917 (avg. 88.559 mph)
Margin of Victory: 0.112 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: #07 Calvin Stewart, 1:58.816 (99.078mph)
Lap Leaders: #78 laps 1-2, 6, 9-12; #07 laps 3-5, 7, 13-15; #22 lap 8
Sunoco Hard Charger: #78 Jason Martin

Richard Hromin took a hard fought and tremendously popular victory to open the third and final Hagerty Race Day at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs on Sunday at VIRginia International Raceway. Hronin became the new B-Spec class National Champion in his second career Runoffs start, improving from his runner-up finish a season ago.

An early full-course caution in the 15-lap race bunched the field with Hromin, David Daughtery, Coner Kelleher, and Riley Salyer up front, and a spin in Turn 1 on the lap five restart separated the four from the rest of the field to settle the podium positions and order.

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Hromin’s No. 11 RP Performance/PAW Mini Cooper and Daughtery led the breakaway, passing when possible without killing the all-important momentum required to keep speed up in the class. The pair of Texans lined up behind them, looking for opportunities but content to just hang close until it was time to finish the race.

With two to go, however, Hromin and Daughtery had opened up just enough of a gap that the race win was in their hands. Daughtery’s No. 01 G-Loc Ford Fiesta visibly had the top end speed on VIR’s long straights, but Hromin’s coupe seemed to be slightly better in each of the other points on the track.

Hromin had the run down the hill, through Hog Pen, and onto the front straight to take the white flag, and at that point the race looked like it would come down to the run out of Oak Tree and down the back straight. Daughtery got in front before the braking zone, but Hromin was last to the center pedal and reclaimed the lead. When Daughtery slid just a bit wide coming back down the hill, Hromin was on his way to his first Runoffs checkered flag.

“The first few laps when we passed each other, we haven’t run against each other at all this year,” Hromin said. “So that was, what does this Ford Fiesta have? What are its advantages and disadvantages? I could go deeper on the brakes. I knew on the last lap I had to nail Oak Tree, and I knew if I could get to the inside of him anywhere, I could probably keep it.”

The win was very popular for the Stroudsburg, PA, driver who races out of the Washington DC Region of the SCCA.

“VIR is part of our Washington DC Region schedule,” Hromin said. “We’ve been coming down here for years, and a lot of DC people are here. I was getting messages and phone calls. It’s overwhelming the amount of support I got. I had sunglasses because I knew if I looked at my girlfriend and saw her crying, I would start crying. It’s just an awesome feeling to go through that.”

For Daughtery, the near miss was his 18th career podium in 26 Runoffs starts, but brought a different level of satisfaction.

“The stories that this event makes, and for Rich to win, I congratulate him and his team,” Daughtery said. “I knew Rich was strong, I knew I was strong. I didn’t think I could lead, I was just a little weak through the short stuff. I’m thrilled.”

While the results declare Hromin and Kelleher as both in Mini Coopers, Kelleher’s No. 14 MSR Houston Mini Cooper is the traditional “backseat” version of the small car compared to Hromin’s coupe version. With Kelleher’s teammate, Tire Rack Polesitter Riley Salyer, drafting with him in his Mazda2, it made four different car specs in the top four. For Kelleher, it was his first career Runoffs podium finish.

“We had a plan all week to just try and stay together, that’s the only way we can hang with these cars,” Kelleher said. “It didn’t come through today. I wish Riley was standing on the podium with me, but I’m glad he’s right behind me. I can’t thank him enough.”

Behind Salyer in fourth was Trenton Kramer, who left the second pack behind but was just shy of the leaders. Matt Wolfe led that second pack across the stripe, coming across the line in sixth after starting all the way down in 19th to earn the Sunoco Hard Charger.

The 60th running of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs, the Pinnacle of American Amateur Motorsports, crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Road Racing National Champions this year at VIRginia International Raceway — in Alton, VA — during Hagerty Race Days, Friday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 1.

Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, is available throughout the three days of competition at SCCA.com/live, and at SCCA’s official YouTube and Facebook social media channels. Live timing and scoring for each race is also available at SCCA.com.

Below are provisional results for Sunday’s B-Spec race at the 2023 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.

1, (4), Richard Hromin, Stroudsburg, PA, Mini Cooper, 15.
2, (5), David Daughtery, McCordsville, IN, Ford Fiesta, 15.
3, (2), Conner Kelleher, Angleton, TX, Mini Cooper, 15.
4, (1), Riley Salyer, Longview, TX, Mazda 2, 15.
5, (10), Trenton Kramer, Perrysburg, OH, Mini Cooper, 15.
6, (19), Matt Wolfe, Waterford, MI, Mazda 2, 15.
7, (9), Chris Taylor, Elroy, TX, Mazda 2, 15.
8, (11), Stewart Black, Greensboro, NC, Chevrolet Sonic, 15.
9, (3), Steve Introne, Windham, NH, Mini Cooper, 15.
10, (17), Chris Daughtery, McCordsville, IN, Honda Fit, 15.
11, (18), Jared Lendrum, Queensbury, NY, Mini Cooper, 15.
12, (16), Peter Zekert, Maryland Hts, MO, Honda Fit, 15.
13, (6), Frank Schwartz, Davisburg, MI, Mini Clubman, 15.
14, (22), J B Swan, Braintree, MA, Chevrolet Sonic, 15.
15, (15), Clayton Condrey, Gibsonville, NC, Mini Cooper, 15.
16, (14), Luke Russell, Fort Myers, FL, Honda Fit, 15.
17, (21), George Badger, Pendleton, IN, Mini Cooper, 15.
18, (24), Richard Osborne, Graham, NC, Nissan Versa Note, 15.
19, (23), Anthony Ruddy, Jackson, NH, Chevrolet Sonic, 12.
20, (12), Brandon Lewis, Stewartsville, NJ, Ford Fiesta, 7.
21, (20), Steve Strickland, Marion, VA, Mazda 2, 7.
DNF, (13), Blair Deffenbaugh, Sylva, NC, Honda Fit, 4.
DNF, (8), Clay Keel, Plant City, FL, Mazda 2, 1.
DNF, (7), Josh Schmidt, Kannapolis, NC, Chevrolet Sonic, 0.
DNS, (25), Joe McClughan, Marion, TX, Mazda 2, .

Race Stats
Length of Race: 49.05 miles
Overall Time of Race: 39:58.318 (73.627 mph)
Margin of Victory: 0.462 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:23.732 (81.902 mph)
Lap Leaders: #14, Lap 1; #11, Laps 2-7, 11-15; #01, Laps 8-10
Sunoco Hard Charger: #7 Matt Wolfe