Winners crowned at fourth annual HSR Classic Watkins Glen 6

Under clear skies and summer sunshine, the Fourth Annual HSR Watkins Glen Classic 6 Hour presented by Mission Foods delivered a full day of competition Saturday at Watkins Glen International, crowning the first winners of the 2026 HSR Classic Endurance Championship presented by Mission Foods season.

A pristine lineup of period correct vintage and historic machine from various sports car eras in the last 50 years took to the iconic Watkins Glen Grand Prix circuit throughout Saturday afternoon and into the early evening in four different divisions. Run Groups A/B, C and D each completed two race segments in a symbolic six hours of racing, with the combined results determining the overall winners in the championship-opening contest.

In Group A, heartbreak struck for Todd Treffert aboard the 1972 No. 141 901 Shop Porsche 911 S/T in Race 2 as an engine issue prematurely ended the 2025 Historic GT Endurance Champion’s day after he entered the segment leading and in contention for the group victory.

However, it was Treffert’s 901 Shop teammate David Agretelis – another Endurance Championship reigning titlist in Vintage GT – who stepped up to take the Group A win at The Glen for the second year in a row in his 901 Shop 1972 No. 66 Porsche 911 S/T.

Joining Agretelis on the podium in second place was the pairing of Craig Watkins and former Rolex 24 winner Johannes van Overbeek aboard the 901 Shop 1968 No. 46 Porsche 911 S/T.

Rounding out another all-901 Shop podium, John Deford and Brady Refenning guided the 1973 No. 57 Porsche 914/6 to a third-place finish after running near the front throughout the event, completing the Group A podium.

Run Group B, which ran simultaneously with Group A, saw Pawel Pulchaski rebound from an early spin and charge back into the lead and secure his first HSR Classic Endurance Championship victory in the bright orange No. 241 Klub Sport Racing 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR. A former fencer at Penn State, Pulchaski’s run to the top step of the podium became a duel, as he battled Ricky Park in the 1973 No. 44 AJR Heritage Motorsports Porsche 911 RSR in Race 2.

Ultimately, Park finished second while familiar HSR Classic competitors and Colorado natives Alan Benjamin and Barry Waddell drove the 1912 No. 21 Porsche 964 Carrera Cup to third place in Group B.

In Run Group C, Ben Myers emerged victorious after charging through the pack in in one of the most convincing runs of the race. Racing to the front in the first segment, Myers then led every green-flag lap in Race 2 straight to the class win aboard his 901 Shop 2017 No. 29 Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup. The victory marked Myers' first career HSR Classic Win.

Another German marque joined the Myers Porsche on the podium as Shannon Herford guided the 2015 No. 515 Autometrics Mercedes-AMG GT3 to a pair of runner-up finishes in both race segments, securing second overall in Group C.

Consistency proved key for Michael Potapow and co-driver van Overbeek, who combined their efforts across both race segments to earn third-place honors aboard the No. 73 DAS Sport 2016 Porsche 991 RSR 4.0. The podium finish capped a busy day for van Overbeek, who recorded run group podium results in a pair of Classic 6 Hour divisions.

Finally, Group D concluded the action-packed day of Classic 6 Hour competition with an all-prototype field. Pierce Marshall and co-driver Eric Foss aboard their No. 01 Matador Motorsports 2017 Cadillac DPi battled Juan Gonzalez and Roberto Gonzalez, along with co-driver Butch Leitzinger, in the No. 81 Mission Foods 2017 Cadillac DPi, throughout both race segments.

After reigning Endurance Championship Modern Prototype Champions Marshall and Foss led the way at the conclusion of Race 1, the GMT Racing No. 81 got the upper hand in the closing laps of Race 2 to score the segment victory. However, it was Marshall and Foss who secured the overall Group D win on combined results aboard their No. 01 Matador Motorsports 2017 Cadillac DPi.

The win was the second for Marshall and Foss after also securing a 2024 Classic 6 title and came in the debut weekend for the team’s new No. 01 number and light gray livery, which will be featured throughout the remainder of the 2026 HSR Classic Endurance Championship season.

Leitzinger and the Gonzalez duo finished second overall while Bob Neapole and John Reisman completed the podium after securing a third-place finish in Race 2 aboard their No. 74 Hudson Historics 2020 Ligier JS P320.