Sunday’s final checkered flag at Watkins Glen International brought to a close the 2025 Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour® (HST). The 10-event series, which is part of the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program, got things cranking in Florida at Sebring International Raceway back in January. The last stop then took place June 27-29, 2025, in New York at an event hosted by SCCA’s Glen Region.
Under mostly sunny skies with temperatures peaking in the low 80-degree range, racers across all seven run groups took to the undulating 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit for contests that were either 35 minutes or 14 laps in duration. What waited for the top three finishers in each class was a trip to victory circle where they claimed trophies and commemorative bottles of Mazza Vineyards sparkling wine.
Birthday Boy Enjoys Variety
Perhaps best known as a very competitive Spec Miata driver and founder of the X-Factor Racing prep shop, Chris Haldeman has actually participated in a bunch of car classes since 2009 when he joined the Club. He has competed in Touring 2, Touring 3, Touring 4, Super Tour Lite, Super Touring Under, GT-2, and even B-Spec.
“I don’t think there’s anything made that I wouldn’t race,” said the member of SCCA’s Texas Region. “I’ll drive anything when opportunities present themselves.”
This year Haldeman further expanded his HST class experience by joining the E Production (EP) fray. His campaign started back in January at Sebring International Raceway, continued at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in May, and resumed this weekend at Watkins Glen in the No. 28 Sunoco/X-Factor Racing Mazda MX-5 machine – a car he also uses in the IMSA Mazda MX-5 Cup series.
“It seemed like a fun class, and a good way to use SCCA events to get track time in my Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup car,” Haldeman said of his decision to run in the Production class. “So, this started as a way to get track time, but now it’s a full-on Runoffs push.”
The decision to go for an EP National Championship may very well be a result of the experience Haldeman has had this year. He finds the class to be fast with rules that allow for development of a car, which are two items Haldeman appreciates greatly.
“What keeps me going? I guess just sheer grit,” Haldeman admitted. “I don’t know much other than racing, and I’m too old to start over. If I’m not at a race track then I’m in the shop, seven days a week.”
Saturday was Haldeman’s 50th birthday, and he celebrated by finishing third in EP. On Sunday, Haldeman let fellow Texan Denny Stripling make a run in the MX-5 machine, which concluded with another third-place trophy. Both EP races at The Glen were won by John Hainsworth in the No. 95 Turf Trade/Max-Attack/Hoosier/Carbotech Mazda RX-7 car.
Lotus Position is First
This is the first season Richard Astacio, of SCCA’s New England Region, has been part of Super Touring Under (STU) competition. He has raced in several other classes since joining the Club in 2014 – including Super Touring Lite, Spec MX-5, Touring 4 and Spec Miata – but it’s safe to say this is his best HST season ever.
Going into Watkins Glen this weekend Astacio had already claimed six STU victories, as well as a runner-up finish back in January at Sebring International Raceway. A lot of that might come down to the No. 80 Krugspeed Lotus Exige he’s now wielding.
“This is the first year I’m not racing a Miata,” Astacio said. “The Lotus, obviously, is a faster car. But what I learned in Spec Miata … all the racecraft and getting used to being around other cars has made me feel comfortable in the Lotus.”
That’s not to say the Lotus didn’t require some getting used to. The first race he slid into the machine was at Homestead-Miami Speedway thanks to Alex Krugman. Things, however, didn’t go super smoothly right out the gate. Astacio struggled as the ABS was disconnected, the brake balance wasn’t what he was used to, and he even spun the car twice moving in a straight line.
Not one to give up, Astacio stuck with it and things have been working out to say the least. In fact, he became such a fan of the Lotus that he actually bought a second one.
“The Lotus is a great, balanced car,” Astacio said. “Going up against Mustangs, Audis and these other cars with turbos, I make up my speed in the corners by being agile and light. And I learned how to work with that in Spec Miata.”
Astacio spent time leading STU races Saturday and Sunday at The Glen. But it was teammate Anthony Geraci who earned both victories in the No. 1 Krugspeed Lotus Exige. Astacio did make it to the victory podium both days, claiming the runner-up spot Saturday and third place on Sunday.
Campbell Can’t Quit
Last year Charlie Campbell, of SCCA’s Mohawk Hudson Region, was thinking about calling it quits as far as his serious racing efforts. And who could blame him after more than two decades of having #funwithcars. But sure enough, Charlie was out at Watkins Glen in the No. 89 Campbell Brothers Racing/Jesse Prather Motorsports/Hoosier/Carbotech Mazda Miata to soak up more F Production (FP) excitement with his brother, Tom Campbell, during this weekend’s HST gathering.
