Who Will Win the Runoffs? Production Category

The SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® Presented by Sunoco is (checks watch) ONLY A WEEK AWAY! The Sept. 29-Oct. 5, 2025, winner-take-all championship event will see hundreds of racers head to Plymouth, WI, for a battle at the historic Road America circuit, with its 4.048 miles and 14 corners challenging some of the best drivers in the world.

But who will win the races?

From now until tires hit the asphalt, let’s build some excitement by upholding the longstanding tradition of SCCA’s SportsCar® magazine by looking at who could win their classes at the Runoffs. We’ll begin with Production.

Made up of E, F, and H, the Production road racing category is one of SCCA’s most historic. That’s not to say these classes are made up exclusively of 60-year-old British cars. Yes, those are still competing, and some very successfully, but in recent decades, racers have put in the blood, sweat, and tears necessary to get more modern machinery up front. The battles that have erupted are as incredible as they are inspiring.

If you can’t find a car in one of the Production classes that gets your blood flowing, you’re not looking close enough – and you can get a good look during the Oct. 4-5 Hagerty Race Days when the National Championship races are streamed live on SCCA’s YouTube channel.

Before we jump in with our predictions, there are a few links you’ll want to keep on hand:

E Production

The E Production “Who Will Win?” article begins and ends with Tyler Ladd – whether that comes true or not is almost irrelevant at this point.

Ladd is the defending National Champion in the class, sure, which gives him a leg up. The BMW he drives has now won the Runoffs five consecutive times with three different drivers. The car, which both Greg Ira and Jesse Prather drove to titles, carried over to Ladd a year ago and continued to roll. Ladd proved his ability to handle that pressure and comes back to do it again this season.

That’s not to say we shouldn’t run the race – far from it. John Hainsworth has made himself a perennial contender everywhere he goes in his Mazda RX-7, and last year he was in the hunt before a front suspension failure sidelined him. John Brakke still a Road America expert, which makes him a threat. We’re putting them on the podium with Ladd as our pick.

Yet that’s not the end of the list. Austin Bradshaw’s RX-7 moved around Peter Norton’s Caterham early in the race last year to earn a podium, and both will be somewhere in the mix.

But we said this article starts and ends with Ladd, and that’s true. The road to the E Production gold medal goes around Tyler Ladd and that BMW until proven otherwise.

F Production

The only driver in this series unhappy to get a call as the pick to win was Kevin Ruck.

Actually, that’s not entirely true – Kevin Ruck’s wife and kids were hoping we’d ignore him this year, as Ruck has seen heartbreaking mechanical issues eliminate him from contention.

But we don’t believe in curses – we’re a collection of knuckleheads who type on a keyboard. Focusing on the positives, the two-time National Champion has managed three podium finishes in the last four years. Last year, he led 12 and a half laps before heartbreak hit. We have confidence in Ruck’s Acura Integra and its ability to go the distance this year. So to wife Carrie: We’ll have Spotted Cow ready on Saturday afternoon, but only to chase the bubbly.

But let’s look at the other possibilities…you know, just in case.

The first question to answer is how the cars formerly known as GT-Lite integrate into the class. So far this season, the answer appears to be “very well” – we’re keeping an eye on Chris Bovis for that very reason. The 2024 GTL silver medalist by just 0.353sec really excels at Road America, but he’s good everywhere – his three National Championship titles have come at three different tracks. Jon Goodale is a former GTL podium finisher and carries the banner in his updated machine as well.

Mason Workman picked up the pieces from last year’s chaotic race to earn his first title, and that momentum will carry through to this year. We think Mason’s on the podium with Ruck and Bovis.

We also won’t count out Stephen Simonds, Ken Kannard, and Michael Lewis for runs at the podium and beyond.

H Production

Four wins in his last four appearances at the Runoffs makes Jesse Prather the easy pick in H Production, especially when the most recent one is a class victory last year in his Mazda2.

Though he led every lap, Prather was still only 0.208sec ahead of Chuck Mathis at the finish – but if time has taught us anything, it’s that Prather’s car will be improved over a season ago. We think Prather will hoist the big trophy for the eighth time in his career. That eighth one is important in the Prather family – he’ll match his father’s Runoffs victories with another win.

If someone else takes the crown this year, though, there’s a clear strategy behind it. Mathis is back, joined by his posse of Volkswagen-driving buddies in Chris Schaafsma and Chris Albin. The VWs will likely work together to keep the gap close and try to capitalize on their opportunities.

Speaking of historically good, nine-time National Champion Steve Sargis has been on the podium in each of the past five years, and somehow seems to be getting quicker. Can the Triumph Spitfire grab yet another title? Nobody should ever count Sargis out.

Matt Brannon was fourth last year in his Fiat X 1/9 after a battle with Albin for the position and he’ll certainly be aiming for that podium.

We’ll be there to see how it all shakes out.

Photos by Jeff Loewe

Like (0) Dislike (0)