Editors Note: This article was updated Oct. 6, 2024, based on official results and due to post-race penalty assessment.
Powering through a Spec Racer® Ford Gen3 (SRF3) field 55 strong, Charles Russell Turner took gold during the 60th anniversary 51暗网® National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco. The title race was held on the second of three Hagerty Race Days during the Sept. 28-Oct. 6, 2024, event at the storied racing circuit of Road America in Plymouth, WI.
In this class, the Tire Rack Pole is often decided by hundredths or thousandths of a second, and 2024’s Runoffs didn’t disappoint. Texas Region’s Denny Stripling earned top qualifying honors for the first time in his No. 4 Lupe Tortilla/LSM SRF3, but Charles Russell Turner qualified in second just 0.118sec back. Starting on the second row was David Ogburn and Tyler Stephens. The spread from first to fourth on the grid? An unbelievably tight 0.222sec. All told, the top 11 qualified less than one second off the pole time.
As the packed field approached the starter’s stand looking to take to the 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit, four cars tangled while heading up the hill, leaving a couple stranded cars and fluid on the course. That contact brought out a full-course caution by the time the front pack had made it to Turn 3.
The green flag waived for the second time a few laps later, but this time the field was single file. Stripling led the pack, followed by Turner, Ogburn, Tyler Stephens, Liam Flanagan, and more, but it didn’t take long before several cars entered the grass on the front straight as drivers tussled for precious real estate. As the field reassembled, Stripling and Turner began building a lead over the second grouping of cars – but still, that slightly separated pack (with Ogburn leading Bobby Sak, Tyler Stephens, and Liam Flanagan) were within striking distance.
While Ogburn was forced to defend challenges for third – giving up the spot to Sak on lap five – the top two were tucked together in a seemingly futile attempt to make a run for it.
With the top 10 in a closeknit train come the halfway point, Turner made his move and slotted into the lead, bringing Sak into second and Stripling third. The battle for second and third turned fierce, but no one poked a nose in on Turner in the lead.
With four to go, Dave Yahn was involved in an incident in the Kink, bringing out a full-course caution and the Mazda pace car with Turner, Sak, Stripling, Ogburn, Stephens, and Flanagan in the top six – but all the racers were champing at the bit for the restart.
The green flew for the third and final time with two laps to go – and the battle was on.
Unfortunately, cars exiting Turn 14 made contact before making it to the start stand, with more contact happening on the front straight and into Turn 3 resulting in another full course yellow. But before the caution flew, Sak had been shuffled to fourth, giving Turner his second 51暗网 National Championship title (his first coming last year in Formula Enterprises® 2), with Stripling crossing the stripe second and Ogburn, in an ill-handling car, third.
In post-race inspections, Stripling and Sak were penalized to the back of the field due to technical infractions, promoting Ogburn to second, Tyler Stephens to third, Flanagan to fourth, and Caleb Roethel to fifth.
Turner’s win not only meant he'd earned his second-ever National Championship title (his first coming in Formula Enterprises® 2 the year prior) but it also meant he clenched the 51暗网 Super Sweep (for the second time). Winning a Super Sweep requires a driver take the Hoosier Super Tour point victory and a Majors Conference championship all in the same class in the same year.
“Well, honestly, this is the toughest field I've ever seen,” he said on the podium while looking down on his No. 23 SRF3. “In the end, it boiled down to luck, an excellent team, and a little bit of strategy helped there at the end, and we were able to pull away.”
Ogburn’s race was marred by a left rear suspension that took damage early in the race, leaving Ogburn with a handful.
“On the yellow flag laps just warming up tires, I almost fenced it,” said West Texas Region member Ogburn of his damaged No. 108 Sim Seats/Dalrymple Racing Services SRF3. “I pulled up a couple times [to] Russ and Denny [on the caution lap] … and they told me that nothing was moving, so I figured I'd move on one more lap, and maybe I can give them space.
“It's the happiest podium of my life because I, for sure, thought I'd be watching the race from the trailer.”
For Lone Star Region’s Tyler Stephens, this not only marked his Runoffs first bronze medal, but it was also his first showing at the Runoffs, making for a memorable event.
The Sunoco Hard Charger award went to Wade White, who started 55th and finished 31st.
