Who Will Win the Runoffs? AS, BS, STL, STU

Last week, we presented you with a series of articles where we pondered who would win the 2025 SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® Presented by Sunoco, which is taking place Sept. 29-Oct. 5 at the incredible Road America racing circuit. You can check out those other articles by clicking here – and you can check out this article by continuing to read on…

We’re going to look at who will be the top contenders in some of the most exciting classes at the Runoffs: American Sedan, B-Spec, Super Touring® Lite, and Super Touring Under. Picking potential winners, though, is no simple task, as these races are never straightforward.

From American muscle to tiny compacts, engine-swapped imports, and forced-induction monsters, these classes offer it all – and they do it with flair, as the drivers are every bit as enthusiastic as the cars they pilot. Maybe it’s because of this that picking a potential winner is all but impossible.

Fortunately, we don’t know the meaning of the word “impossible.”

Before you read on, there are a few links you’ll want at your fingertips. With these, you’ll know who’s racing, when they’re racing, and how you can watch as the action unfolds live, because the Runoffs races during both Hagerty Race Days will be broadcast live on SCCA’s YouTube channel, and you won’t want to miss a moment.

American Sedan

At the time we're writing this, there are 11 entries in American Sedan (AS) for the 2025 Runoffs, but the field of drivers who could win the race is quite deep. Road America is a track that offers these V8-powered American cars some long straights in which to stretch their legs and run, as well as some exciting braking zones and opportunities for creative race craft.

We think Greg Eaton is well positioned to come back from a heartbreaking disqualification at last year's event and take the championship this year. In 2024, Eaton led every lap of the race, with Daniel Richardson right behind him the whole way. With three prior AS championships to his credit, including one at Road America in 2020, Eaton has more than proven he's got what it takes. Among other things, Eaton is currently leading the Hoosier Super Tour standings, and could parlay that into a Super Sweep.

In second place, we expect to see the defending National Champion Daniel Richardson, who will be looking for his third championship in a row. With a career in AS stretching back to 2010, Richardson is certainly capable of finding his way around Eaton and bringing home the gold.

James Jost is our selection for third place, and he has a single past championship medal from 2021 at Indianapolis. He ended in second place last year, and will absolutely be a force to contend for the lead.

Also on the entry list is Andy McDermid. With eight championships and a Runoffs career stretching back to SSGT in 1990, it would be foolish to count him out. He qualified third in last year's AS grid, so the podium is well within his reach.

B-Spec

Predicting the outcome of a B-Spec race is a perilous endeavor, but we think Rich Hromin has what it will take to make his third consecutive climb to the top step of the podium this year. The twist is, he'll do it in a new Mazda2 race car instead of his traditional Mini Cooper.

"The Mini is actually the best handling car, but what's happened is the change to the Goodyear tires,” Hromin said. “What we pulled off last year was a little bit of a miracle, so we think the Mazda will be faster for us than the Minis were."

B-Spec is now an established class, and it’s attracting some serious driver talent.

"I think it's going to be anyone's race this year with the way things went down," Hromin said. "Anything can happen, you know. Rain can change everything, or an accident can change everything."

With the new tires, we asked Hromin what models he thinks will be the hot rides this year.

"The Chevy Sonics are very strong this year with Stewart Black and Josh Schmidt. But my teammate Dan Conway is going to be just as strong in the Mazda2, as long as we get his car fixed in time. Eric Yagel is going to be strong as well in the Honda Fit. Any of those guys could win – and who knows, there might even be a surprise out there from somebody else. We don't know yet."

Schmidt is currently leading in the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour points race, but that's not always a good predictor of success at the Runoffs. At press time, B-Spec is showing 19 entries, with strong driver histories. Black and Yagel followed up Hromin last year, but there are also smart drivers like Stephanie Andersen who know how to pop to the front at the right time.

Super Touring Lite

The Runoffs grid for Super Touring Lite (STL) won't be the same without Danny Steyn's shining Miata on the front row (or maybe second row…but nah, front row). The three-time National Champion Steyn is still recovering from his Spec Miata crash at last year's Runoffs. Five-time champion Joe Moser will also be absent this year. That leaves the defending National Champion Jose Osiris Peña in a very attractive spot to back up his 2024 win with a repeat performance.

"I think coming from last year as a National Champion is good, but I never like to put myself too high," said Peña, ever the gentleman. "I'm working hard, and we've improved a little bit more. The car is always getting sharper."

Still, we don't crown the champions until after the race, and there are plenty of heavy hitters who want the top step of the podium as much as Peña.

"There are good contenders this year," Peña said. "I have had good battles with Jon Sewell; he's coming up on the ladder. Mike Taylor as well. I think Nick Leverone is going to be in the mix." Currently, Sewell leads the class in the Hoosier Super Tour.

Asked about the particulars of racing at Road America in STL, Peña stressed the need for a good setup that suits the track.

"Last year was the first year I raced at Road America," he said. "Getting the right setup for the Kink was my key to win the race. That's where I would catch Moser on every single lap after he passed me in the braking zone. So, I have improved the braking in my Honda CRX this year. When you set up correctly for the Kink, you have set up the whole track."

At this point, Peña is ready for the event and is just counting the days.

“I'm also excited about STU this year,” he said of the other class he’s competing at in the Runoffs this year. “That class has a lot of changes, so I'm excited about that one as well. But STL will be a fun race. It's the last of the Runoffs weekend this year, but it'll be fun."

Super Touring Under

It's hard to believe that Peter Cunningham has never won a Runoffs National Championship title, given that he's been successful in pro racing and also because he's been competing since before some of this year's hottest drivers were even born. His most recent and only prior appearances at the Runoffs happened in 1984 and 1988. But this year he's bringing some of that professional discipline to the Runoffs again, and we think it could be big medicine, which is why he’s our pick to win STU.

"Well, I think we'll find out soon enough [if we can win], but that's certainly our goal," Cunningham said.

Cunningham and a few other drivers are bringing TCR (FIA Touring Car Racing) machines to compete in STU at the Runoffs. This isn't a new tactic, and there's no guarantee a TCR-spec car can win, but it would be foolish not to think the pros will be contenders. We asked Cunningham what he thinks the main success factors will be.

"Road America is my home track, for one thing, so I have a lot of laps there," he said. "Our TCR car is good there compared to a tighter track. The Honda Civic is a pretty big car compared to some of the cars it races against. I think it could do well on the three long straightaways, but I think that it's fast enough in the corners to where some of the more nimble cars don't have quite the advantage."

Other drivers running TCR-spec cars this year include Rylan Hazelton and Taz Harvey, both capable and fast drivers, but neither have won a Runoffs championship.

Cunningham's most potent threat comes from Chip Herr, who will be looking for his third STU championship in a row. In four appearances at the Runoffs, Herr has never finished lower than second, and in 2023 he staged a comeback that was nothing short of amazing. After a first-lap shunt that left his Audi A4 stuck in the tire wall as the field went by, Herr marched back through the pack to claim his first SCCA National Championship. The ability to achieve that kind of recovery makes Herr a top contender in anyone's book.

Also in the mix will be José Osiris Peña, who is our pick to win his second championship in Super Touring Light this year, but he has also made the podium in STU three times over the past four years. Peña certainly has what it takes to run at the front, and if the race breaks his way, could take the championship.

Photos by Rick Corwine and Jeff Loewe

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