SCCA: Who Will Win the Runoffs, Pt 2

Just days away is the start of the most prestigious amateur road racing championship in North America: the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. This year taking place Sept. 21-27 at Daytona International Speedway, 2015 marks the first time the Runoffs has been at Daytona since 1969. The Sports Car Club of America's annual winner-take-all competition sees in excess of 500 road racers take to the track in the hopes of claiming gold – or at least make the winners earn their prize.

What follows is a listing prepared by SportsCar magazine, SCCA's official member magazine and sister publication to RACER magazine and RACER.com, containing the racers SportsCar's editors believe will stand atop the podium come the Sept. 21-27 race weekend.

To keep up on the action during Runoffs week, keep an eye on RACER.com. Also, head to www.scca.com/runoffs where you'll find a Runoffs race schedule and a link to the free, live video stream of all the races.

Spec Miata
WORDS Jeff Zurschmeide
IMAGE Ken Brown

SCCA history will note that Erik Stearns claimed the Spec Miata championship in 2014, but historians will also remember the protest storm that tarnished the race. This year, we pick Stearns to win again, and this time without drama.

"Honestly, I think this will be the year for the best Spec Miata race ever," Stearns says. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's six cars crossing the finish line side by side and nose to tail."

Stearns has been preparing for this race all year. "When I saw the three-year schedule, I thought Daytona might be boring, but then I went to do some testing in May and June and got some valuable information," he says. "I think I have a legitimate chance to win. Our cars are good and I have good teammates."

So, just what did Stearns learn about Daytona? "I was surprised in May. Two Spec Miatas can get up to 136mph at start/finish in the draft; by yourself, it's only 122mph. And a three-car team doesn't work, because the third car gets left behind. So you can't do much unless you have someone to work with," Stearns says.

Our pick for second place this year is perennial contender Danny Steyn. He has his own ideas about getting to the front. "For the first time in a long time, the Runoffs-dominant East Street gang will find themselves on the back foot, as their experience at Daytona is not nearly as deep as the Southern Mafia," says Steyn. "The Florida gang includes multiple drivers with podium aspirations running under the OPM, BSI, and Autotechnic tents that have shown consistent pace at Daytona."

The list of Florida-based Spec Miata drivers includes Steyn, Alex Bolanos, and past Champion Andrew Charbonneau. Any of these drivers could make a strong play for the win. But as the panjandrum of the East Street gang and the only man with multiple Spec Miata championships, Jim Drago has a few thoughts on the matter, too.

"Daytona is team racing at its finest," says Drago. "None have been able to do that as well as Craig Berry and myself. Todd Lamb and Todd Buras will be the next best team, or really equally as good. You need to pick the best two-car tandem because that is the race, not individuals."

Throwing an additional twist on the race, the Spec Miatas will compete on Friday night under Daytona's lights. This is a first in Runoffs history, and this added element is sure to make the most intensely competitive class in SCCA unbelievably exciting.

America Sedan, B-Spec, Super Touring Under, Super Touring Lite
WORDS Jeff Zurschmeide
IMAGE Jeff Loewe

American Sedan veteran and six-time National Champion Andy McDermid is our pick to win – and he's optimistic about his race group. "The American Sedan numbers are increasing, which is good, so I am hoping for a big turnout [at Daytona]," says McDermid. "To me, it looks like Tom Sloe needs to be on the short list [of potential winners], but I would include Tom Ellis, Ed Hosni, Jim Wheeler, and Bill Baten, because they look strong as well."

And, while the field is growing, McDermid is left looking at the other cars and wondering how slippery his Mustang may – or may not – be while cutting through the air at Daytona. "I think the Camaros and Firebirds will have an aero advantage, so Daytona should be a challenge for me."

John Heinricy will be one of those driving a Firebird, and he's our pick for second place, probably followed closely by Tom Sloe. But Heinricy will also be at Daytona driving what is possibly the complete opposite of his Firebird: a Chevrolet Sonic in B-Spec. But while he's our pick to win in the class, he expects some challenges. "I don't [think I'll be dominant] for a couple of reasons," says Heinricy. "My car has been restricted a bit, and the competition is getting better. David [Daughtery] has a Honda now, and he's very competitive. Kyle [Keenan] was competitive last year, and he has picked up time this year, too. Matt Krentz in the Mini has also improved. I see him running in [Pirelli] World Challenge and doing real well."

Heinricy is known as an analytical driver, so we asked for his thoughts on the new Runoffs track.

"The track has an awful lot to do with who's fast in B-Spec," he explains. "It's a big track, so I don't know what kind of speeds we'll reach there. How competitive the cars will be may be based on whether they get into fifth gear, and what kind of fifth gear they have. For example, at Daytona, I have to go to fifth gear, and I have a tall fifth. Anyone else will go to fifth gear earlier and have an advantage. But I won't know until I get there, because I'm not doing any testing."