Charlie had planned to sell his Spec Miata, and Tom the FP car driven by his brother, after last year’s Runoffs. But when they were packing up and preparing to head home from Road America, Charlie decided he just couldn’t let go of the FP machine that has been in the family for years. So, he bought it from his brother and decided to just do ‘local’ races in 2025 – which incidentally is his 25th year of Road Racing with the Club.
“Running two cars for 14 years was a lot,” Charlie said. “So, I sold the Spec Miata and got rid of all the parts. That part of my life is done.
“I want to keep driving,” Charlie continued. “But I want to go back to having fun with Regions.”
Watkins Glen, Pitt Race and Nelson Ledges are all short distances from where Charlie lives in Pennsylvania. For giggles, he began his season back in May at Pitt Race during a U.S. Majors Tour event. He then did a Regional race weekend in May at Watkins Glen before returning to the circuit this weekend for HST’s visit. The rest of the year will be more Regional appearances at Nelson Ledges and Pitt Race … with the 2025 Runoffs being off the table.
… or maybe not …
Tom, who now volunteers his time as a Steward, pointed out that Charlie’s participation this year would technically qualify him for the 2025 National Championship Runoffs presented by Sunoco at Road America in Wisconsin. Charlie swears it’s not in his plans, but then muttered, “Well, it’s not the goal. But … .”
Whatever the future holds, Charlie was sharp as always this weekend. He finished in the runner-up spot both days to reigning FP National Champion Mason Workman in the No. 52 Hoosier/Planet Miata/Carbotech Mazda Miata.
Sunday Race Winners
Below are provisional race winners from Sunday’s Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour at Watkins Glen International in New York. Each entry includes Car Class: Driver Name, SCCA Region, and Car. An asterisk (*) denotes drivers with a weekend sweep in the class.
American Sedan®: Gregory Eaton, Washington DC Region, Ford Mustang
*B-Spec: Richard Hromin, Washington DC Region, Mini Cooper
*E Production: John Hainsworth, South Jersey Region, Mazda RX-7
*F Production: Mason Workman, Ohio Valley Region, Mazda Miata
H Production: Vincent LaManna, Finger Lakes Region, Volkswagen Rabbit
*Formula Atlantic®: Tony Ave, Central Carolinas Region, Swift 016 Mazda 2300
*Formula Continental®: Peter Vajda, Arizona Region, Van Diemen RF97
*Formula Enterprises® 2: Caleb Shrader, Oregon Region, SCCA Enterprises FE2 Mazda
*GT-1: Michael McAleenan, Northwest Region, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo
*GT-2: John Weisberg, Finger Lakes Region, Chevrolet Camaro
GT3U: Tony Rivera, San Diego Region, Mazda RX-3
*Spec Miata: Francisco Barroso, Florida Region, Mazda Miata
Spec MX-5: Ethan Jacobs, Milwaukee Region, Mazda MX-5
Spec Racer® Ford Gen3: Charles Russell Turner, Washing DC Region, SCCA Enterprises SRF3
Prototype: Todd Parks, New England Region, Critter CSR1
*Super Touring® Lite: Craig McHaffie, New England Region, Mazda MX-5
*Super Touring® Under: Anthony Geraci, New York Region, Lotus Exige
*Touring 1: James Candelaria, Northern New Jersey Region, Chevrolet Corvette
Touring 2: Bruce Griffin, Central Florida Region, Chevrolet Corvette Z06
*Touring 3: Marshall Mast, Philadelphia Region, Ford Mustang
Touring 4: Marc Cefalo, Northeastern Pennsylvania Region, Mazda RX-8
Next Up: 2025 Runoffs at Road America
The HST ‘regular’ season has now come to a close. The series’ trusty Bravo Trailer travelled nearly 11,000 miles this year, traversing the country and delivering SCCA wheel-to-wheel racing to 10 different race tracks. Now, focus shifts to the 2025 National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco happening this fall in Wisconsin at Road America.
While HST competition is done, drivers still have some time and plenty of opportunity to meet Runoffs qualification criteria. Participation at U.S. Majors Tour® weekends is one way to achieve the necessary criteria, and there are plenty of those events still on the calendar all the way through the end of August.
If you’d like to relive this year’s HST thrills, on-demand video playback of all races is available at the SCCA YouTube channel. Additionally, find Watkins Glen victory podium celebration videos for 30 days at the SCCA Road Racing Facebook page.
Lastly, a giant ‘thank you’ goes out to all the partners that make HST possible. That includes Hagerty, Hawk Performance, Sunoco, Tire Rack, Bravo Trailers, Summit Racing Equipment, Mazza Vineyards – and certainly Hoosier Racing Tire, of course.
Photo: Anthony Geraci (orange Lotus) leads teammate Richard Astacio (yellow Lotus) in STU competition during Hoosier Super Tour’s visit to The Glen.
Photo by Jeff Loewe
