Who will win the SCCA Runoffs? Part 2: Prod and GT

When it was announced that Indianapolis Motor Speedway would host the 2017 SCCA National Championship Runoffs on Sept. 25-Oct. 1, it was obvious things were about to get real. All race season the buzz has been palpable, and the moment event registration opened in July, records began to break. This will truly be a Runoffs like no other. So who will take the gold? With so many people set to descend on the Brickyard, the task of guessing a winner is difficult. But don't worry, that's what we're here for with our annual – and debatably ill thought out – prognostications.

E Production, F Production, H Production
Looking at the current season, Joe Moser says, "With the help of Hoosier tires, King Motorsports, and most of all, my dad, we enjoyed an 'undefeated' regular season." In his opinion, "E Production never fails to produce top-notch competition, and we don't expect 2017 to be any different at Indianapolis. Everyone brings their 'A' game to the Runoffs." As Moser suggests, the EP race should be one of the best of the weekend as the field will be very strong. Moser lists Matt Reynolds, Kip Van Steenburg, Jessie Prather, Aaron Downey, Jon Brakke, Chris Dryden, and Kevin Leigh as potential threats to his championship attempt. Every one of them is a credible threat, and there are probably a few others out there who will be fast. In our opinion, this race will end with Moser on top, Van Steenburg in second, and Reynolds in third. But we've been known to be wrong.

Joe Huffaker is one of the few people who have raced at IMS before – he won the SVRA Vintage Racing Championship there in DP three years ago, and he's our pick to win F Production this year. He's optimistic about the performance of his FP Midget at Indy. "My year has gone very well again," says Huffaker. "I got qualified early and have been working meticulously on the car. Since running Daytona and showing an MG Midget can do 143mph around the banking, I've continued to tinker on the motors. Lots of testing here at Sonoma Raceway, which will additionally help for next year."

Huffaker considers "anybody with a Lotus" to be a contender for the win, although he also mentions Eric Prill and Brian Linn. We anticipate Ken Ruck to be in the mix, too, placing his front-wheel-drive car between Huffaker and Prill

Huffaker's also looking forward to racing at Indy again, "Just being there and taking in the IMS atmosphere was really great, especially with my dad's history at Indy." The only potential snag may be that he is racing the Midget in both FP and GT-Lite – then again, we are talking about Joe Huffaker.

Speaking of Linn, he's our pick for a three-peat in H Production. When asked about racing at Indy, Brian Linn responded, "I'm very much looking forward to going to IMS. It's probably the most iconic track in the U.S., although for the oval aspect. I really like that there isn't a 'home track' factor and it's relatively equal for all of us."

Linn has been running both FP and HP again this year, so it will be a challenge to be fast in both, but he's capable. As for the competition, he says, "Yaris, Yaris, Yaris." He thinks the track with its long straights and lack of elevation change is perfect for Jason Isley and his Toyota. But he also believes there will be a wealth of competition, mentioning Dan Meller, Vesa Silegren, Greg Gauper, Ron Bartell, Matt Brannon, and Eric Vickerman. He adds, "How can you resist the intrigue of Parker Johnstone returning to Indy?"

For our HP podium prediction, it'll be Linn, Isley, and Bartell; although maybe not in that order.

GT-1, GT2, GT3, GT-Lite
The favorite to win GT-1 this year is Michael Lewis, while he attempts to shake off his second-place finish last year. "My past couple of performances have been a mixed bag, despite having a great time," Lewis says. Lewis and his 2001 Jaguar XKR hopes the few Trans Am drivers with experience on the track won't be too much of a challenge. "Like most drivers this year, I have no experience at Indy," Lewis points out. "However, I think 50-plus cars from three different classes running together every day will be an even bigger challenge. We'll swing for the fences as always."

Lewis feels like this GT-1 field is the toughest in recent memory, so the keys to winning will be finding the setup that will finish strong as well as start strong, plus making the least amount of mistakes. In our minds, Simon Gregg and Dave Ruehlow are capable of that and will finish on the podium – but that's not to discount the returning champion Cliff Ebben.

In GT-2, Andrew Aquliante will return to add another gold metal to his collection, and we think he'll succeed. After a stellar race with Trent Hindman last year, he hopes to return to the top spot. "If Trent returns, he will be the one to beat, but he told me he may not be running," Aquliante says, admitting that he'd relish the battle. "That would be a huge disappointment because last year's race was flat-out awesome."

Although he doesn't have experience in the same Indy configuration as this year's Runoffs, Aquilante has raced on all the pieces that make up the layout between running with Grand-Am and IMSA over the years. He also feels like the Trans Am drivers will be contenders in this year's race. "I think there will be more players up front than last year," he says. "I think the TA2 cars will be stronger with a less twisty track."

He's also not sure how he will stack up to the competition and chassis diversity. "I think the Vipers of Scotty B. White and Jonathan Start will be strong," Aquilante says. "If anybody comes with a new Porsche 991 Cup car, they could be the sleeper. Also, I think the 'traditional' GT-2 cars got some help this year, but Taz Harvey wasn't far off last year with his RX-8."

In addition to his picks, don't count out Tim Kezman or Chad Gilsinger in his new Acura NSX – we think these two will be the ones joining Aquilante on the podium.

In GT-3, Collin Jackson is looking to continue his impressive Runoffs record – in his three prior trips he's started on pole and won all three races. Despite his lack of experience at Indy, he's confident that he can manage at least a top three. "Testing and a consistent pace for the entire race will be key to me winning again this year," Jackson says. "My car builder, engine guy, and setup engineer is one guy, my crew chief Andy Pearson, and he's been with me during the past three Runoffs attempts. If there was ever a crew champion, Andy is it, and I think we'll get it done again this year."

Joe Kristensen and Paul Young are definitely poised to battle with Jackson for the win, but don't count out Chad Bacon and Rob Warkocki.

GT-Lite saw amazing racing at the 2016 Runoffs, and we expect more of the same. Michael Kamalian will be there, and he's looking for redemption from having to drive a defensive race last year after losing his rearview mirror. "We have the speed to outrun anyone, but being a tub car in a tube chassis world, we have a slight handling disadvantage with running the 13-inch tires," Kamalian says. "I'm also not the easiest on tires, so it will be everything I can do to keep them under me for the whole race."

His competition? "The usual like Joe Huffier, Kyle Disque, Chris Bovis, and Peter Shadowen are always up front," he says. We'd like to add Steve Sargis to that list.

This article originally appeared in the October 2017 issue of SportsCar magazine, SCCA's official member magazine, which mails monthly to all members of the Sports Car Club of America. For more information about how to join the SCCA, head to www.scca.com.