The penultimate Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour® (HST) stop of 2025 wrapped up Sunday during the 70th consecutive running of the WeatherTech Chicago Region® June Sprints®. Part of the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program, the June 6-8 visit to Road America in Wisconsin included a total of 10 run groups. Three of those conducted races Saturday, and the other seven had 13-lap or 45-minute contests Sunday.
The final day of competition opened with 25-minunte qualifying sessions for two run groups. After that, the tension ramped up as this year’s June Sprints were conducted in a single-race format. That’s one chance for all the marbles, which had been the legendary event’s format for its first 60 years.
Mother Nature made things even more interesting as a storm crossed over America’s National Park of Speed midway through the day and put down plenty of water to challenge drivers and teams. In the end, only the most talented of racers made victory podium appearances to claim unique trophy plaques and commemorative bottles of Mazza Vineyards sparkling wine – or grape juice in plenty of cases for those under 21 years old.
Kings Keep Coming
SCCA Road Racing plays a part in the wedded bliss of Andrea and Russell King, members of SCCA’s Land O’Lakes Region. The couple fell in love with motorsport watching races at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota, then joined the Club in 2016 having decided to get into the action.
Since earning their competition licenses in 2018, the duo has been involved in Spec Racer Ford Gen3 (SRF3) competition and were part of the mix this weekend at Road America, as well as several other HST events this year. Andrea was in the No.08 SRG Autosport/Joe Pelican Motorsports car, and Russell piloted the No. 12 SRG Autosport/Joe Pelican Motorsports machine.
“What I like about the Spec Racer Ford is that it is a spec class,” Andrea said. “So, it’s really just about driver ability. So, I can just focus on how I drive the car as opposed to racing some other driver’s wallet.”
Russell also noted that an additional benefit to being in the SRF3 community are the friendships built over the years. However, that involvement can be a slippery slope to more fun.
“Now we have four cars!” Andrea exclaimed.
Yes, beyond their SRF3 escapades at the June Sprints, the Kings engaged in Touring competition. For Andrea it was Touring 3 (T3) in the No. 08 SRG Autosport/Joe Pelican Motorsports BMW 330ci, and Russell saw action in Touring 2 driving the No. 12 SRG Autosport/Joe Pelican Motorsports BMW M2 CSR.
No matter which class, you can always identify Andrea on track. The paint scheme for both her cars mimics the blue and orange ‘Gulf’ livery used by Porsche in 1970. Russell’s cars are equally easy to spot as they have the ‘Martini’ design from the same era.
It was a busy Sunday for the Kings as their races were back-to-back on the schedule, but they powered through admirably. They each started the SRF3 race, which was won by Peyton Long in the No. 52 Hallett Race Shop machine. Then they immediately went back on track again to produce top five finishes in their respective classes.
Mustang Man
Fan allegiance runs deep when it comes to manufacturers and motorsport. There’s Ford vs. Ferrari, Audi vs. Peugeot, and be very wary of Ford vs. Holden atop Bathurst’s Mt. Panorama if ever in Australia.
There’s no loyalty question for Robert Damler of SCCA’s Indianapolis Region. When it comes to having #funwithcars, he’s forged ahead with Ford, Ford, Ford.
“My first car in high school was a 1966 Ford Mustang,” Damler said. “My first race car that I purchased in 2020 was also a 1966 Ford Mustang.”
The racecar Damler drove in T3 this weekend at the June Sprints? That was the No. 121 Ford Mustang. And to put a convenient bow on this theme, he recently purchased a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible for summer driving pleasure.
A longtime Indy 500 fan and attendee, he fell in love with racing at an early age. In 2019, his email inbox got a message that noted Skip Barber Racing School was coming to Indy. So, what better way to live a dream than going through racing school on Indy’s road course?
A few more racing schools later and SCCA Road Racing license achieved, he found a package deal that included a trailer, pickup truck and the ’66 Mustang racecar. So off Damler went into SCCA Regional Racing for #funwithcars.
“If I wanted to race more events, I’d need to get a car that would class more frequently than just Regionals,” Damler was told by senior SCCA racers. “I ended up getting an ’05 Mustang from Phoenix Performance out of the Pennsylvania area.”
Playing this year with HST, Damler is enjoying the experience. He is meeting more people and having fun racing with them regularly.
“I’m not at the front of the pack, for certain,” Damler said. “But I do enjoy having people out there to race against.”
Sunday’s T3 race was won by Stephen Johnson in the No. 2 Blue River Concrete/The Peanut Nissan 370Z. Damler finished seventh and was all smiles in impound afterwards while leaning on his Mustang.
Team Building
There are several ways to get involved in wheel-to-wheel racing with SCCA. Some people build a racecar from the ground up, others purchase a ready-to-run vehicle, and lots of people find arrive-and-drive to be their best choice. Then there’s what team Sheets, from SCCA’s Mahoning Valley Region, are in the process of doing. They are starting their own team from scratch.
