Charging Through: The Biggest Gains at the ’23 Runoffs

The best reason to race is to test yourself – but testing yourself doesn’t always mean winning the race. That’s why, once again, the Sunoco Hard Charger Award was presented during each and every race of the SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® at VIRginia International Raceway, which took place Sept. 23-Oct. 1, 2023.

The Sunoco Hard Charger goes to the driver in each race who gains the most positions from the start to the finish. And it’s no slouch of an award – a crisp $100 bill (in check form) goes to each of the finishers, assuming they signed up for the contingency program and ran the required Sunoco stickers. (As a side note, always sign up for every contingency program you may be eligible for, no matter if you expect to win it or not. You never know!)

Fill Up and Go!

There are as many stories behind the Sunoco Hard Charger winners at the 2023 Runoffs as there were races.

Matt Wolfe’s B-Spec week didn’t start the way he had hoped, and qualifying became a struggle. Though he took the green 19^th on the grid, the race turned much differently, and a couple of well-timed yellow flags helped him get all the way to sixth at the finish, where he led a pack of B-Spec cars across the stripe.

Or take young Jase Petty, for instance. This 14-year-old high school freshman had to change cars after the first qualifying session, leaving him just two sessions to get comfortable behind the wheel of the replacement Spec Racer® Ford Gen3. He landed 21^st on the grid, which is not too shabby in a field as deep as SRF3. But he made the most of it in the race, rocketing around two-time National Champion Clay Russell on the final lap to finish an incredible fifth.

And the Sunoco Hard Charger award isn’t all about top finishes. In Touring 4, John McClendon made his second Runoffs start and earned his second 18^th-place finish – but at the 2023 Runoffs, that was a six-place improvement from his grid position, earning him the Sunoco Hard Charger title. Similarly, Craig Haltom made up eight places in Formula Enterprises® 2, finishing 17^th and grabbing his share of the Sunoco Hard Charger award.

It’s an award that’s open to anybody – except, most of the time, the Tire Rack Pole Award winner.

The List

Following is the full list of Sunoco Hard Charger award winners from the 2023 National Championship Runoffs, listed by class, driver, car, start position, and finishing position.

- American Sedan®: Amy Aquilante, Pontiac Firebird, Started 7^th, Finished 3^rd- B-Spec: Matt Wolfe, Mazda2, Started 19^th, Finished 6^th
- E Production: Steve Eckerich, Mazda RX-8, Started 20^th, Finished 11^th
- F Production: Richard Gallup, Mazda Miata, Started 16^th, Finished 8^th
- H Production: Edward Werry, Honda Fit, Started 22^nd, Finished 13^th
- Formula 600: Jason Martin, Novakar J10/Suzuki, Started 3^rd, Finished 2^nd
- Formula Continental®: Glenn Cordova, Van Diemen RF04, Started 8^th, Finished 4^th
- Formula Enterprises® 2: Craig Haltom, Formula Enterprises/Mazda, Started 25^th, Finished 17^th
- Formula F: Robert Perona, Piper DF3D/Honda, Started 6^th, Finished 3^rd
- Formula Vee®: Stuart Delaney, Caracal C/Volkswagen, Started 24^th, Finished 13^th
- GT-2: Al Rowland, Chevrolet Camaro, Started 11^th, Finished 7^th
- GT-3: Zachary Hollingshead, Mazda Miata, Started 6^th, Finished 4^th
- GT-Lite: Chris Kopley, Mini Cooper, Started 8^th, Finished 5^th
- Prototype 1: John Manfroy, Stohr WF1/Suzuki, Started 10^th, Finished 5^th
- Prototype 2: AJ Snyder, Stohr WF1/Suzuki, Started 12^th, Finished 8^th
- Spec Miata: Jordan Rick Segrini, Mazda Miata, Started 26^th, Finished 12^th
- Spec Racer Ford® Gen3: Jase Petty, Spec Racer Ford, Started 21^st, Finished 5^th
- Super Touring® Lite: Brad Williams, Mazda Miata, Started 20^th Finished 16^th
- Super Touring Under: David Fiorelli, Ford Mustang, Started 10^th, Finished 4^th
- Touring 1: Dustin Cornell, Ford Mustang GT, Started 10^th, Finished 7^th
- Touring 2: Joe Boden, Porsche Carrera S, Started 8^th, Finished 7^th
- Touring 3: Travis Washay, Volkswagen GTI, Started 9^th, Finished 3^rd
- Touring 4: John McLendon, Mazda MX-5, Started 24^th, Finished 18^th