LEXINGTON, Ohio (September 24, 2016) – Seven-time Runoffs winner Steve Sargis grabbed the lead from the start of the GT-Lite race at the 53rd SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB being held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.  But that’s not where Sargis finished.  Instead, Peter Shadowen, of West Palm Beach, Florida, brought home his second Runoffs win and a SCCA Super Sweep.

Sargis, of Frankfort, Illinois, in the No. 18 Hoosier Triumph Spitfire found himself with a lead of nearly seven seconds on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn course in the 28-car field until lap 15 when he spun in the Keyhole.  Passing by was a train of cars comprising of Shadowen in the No. 72 Road N Race Automotive Honda CRX, Kyle Disque in the No. 92 Hoosier/Toyota/71 Crowd Toyota Tercel, Michael Kamalian in the No. 99 RevolutionSpeed.com/Hoosier/Mazda Miata, and Christopher Bovis in the No. 78 CCW Wheels/Hoosier/Red Line Oil Honda CRX.

What transpired over the next dozen laps left the crowd, applauding, cheering and hooting at race’s end for the competitors.  Lap after lap after lap, Shadowen held the front spot while pole sitter Disque, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Bovis, of Kansas City, Missouri; and Kamalian, of Marietta, Georgia, swapped positions constantly.

Everything was still up for grabs even on the very last lap.  But as the group came around the final corner out of the Carousel, it was Shadowen who triumphed over his friends.

“This is awesome. I’ve never been to a Runoffs at Mid-Ohio. I was only hoping for a top 10 finish,” Shadowen said. “When Sargis parked it, then the pressure came on. Multiple cars where filling my mirrors.  I was driving in my mirrors way more than I should’ve.  It just seemed like there was always someone new there.  At times I could even see someone on either side of my car.”

At the end of the skirmish, Disque sat second -- which is his very first podium finish at the Runoffs.

“The Runoffs are awesome,” Disque said.  “I came here with the goal of having a good weekend and a good race.  I’m thrilled to finish second!  This was definitely the most exciting race of my life.”

In third was Bovis, who fended off Kamalian on the closing lap.

“That was an amazing race.  A lot of fun,” a grinning Bovis said.  “We were quicker in some areas, but nowhere where I could get by.  But we were all taking advantage of every opportunity we could.  We all just had a fantastic time racing and putting on a good show.”

Kamalian finished fourth, and Troy Ermish, of Tracy, California, brought the No. 38 Rebello Racing Engines/LS Energy Nissan PL510 home in fifth.

Taking the Sunoco Hard Charger award was Ted Phenix, of Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada, in the No. 49 GNA Alutech Inc MINI Cooper, finishing 17th from his 27th-place grid position.

The 53rd SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB, the Pinnacle of American Motorsports, crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Club Racing National Champions this year at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, from Friday, September 23 through Sunday, September 25.

While the live broadcast of all 28 National Championships is available live at SCCA.com, each race will be on demand in the coming weeks.

LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Provisional results for Saturday’s SCCA GT-Lite National Championship at the 53rd SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.

1, (4), Peter Shadowen, West Palm Beach, FL, Honda CRX, 23.

2, (1), Kyle Disque, Philadelphia, PA, Toyota Tercel, 23.

3, (5), Christopher Bovis, Kansas City, MO, Honda CRX, 23.

4, (7), Michael Kamalian, Marietta, GA, Mazda Miata, 23.

5, (6), Troy Ermish, Tracy, CA, Nissan PL510, 23.

6, (3), Wilson Wright, Stockbridge, MA, Nissan Sentra SE-R, 23.

7, (9), Jonathan Goodale, Conifer, CO, Mazda MX-5, 23.

8, (8), Joe Huffaker, Petaluma, CA, MINI Huffaker Mini, 23.

9, (11), Peter Zekert, Maryland Heights, MO, Nissan 200SX SE-R, 23.

10, (10), Charles Leonard, Palmetto, FL, Nissan 200SX SE-R, 23.

11, (16), William Pintaric Jr, Youngstown, OH, Nissan 200SX SE-R, 23.

12, (12), Roy Lopshire Jr, Blue Springs, MO, Toyota Tercel, 22.

13, (13), Joel Hipp, Norwalk, OH, MINI Cooper, 22.

14, (23), Lans Stout, Cornelius, OR, Nissan Sentra SE-R, 22.

15, (22), Christopher Kopley, Bridgeport, CT, MINI Cooper, 22.

16, (14), Mark Ward, Loxahatchee, FL, Toyota Paseo, 21.

17, (27), Ted Phenix, Hawkesbury, ON, MINI Cooper, 21.

18, (24), Andrew Nelson, Grimsby, ON, MINI Cooper, 21.

19, (28), Larry Svaton, Alvin, TX, Fiat X-1/9, 19.

20, (21), Bryan Floyd, Clarion, PA, Nissan 200SX, 18.

21, (17), Jonathan Spiegel, Aurora, CO, Honda CRX, 17.

22, (2), Steve Sargis, Frankfort, IL, Triumph Spitfire, 16.

23, (19), Graham Fuller, Martinsburg, WV, Honda CRX, 16.

24, (26), Rusty Bell, Galena, OH, Toyota Tercel, 15.

25, (15), Paul Mevoli DMD, Treasure Island, FL, Nissan Sentra, 13.

26, (25), Robert Bax, Cincinnati, OH, Nissan Sentra SER, 10.

27, (20), Bob Dowie, Chester, NY, Nissan 200SX SE-R, 3.

28, (18), Tom Tuttle, Windsor, CA, MG Midget, 3.

Overall Time of Race: 37:51.009

Average Race Speed: 82.326 mph

Margin of Victory: .209 seconds

Fastest Race Lap: Kyle Disque, 1:35.912 (84.753 mph)

Sunoco Hard Charger: #49 Ted Phenix

Lap Leaders: Laps 1-14, #18 Steve Sargis; 15-23, #72 Peter Shadowen

Photo: Peter Shadowen pounding his way to a GT-Lite Runoffs win and SCCA Super Sweep.

Credit: Jay Bonvouloir