Robert Sheets has been in to motorsports for most of his life, but his background is with motorcycles. When he was thinking about getting his son, Carter, involved in the sport, his wife insisted it had to be something with more than two wheels.
Carter, now 18 years old, jumped into karting first. Now, the father-son duo is exploring racecars, starting with Formula Continental (FC) and the No. 03 Layke MotorSports Van Diemen F2000. While he has a year’s experience running Regional and other events, this is Carter’s first year competing at HST gatherings – the first taking place earlier this year at Road Atlanta where he swept FC victories.
“As the first car I’ve officially raced, it’s awesome and I love it,” Carter said about his Van Diemen. “It’s a blast to drive and the handling is just amazing.”
Layke MotorSports is a five-member team helmed by Robert. Joining the team as Head Engineer is Rick Hayes, who has 30 years of FC experience. Also lending a hand at some race weekends is Jim Kearney, who has coached numerous SCCA racers.
“Having a race team kind of fits with our life,” Robert said. “And if you want to have the most success you can possibly have, you’ve got to get people around who know more than you.”
Of course, Robert has been learning a lot about the SCCA Road Racing community over the last year. One thing that has struck him is the difference in atmosphere between an SCCA paddock vs. kart paddocks. SCCA is much more welcoming and enjoyable as compared to karting where many teams and drivers hold their cards close to the vest.
"There are a lot of people in SCCA who are really ready to help you do things,” Robert said. “Everybody wants to get everybody on the track. In the karting world everyone was real secretive.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned with SCCA is that you should be ready to go ask for help,” Robert continued. “The best advice I can give to others is don’t hide in your corner. Be ready to go out and ask questions and meet people.”
Carter and Robert are excited about the future. They’ll continue building the team, bringing friends along on an adventure that will include a first-time appearance at the Road America Runoffs in fall.
This weekend at the June Sprints, Carter’s development continued in a field stacked with talent. He came home fourth in a race won by Brandon Dixon in the No. 07 Hoosier Citation F2000 car.
Sunday Race Winners
Below are provisional race winners from Sunday’s WeatherTech Chicago Region June Sprints at Road America, part of the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour series and Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program. Each entry includes Car Class: Driver Name, SCCA Region, and Car.
American Sedan®: Gregory Eaton, Washington DC Region, Ford Mustang
Formula 600: James Weida, Indianapolis Region, Scorpion W1
Formula Atlantic®: Hans Peter, Kansas City Region, Swift 016
Formula Continental®: Brandon Dixon, Alabama Region, Citation F2000
Formula F: Ethan Tovo, Chicago Region, Mygale FF E
Formula Vee®: Steve Whitston, Milwaukee Region, Volkswagen Protoform
GT-1: Michael McAleenan, Northwest Region, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo
GT-2: Justin Elder, Land O’Lakes Region, Chevrolet Camaro
GT3U: Rob Warkocki, Chicago Region, Mazda RX-7
Spec Miata: Brett Kowalski, Pan American Region, Mazda Miata
Spec MX-5: Matthew Novak, Chicago Region, Mazda MX-5
Spec Racer® Ford Gen3: Peyton Long, Arkansas Region, SCCA Enterprises SRF3
Super Touring® Lite: Mike Taylor, Atlanta Region, Acura Integra
Super Touring® Under: Peter Cunningham, Milwaukee Region, Honda Civic TCR
Touring 1: Brian Goodman, New England Region, BMW M3
Touring 2: Charlie Peter, Kansas City Region, BMW M2 CS
Touring 3: Stephen Johnson, Kansas City Region, Nissan 370Z
Touring 4: Ethan Barker, Houston Region, Mazda MX-5
One Then Done for 2025
Nine of 10 HST meetups for 2025 are now in SCCA’s history book. The dependable Bravo Trailer that shuttles the series across the country is already prepared for its final project taking place June 27-29 at Wakins Glen International in New York, a confab hosted by SCCA’s Glen Region.
The Glen is where competitors have one last chance to position themselves prominently in the Hoosier Super Tour Nationwide Point Standings prior to 2025’s National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco. Efforts at Watkins Glen could be a determining factor in claiming an HST Nationwide Points Championship, or even a coveted Super Sweep.
Driver registration is open for that event, as is Volunteer registration. Come out and experience a world-class track, beautiful facility, and comradery at the legendary Seneca Lodge.
Before then, relive June Sprints action thanks to on-demand video playback of races available at the SCCA YouTube channel. Additionally, find June Sprints victory podium celebration videos for 30 days at the SCCA Road Racing Facebook page.
Photo: Brandon Dixon powered through the wet to claim Formula Continental victory in the No. 07 Hoosier Citation F2000.
Photo by Rick Corwine
