NIssan targets 100-win mark at the Runoffs

Nissan will seek to become the first automotive manufacturer in the history of Sports Car Club of America racing to capture 100 National class titles at the SCCA Runoffs this week at Daytona.

The Nissan/Datsun brand has amassed 97 titles to date, beginning with Bob Sharp's 1967 championship in a Datsun Fairlady 1600 Roadster. Sharp would go on to win six championships at the wheel and founded Bob Sharp Racing, the stable that produced 12 National Champions, including Sam Posey, Jim Fitzgerald and actor/racer Paul Newman.

This year, Nissan/Datsun will have 10 drivers in five classes at the Runoffs, including two former National Champions trying to add to Nissan's National Championship total – most among any automobile manufacturer since the SCCA was founded.

"Reaching 100 SCCA championships this year will take a little bit of good luck and a lot of good racing to accomplish," said Rick Kulach of Nissan Motorsports. "The Runoffs fields are pretty deep and our number of entrants are a little down from last year on the West Coast. We certainly have some guys driving Nissans who have won big races before and are capable of getting us to 100."

Two former champions head the list of Nissan/Datsun entries for 2015. E-Production 2013 National Champion Gregg Ira brings his 240Z to Daytona hoping to add another trophy to the case. Peter Zekert drove his Nissan 200SX to a GT Lite title in 2008.

Other entries for Nissan are E-Production racers Don Bunt and Lance Loughman in Datsun 240Zs; Richard Allen and Ken Nelson (RIGHT), running Nissan 200SX in GT3; Chas Leonard joins Zekert in GTL in his modified 200SX, and Paul Mavoli enters the class in his 1994 Sentra. David Stephens enters his Datsun 510 in H-Production and Robert Schader will race the Nissan 350Z NISMO in T3.

The SCCA Runoffs are 27 races over three days Friday-Sunday that can be watched live via streaming video on www.SCCA.com. The following races have Nissan/Datsun racers competing:

H-Production is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Sept. 25

GTL is scheduled for 4:40 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, Sept. 26

T3 is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. Eastern on Sunday, Sept. 27

GT3 is scheduled for 10:50 a.m. Eastern on Sunday, Sept. 27

E-Production is scheduled for 2:25 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, Sept. 27

Source: Nissan