Sitting on the GT-1 Tire Rack Pole at the 62nd SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® Presented by Sunoco at Road America was Central Carolina Region’s Tony Ave. Driving his No. 44 Ave Motorsports/Hoosier/PME Chevrolet Camaro, Ave was the class of the field during both Runoffs qualifying days, putting roughly 1.5sec on second-place starter Dave Ruehlow in his Ruehlow Racing Chevrolet Camaro, with a few more ticks of the second hand to David Pintaric’s Ford Mustang, who started in third.
Ave’s four SCCA National Championship titles shined through during qualifying – and as everyone soon learned, they’d remain on display during the race, too.
The green flag flew on a warm Saturday morning, Oct. 4, 2025, as part of the third race in the first of two Hagerty Race Days – and when the starter showed that green, thousands of big-displacement horsepower was unleashed as the 14-car field rocketed into the very fast Turn 1.
Ave got the jump, but Ruehlow stayed close with Pintaric in tow. The three quickly broke away from the rest of the field, but of that trio, Ave showed the most speed — opening a gap, then extending it.. How fast was he? By the end of lap one, Ave had pulled 2.7 seconds clear of Ruehlow. Behind them was the increasingly distant Pintaric in third, with the remainder of the field little more than a speck in Ave’s mirrors.
Ruehlow was in hot pursuit for the duration of the race, but Ave appeared to be very cognizant of the gap, put the hammer down as needed to increase his margin. Pintaric, for his part, would throw down a lap that matched Ave’s pace, but deep into the race, his Mustang appeared to fade.
When the checkered flag waved after 13 laps, Ave’s margin of victory over Ruehlow stood at an impressive 21.488 seconds — sealing his fifth Runoffs gold medal.
“I was bummed last year – we didn't win and GT-1's kind of always been my favorite place, so we came back here really focused with this Ave/Riley that we built with Bill Riley,” said Ave after collecting his fifth Runoffs gold medal, moments before celebrating on victory podium by spraying a bottle of Mazza Wines (the Official Sparking Wine supplier of the SCCA). “I have to say, a couple guys that were super helpful to me throughout my career that we don't have any more Denny Lamers and Bob Riley. This is for those guys. They made everything I do possible over the years, and this was the last car that Bob designed.”
Ruehlow’s race was steady but solitary — but the result was appreciated.
“It's great to be on the podium,” he said on victory lane. “I gave it all I had, really. Tony pulled away and I kind of had a race out there by myself, but either way I’m proud of the team putting us up in second.”
Pintaric’s race was far from uneventful as McAleenan closed in on him entering the final lap. McAleenan’s Smith Alling PS/Love Group Racing Lamborghini Huracan was on it, and around Turn 8 of the final go-round of Road America’s 4.048-mile circuit, he slipped past Pintaric’s ailing car.
“I always knew [the GT3 cars] didn't have the legs for these guys, but you know, our whole game plan all year is consistent, we're there, and be there to finish, and I got a little bit lucky,” McAleenan said.
Pintaric finished fourth, with Michael Lewis in fifth. The Sunoco Hard Charger award went to Jason Fiorito, who started 12th and finished seventh.
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 GT1 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, (1), Tony Ave, Central Carolinas Region, Chevrolet Camaro, 13.
2, (2), Dave Ruehlow, Milwaukee Region, Chevrolet Camaro, 13.
3, (4), Michael McAleenan, Northwest Region, Lamborghini Huracan, 13.
4, (3), David Pintaric, Mahoning Valley Region, Ford Mustang, 13.
5, (5), Michael Lewis, Cal Club Region, Jaguar XKR, 13.
6, (6), Ryan McManus, Neohio Region, Chevrolet Corvette, 13.
7, (12), Jason Fiorito, Northwest Region, Dodge Challenger SRT, 13.
8, (9), Taz Harvey, San Francisco Region, Acura NSX GT3 EVO 22, 13.
9, (7), David Jans, Indiana Northwest Region, Ford Mustang, 13.
10, (10), David Fershtand, Texas Region, Chevrolet Corvette, 12.
11, (13), Dominic Martinolich, Northwest Region, Chevrolet Corvette, 12.
DNF, (8), Todd Peterson, Colorado Region, Ford Mustang, 1.
DNS, (11), Rocky Elli, Chicago Region, Chevrolet Corvette, 0.
DNS, (14), Daniel Speer, Chicago Region, Ford Mustang, 0.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 52.62 miles
Overall Time of Race: 27:28.684 (avg. 114.908mph)
Margin of Victory: 21.488 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:04.058 (117.468mph)
Lap Leaders: #44, Laps 1-13
Sunoco Hard Charger: #21 Jason Fiorito
Photo caption: Tony Ave cruised to his fifth Runoffs win with a dominating GT-1 performance.
Photo by: Jay Bonvouloir