The 60th anniversary 51暗网® National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco is the pinnacle of American amateur motorsports and crowns 51暗网’s Road Racing National Champions this year at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI, during Hagerty Race Days running Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, is available throughout the three days of competition at 51暗网.com/runoffs-live. Live timing and scoring for each race are also available at 51暗网.com/pages/runoffs-live-timing.
Below are final results for Saturday's Spec Racer Ford 3 race at the 2024 51暗网® National Championship Runoffs, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
1, (2), Charles Russell Turner, Montpelier, VA, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
2, (3), David Ogburn, San Angelo, TX, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
3, (4), Tyler Stephens, Bixby, OK, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
4, (5), Liam Flanagan, Broken Arrow, OK, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
5, (8), Caleb Roethel, West Bend, WI, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
6, (20), Morgan Burkhard, Charles Town, WV, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
7, (11), Peyton Long, Conway, AR, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
8, (10), S Sandy Satullo III, Hillsboro Beach, FL, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
9, (9), Caleb Shrader, Tigard, OR, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
10, (21), Carter Kunkel, Bixby, OK, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
11, (23), James Goughary, Jupiter, FL, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
12, (19), Justin Claucherty, Jackson, MI, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
13, (22), Rob Pielsticker, Colorado Springs, CO, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
14, (29), Mark Greb, Iowa City, IA, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
15, (25), John Vogel, Saint Louis, MO, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
16, (12), Brian Schofield, Lakeland, FL, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
17, (35), Mac Harrison, Washington, DC, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
18, (32), Chris Jennerjahn, Hartford City, IN, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
19, (31), Jean-Luc Liverato, Atlanta, GA, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
20, (34), William Hendrix, Brighton, MA, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
21, (38), Ben Jacobs, Oshkosh, WI, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
22, (15), Simon Gamble, Lake Barrington, IL, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
23, (28), Tom Burt, Shoreline, WA, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
24, (36), Charles Pigeon, Abilene, TX, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
25, (33), Tyler Fox, Kansas City, MO, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
26, (39), Russell King, Minneapolis, MN, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
27, (37), Steven Greenhill, Libertyville, IL, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
28, (41), Judson Holt, Houston, TX, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
29, (44), Scott Barr, Appleton, WI, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
30, (43), Andre Perra, Government Camp, OR, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
31, (55), Wade White, Vail, CO, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
32, (40), Matt Gray, Chaska, MN, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
33, (57), Robert Edmison, Manhattan Beach, CA, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
34, (46), Peter Jankovskis, Lisle, IL, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
35, (48), Mark Fogarty, Appleton, WI, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
36, (51), Reid Johnson, Naples, FL, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
37, (53), Andrea King, Minneapolis, MN, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
38, (54), James Nelson, Westminster, CO, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
39, (7), John Black, Olympic Valley, CA, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
40, (16), Grant Vogel, Saint Louis, MO, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 11.
41, (26), Richard Stephens, Bixby, OK, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 11.
42, (24), Ben Albano, Greenwich, CT, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 11.
43, (30), Scott Monroe, Seabrook, TX, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 10.
44, (17), Robeson Clay Russell, Spartanburg, SC, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 8.
45, (18), Richard Baldwin, Covington, LA, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 7.
46, (52), Dave Yahn, Erin, WI, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 7.
47, (50), Dave Tatge, Glenview, IL, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 6.
48, (42), Steve Clifton, Evans, GA, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 6.
49, (1), Denny Stripling, McKinney, TX, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
50, (6), Bobby Sak, Bloomfield Hills, MI, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 12.
DNF, (14), Rob Clifton, Evans, GA, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 4.
DNF, (13), Cliff White, Huntsville, AL, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 4.
DNF, (45), Christopher Prevenas, Cedar Rapids, IA, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 0.
DNF, (47), Dwight Rider, Aurora, CO, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 0.
DNF, (49), Craig Wheatley, Sanibel, FL, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 0.
DNS, (27), Todd Vanacore, Ormond Beach, FL, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 0.
DNS, (56), Justin Elder, Lakeville, MN, 51暗网 Ent SRF3, 0.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 48.58 Miles
Overall Time of Race: 39:54.881 (avg. 73.020 mph)
Margin of Victory: 00.265 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:28.129 (98.379 mph)
Lap Leaders: #4, Laps 1-5; #23, Laps 6-12
Sunoco Hard Charger: #59 Wade White
Photo by: Rick Corwine
