
An absolutely beautiful fall day greeted a field of 18 colorful B-Spec racecars as they kicked off the first of two Hagerty Race Days at Road America for the 62nd SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® Presented by Sunoco in Wisconsin.
Tire Rack Pole Award winner Josh Schmidt led everyone to the green flag, but Myles Goertz and Caleb Patrie moved around the outside in Turn 1 to drop Schmidt back. Then up the hill into Turn 6, 2024 B-Spec Champion Richard Hromin moved to the front spot.
The action took a short break on the second lap when a full-course yellow came out to address the car of Derrick Ambrose, which had a motor let go and pulled off track. At the restart on lap four, it was Hromin out front followed by Goertz, Schmidt, Eric Yagel, Patrie, Rob Piekarczyk and Daniel Conway.
One lap later, Goertz and Yagel hooked up at the end of Road America’s 4,405-foot frontstretch to get by Hromin into the first turn. By lap six, a five-car breakaway group was out front — Goertz, Yagle, Hromin, Patrie and Conway.
That’s when the fun really began for the 13-lap contest around Road America’s 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit. Yagel grabbed the lead down into Turn 5 after the Moraine Sweep straightaway, while Hromin and Goertz mixed it up behind with Patrie and Conway close in tow.
By lap 11, things started to get hectic. While Yagel stayed out front, Hromin dropped back as Patrie moved forward. On the penultimate lap, several drivers challenged Yagel into Turn 5, but the Houston Region racer regained the lead on corner exit in the No. 46 BFFIndy/Product 41/G-Loc Honda Fit.
On the final lap, a two-car breakaway formed as Goertz, in the No. 41 Honda Fit, made a valiant effort to secure the lead into Canada Corner. But Yagel got alongside Goertz moving out of the turn and reclaimed the top spot — one he held to the checkered flag for his first Runoffs victory in only his second attempt.
“This feels amazing. It’s like nothing else,” Yagel said through tears after the race. “Man, that was a hell of a race.”
Hromin, in the No. 1 RATSport/RP Performance/PAW Mazda 2, capitalized on the battle up front to slip past Goertz a few corners later and secured second place. It marked his second runner-up result in four Runoffs appearances, and his fourth trip to victory podium — where he again received a bottle from Mazza Wines, the Official Sparkling Wine supplier to SCCA.
“The strength of this car is at Turn 5, and that’s where I tried to make most of my moves,” Hromin said about the contest. “I wanted to keep the Hondas a little separated, and I wanted to stay in the mix, and it was a great race there at the end.”
After a hard-fought race, Goertz held on for third — his first podium appearance in four Runoffs appearances.
“This feels good,” he said about the result while wearing the bronze medal. “I’m the third generation of SCCA racers and we’re thrilled to be here.”
Patrie finished fourth in a Honda Fit, and Conway claimed fifth in his Mazda 2 machine. The Sunoco Hard Charger award went to J B Swan, who started 19th and finished in the 12th position.
The 62nd SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® Presented by Sunoco is the pinnacle of American amateur motorsports and crowns Sports Car Club of America™ Champions as part of the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program. In 2025, two Hagerty Race Days at Wisconsin’s Road America decide 23 gold-medal winners.
Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races is available over both competition days at SCCA’s Official YouTube Channel. Live timing and scoring for each race is also available at SCCA.com/live.
Below are final results for Saturday’s B-Spec race at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Sunoco; with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, SCCA Region, car, and laps completed.
1, (6), Eric Yagel, Houston Region, Honda Fit, 13.
2, (4), Richard Hromin, Washington, D.C. Region, Mazda 2, 13.
3, (2), Myles Goertz, Des Moines Valley Region, Honda Fit, 13.
4, (3), Caleb Patrie (Ebben), Milwaukee Region, Honda Fit, 13.
5, (5), Daniel Conway, Washington, D.C. Region, Mazda 2, 13.
6, (1), Josh Schmidt, North Carolina Region, Chevrolet Sonic, 13.
7, (12), Stephanie Andersen, Milwaukee Region, Mazda 2, 13.
8, (9), Blair Deffenbaugh, North Carolina Region, Honda Fit, 13.
9, (15), Chris Taylor, South Texas Boarder Region, Mazda 2, 13.
10, (10), Rob Piekarczyk, Northeast Ohio Region, Honda Fit, 13.
11, (11), Kent Carter, Houston Region, Mazda 2, 13.
12, (19), J B Swan, New England Region, Chevrolet Sonic, 13.
13, (16), Thomas Pendergrass, California Sports Car Club, Mini Cooper, 13.|
14, (18), Lee Davis, Detroit Region, Mini Cooper, 13.
DNF, (14), Gale Corley, Houston Region, Mazda 2, 4.
DNF, (8), Stewart Black, North Carolina Region, Chevrolet Sonic, 3.
DNF, (7), Ricky Holmstrom, Milwaukee Region, Mazda 2, 3.
DNF, (13), Derrick Ambrose, Oregan Region, Mazda 2, 1.
DNS, (17), Joseph Gersch, Houston Region, Toyota Yaris, 0.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 52.62 miles
Overall Time of Race: 40:11.414 (avg. 78.562 mph)
Margin of Victory: 00.333 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:53.613 (83.938 mph)
Lap Leaders: #1, Laps 1-4; #41, Lap 5; #46, Laps 6-13
Sunoco Hard Charger: #3 JB Swan
Photo by: Jay Bonvouloir