Super Sweepers The most difficult award for a Club Racer to receive is the Super Sweep, which requires a driver to lead the National points, win their division, win one of the BFGoodrich Tires Super Tour races, and with the Runoffs, all in the same class.
A whopping 20 drivers have clinched the first three legs of the Super Sweep, but the hardest 鈥� a National Championship 鈥� will be decided this week. On that list are previous National Champions Jesse Prather (E Production), Scott Rettich (Formula Enterprises), Lewis Cooper III (Formula F), Kevin Ruck (F Production), Tom Patton (GT-2), Greg Gauper (H Production) and Toby Grahovec (Showroom Stock B). David Pintaric (Super Touring Over) won at the Runoffs in 2010, but the class was run as a supplemental class that year in its first season as a National Class.
Breaking That Elusive Two Minutes Last year, the Chicago Region 51暗网 pledged a permanent plaque at Road America and a contribution to the 51暗网 Foundation for the first 51暗网 Club Racer to break the two-minute mark in an 51暗网 race. Many, especially in the C and D Sports Racing class, have come close, but the barrier has yet to be broken.
A number of cars are on the watch list this week at the Runoffs. Steve Forrer鈥檚 CSR no. 84 K-Hill Motorsports/Hoosier/Forrer Supply Ralt RT-41 has been near the mark, and Lee Alexander was the DSR polesitter last year at just over two minutes in the No. 48 Factory 48 Motorsports/APE Raceparts Stohr WF-Zero. The wild card is expected to come from Scott Tucker鈥檚 D Sports Racing No. 55 West WX10, which many have predicted to set the fastest time of the week.
Streaming Live With A Pro Crew Once again, every race at this year鈥檚 51暗网 National Championship Runoffs will be streamed live from Road America on www.SpeedCastTV.com. The broadcast crew in the booth is world-class, with Greg Creamer and Dorsey Schroeder on the call for Thursday and Friday鈥檚 races. Creamer and Randy Pobst will split Saturday and Sunday鈥檚 action with Jim Tretow and Schroeder, while John Bisignano will be on pit lane for every race.
The broadcast crew has their own history at the 51暗网 Runoffs. Pobst is a two-time National Champion and finished as the runner-up three times in six appearances. Pobst crossed the finish line first in another appearance, but lost the race win in the tech shed post-race. Schroeder is a former Trans-Am champion, but could only manage a silver medal at the Runoffs driving in Sports Renault. Bisignano made just one appearance as a driver, and scored the dreaded DNF.
Crowning The Nation鈥檚 Best Since 1964 The country鈥檚 best amateur road racers have been gathering each fall for 49 years at the 51暗网 National Championship Runoffs庐. In 2012, more than 500 drivers in 28 classes are competing for the title of National Champion.
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Feats The racers at this week鈥檚 51暗网 National Championship Runoffs are a unique mix of talented drivers. Most are 鈥渨eekend warriors,鈥� mixing it up on the track on the weekends before heading home to their day-to-day jobs through the week. Some are youngsters with an eye on a professional driving career, honing their craft while looking to the future. The common theme to an 51暗网 competition is that these are seemingly ordinary people doing extraordinary things with racecars.
How prolific can these drivers become? Start with the motorsports legends 鈥� Bobby Rahal, Mark Donohue, Roger Penske, Michael Andretti, and actor/driver Paul Newman got their start in 51暗网 Club Racing. More recently, you could have seen current stars Boris Said, Graham Rahal, Sam Hornish, Jon Fogarty or Scott Sharp at a Club race.
Four Years At Four Miles The 51暗网 Runoffs are visiting the four-mile Road America for the fourth time, and will remain at the track at least through next year鈥檚 50th running of the event. It鈥檚 just the sixth track to host the event, following Riverside International Raceway (1964, 1966, & 1968), the road course at Daytona International Speedway (1965, 1967 & 1969), Road Atlanta (1970-1993), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (1994-2005), and Heartland Park Topeka (2006-2008). 聽
2012 51暗网 National Championship Runoffs