For their parts, 2014 Champion Keenan and runner-up David Daughtery – our picks for second and third – are thinking about how to stay ahead of Heinricy. "I know my Kia's going to be fast," says Keenan, "so I believe the secret will be finding a drafting partner and working together until the last lap."

"We are concentrating on winning this class," Daughtery reveals. "Honda Performance Development gave us the support needed to make the switch. John and Kyle have well-prepared cars, but I believe if we match their prep level we can make it a race."

On the other end of the spectrum from B-Spec is Super Touring Under. Our pick for the win is Honda driver John Schmitt. But as always, the STU field is so varied that it could be anyone's game at Daytona. We've picked "Irish Mike" Flynn and Eric Heinrich to complete the podium, with Carl Young as a wild card.

"I guess I would say I'm cautiously optimistic," Schmitt says. "Michael Flynn and Eric Heinrich are both very good drivers with well-prepared cars. I have raced at Daytona for a number of years, and the infield is pretty tough for a front-wheel-drive car. I'll definitely have to manage the front tires to make sure I have enough car at the end."

Heinrich returns the respect back to Schmitt, and gives props to Irish Mike as well, but he has a plan to win.

"Schmitt has a vast amount of experience," says Heinrich, "and for Irish Mike, that's a home track for him. [But] I really want it this year, and I'm going in with a fast, well-prepared car and a take-no-prisoners attitude. I'm confident I can outdrive Schmitt, based on our race together in the rain. The winner will be the one who doesn't make mistakes."

In Super Touring Lite, we believe Kevin Boehm has the best shot at the win, and that Cliff Ira and Nick Leverone will join Boehm on the podium. Paul Whiting and Thomas Lepper could also make a play for the winner's circle.
"This year's STL competition is fierce," Boehm says. "For example, I raced against Nick Leverone at Watkins Glen International and he wasn't easy to beat on a track with long straights and where horsepower is king. As for Cliff Ira, I don't know him personally, but as a past champion I have no doubt that he will put on a solid fight for the win as well."

With the depth in the field that Boehm sees, and the long banked run to the finish line, Boehm believes there could be a crowd at the checkered flag. "Daytona is different than most tracks. The straights are very long, so horsepower and the draft play a much larger role on lap time – more than hitting all of your marks. I think this will give some drivers a better chance at winning than they would have at a more technical track. I wouldn't be surprised if there were as many as 10 cars with a chance of winning at the race."

Touring 1, Touring 2, Touring 3, Touring 4
WORDS Jason Isley
IMAGE Ken Brown

Touring 1 is an easy pick. Last year, Andrew Aquilante jumped into a backup car, qualified in second place, and then cruised to a half-minute margin of victory. With lots of seat time this year we don't expect Aquilante to be any less dominant. We do expect, however, Mark Boden and John Buttermore to be the closest of the rest on the way to the checker.

In Touring 2, expect some redemption to come Kurt Rezzetano's way after the heartbreak he suffered in 2014. Rezzetano easily cleared the field in qualifying last year, but trouble in the pack came to a head in Turn 2 as Rezzatano's Mustang suffered major damage. Phoenix Performance rebuilt his Mustang, and it should be capable of getting him the gold he deserves.

"You wouldn't believe what our body shop went through to fix that car," Rezzetano tells us. "Its more true now than it was before."

Rezzetano has lots of laps under his belt at Daytona competing with IMSA, and has been producing great results in the Pirelli World Challenge GTS class. But that doesn't mean the win will come easy.

"Cooper MacNeil is probably going to be one of the fast guys, the BMW is definitely the top T2 car now," says Rezzatano. "The Bimmer has the edge, horsepower and aerodynamic wise. I will be looking for him to tow me around."

It took David Daughtery coming out of retirement in 2013 to show the Touring 3 field what the Nissan Z was capable of. A mechanical issue sidelined his run that year, but he came back in 2014 and left no doubt about his, and the Z car's, abilities. With no plans to defend, Daytona will see a new winner. A lot of people expect Robert Schader to carry the torch for Nissan and collect the win, and we tend to agree. We also think Jason Ott will keep him honest, and Chad Gilsinger should be near the front as well.

"This is going to be a heck of a horse race," says Schader. "[J. Patrick] Womack, Gilsinger, Ott, [Tom] Wickersham, [Scotty] White, Aquilante, [Kevin] Fandozzi – throw a blanket over us and one of us will emerge the winner."

Of course, if Aquilante, Wickersham, and White get their Mustangs nose to tail, they could bully their way around the imports.

Touring 4 is arguably the most impacted by Daytona's giant roval, as you can have speed, handling, aero, or brakes in your T4 car – just not all of them in any one car. We saw the RX-8 set the pace in 2014, but it did not have the consistency to get it done over the MX-5. Daytona should play to the RX-8's strengths, and since we know Tom Wickersham was blazingly fast in one last year (despite the fact that he opted for the MX-5 at Mazda Raceway) we think he'll get it done with rotary power this year.