2022 Solo Nationals Tuesday Evening Notebook

Drivers from more than 30 different car classes are competing Tuesday/Wednesday at the 49th running of the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships taking place Sept. 6-9, 2022, in Nebraska’s capital. After the first of two days of competition, several very tight battles are brewing at Lincoln Airpark. Below is a quick glimpse at how some of the competition stacked up come Tuesday evening. Complete results for day one of competition can be found by clicking sololive.scca.com/ where you can also follow all of Wednesday's action live.

East Course (aka: AutoX@Twin Pines Mall) Tuesday

The 12-entry Super Street R (SSR) class is being led by a 2021 Porsche GT4 driven by Ron Bauer. Only 0.109sec back is Grant Reeve in a 2019 Corvette Grand Sport. That is a battle not only for the Solo National Championship title, but also for the SSR National Tour Points Championship since both drivers came in tied for first in points. Whoever finishes best at Solo Nationals between those two drivers will claim both SSR titles.

Equally close is D Street (DS), where 0.111sec separates the top two drivers in the 60-entrant field. Mark Daddio, in a 2022 Subaru BRZ, is the current DS leader, with Alex Muresan running second in a 2019 Honda Civic R. Only 0.016sec further back in third is a 2021 Honda Civic driven by Garrett Cogburn, who came into Solo Nationals with the points lead and who will emerge the DS National Tour Points Championship winner no matter what happens.

Keeping with the ‘D’ theme on the East Course, both D Prepared (DP) and D Street Prepared (DSP) are shaping up to be great battles after the opening day of competition. At the end of Tuesday, the 17-entrant DP field was led by Todd Roberts, in a 1990 Mazda Miata, who had a 0.191sec advantage on a 1982 Toyota Starlet driven by John Thomas.

In DSP, Tamra Krystinik has wheeled her way to a 0.160sec lead over Steve O’Blenes, with both drivers in 2005 Mazda RX-8s. Both drivers likely have a great shot as securing the DSP National Championship title, but O’Blenes is looking good to at least claim the National Tour Points Championship in the class. He came to Lincoln in a three-way tie for third in points. However, the leading two drivers in the points are not competing at the Solo Nationals, as well as one of the drivers tied for third. So, it comes down to O’Blenes and Jonathan Griffith, who is also hoofing a 2005 Mazda RX-8 at Lincoln Airpark. Griffith is sitting eighth in DSP after Tuesday’s runs, so there is some ground to be made up if he wants to challenge O’Blenes for the end-of-year points title.

And let’s not forget D Street Ladies (DSL) where Cindy Duncan leads a field of 14 entrants. Only 0.135sec behind Duncan, however, is Stephanie Reynoso as the two women scrap it out in Honda Civic Type Rs. The good news for Reynoso is that she came to Solo Nationals with the points lead, and she’ll leave with at least the DSL National Points Championship title.

West Course (aka: Take On Me) Tuesday

The 24-entry F Modified (FM) class is one to watch as only 0.109sec separates the top two competitors. After Tuesday runs, a 1999 Novakar J9 driven by Jason Hobbs has the lead, but co-driver Matt Murphy is hanging right with him. Zak Kiesel, sitting fourth in a 2020 KFR Ebon Hawk, will walk away with the FM National Points Championship, however, because he came into the event as the outright points leader in the class.

Street Touring Xtreme (STX), with 48 entries, is one of the closest contests so far. Neal Tovsen is the current leader by 0.092sec over Kevin Brewer. And only 0.129sec behind Brewer is Manfred Reysser, with all three driving Scion FR-S cars. As evidence of how tight the STX competition is, the spread from first to the 13th is just a tick over the 0.7sec mark.

While there are only four competitors in the Street Touring Ultra Ladies (STUL) class, there’s still a great battle going on for the win. Melissa Fehr, driving a 2010 Porsche Boxster S, closed out day one with a 0.162sec advantage on Chelsea Tattershall in a 2004 Mazda Miata, and third is Kelly Ann Gladu in a 2003 Nissan 350Z. Fehr was tied with Mariah Sharp for the STUL National Points Championship race coming into Solo Nationals. But since Sharp isn’t in Lincoln for the event this week, Fehr will emerge the National Points Championship winner in the class.

Street Touring Roadster (STR) is keeping things interesting in its 29-entrant field as Billy Davis, driving a 2019 Mazda Miata, leads by 0.178sec over a 2019 Mazda Miata MX-5 wielded by Josh Luster. Marcus Pyne, in a 2019 Mazda Miata, is fourth; and Daniel McCelvey is fifth in a 2019 Mazda MX-5. No matter how McCelvey performs Wednesday, he will emerge as the STR National Points Championship winner.

Even tighter than the STR competition in A Street Ladies (ASL). Gretchen Weidemann, in a 2015 Porsche Boxster GTS, has the slightest of leads on Shauna Rios in a 2014 Porsche Cayman S. The difference is only 0.069sec, and sitting back in third is 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 driver Kati Bianchi just 0.105sec behind Rios.

Weidemann didn’t arrive at Solo Nationals with the ASL points lead, but she will depart Nebraska as the ASL National Points Championship victor. Will she also claim the ASL Solo Nationals Championship? Tune in Wednesday to find out.

More to Come Wednesday

The second and final day of competition – for the first half of Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships competitors – begins at 8 a.m. CDT on Wednesday. Follow the action live online at sololive.scca.com where you’ll find current timing/scoring and event audio coverage. And don’t forget to check out @SoloMatters and @sccaofficial on social media for updates and photos.

There’s also the SCCA Inc. Facebook page where you can watch the Solo Nationals Morning Show, a daily video presentation beginning around 7:10 a.m. CDT where hosts keep everyone up to speed on the competition and interview special guests.

Photo by Rupert Berrington (After his performance Tuesday, Super Street R driver Ron Bauer could be on his way to a Tire Rack Solo Nationals Championship and National Tour Points Championship.)