Every race feels special over the two Hagerty Race Days at the 62nd SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® Presented by Sunoco at Wisconsin’s Road America. But the Spec Racer® Ford Gen3 (SRF3) contest is always among the most anticipated.
Tire Rack Pole Award winner Bobby Sak, a two-time SRF3 National Champion, led a field of 42 cars to the start of Saturday’s winner-take-all contest at America’s National Park of Speed in Elkhart Lake. The gaggle of drivers started two abreast, and pretty much remained that way through the first three corners of the 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit.
Drivers sorted into a single-file line down the Moraine Sweep at the opening of the 13-lap event. Sak had the lead with Caleb Roethel slotting second. But at Canada Corner, veteran SRF3 ace Brian Schofield drove his No. 61 PM Racing SCCA Enterprises SRF3 machine by Roethel. Sak then fell to third after Schofield and Roethel pushed by up the front straight. Trying to get back into the draft, Sak made light contact with another competitor with the right front of his car but kept control and continued on at speed.
Position swapping defined the early laps in the SRF3 race. Roethel led briefly but spun in Canada Corner on lap three, taking himself out of contention. Sak made slight contact while avoiding the spinning car and lost only a couple of spots. Tyler Stephens, in the No. 105 Hallett Race Shop/Sabelt car, then took a turn at the front for a few laps with Caleb Shrader tucked right behind in what was a 10-car pack.
The sixth lap saw Shrader pop to the front, Schofield moved to second and Stephens sat third. The lead pack was only seven cars by the next lap after Schofield and Stephens dropped Shrader to third, followed by Morgan Burkhard, Simon Gamble and Sak.
At the race’s halfway point, things settled down a bit up front until the penultimate lap. The lead pack had decreased to just five cars with Schofield being chased by Shrader, Sak, Stephens and Burkhard. On the last lap going into Turn 1, Stephens and Burkhard went by Sak. Out front, Schofield took a defensive position going into Canada Corner, and that bunched up the five drivers still in the hunt.
Turn 14 — the final corner at America’s National Park of Speed — saw Schofield still out front. The only thing that remained was a climb up a hill to the finish line. Shrader, however, got a great run out of the last corner and reached the checkered flag first, just 0.012 second ahead of Schofield. Stephens secured third.
A member of SCCA’s Oregon Region, Shrader travelled 2,100 miles to drive the No. 99 Consonus Healthcare car to his very first SRF3 National Championship. In pitlane after the race, he popped off his helmet and pumped his hands in the air with great zeal.
“This is one of the best days of my life,” Shrader said before heading to the victory podium to collect a bottle from Mazza Wines, the Official Sparkling Wine supplier to SCCA. “I knew it was going to be a run to the line … so I just waited until the last straight, got an amazing run, and it worked out perfectly.”
Saturday’s result was Schofield’s fourth runner-up finish in 20 Runoffs appearances. Perhaps the two gold medals he claimed in the past made Saturday’s result a bit more palatable.
“Caleb and I have been running all week together,” Schofield said after the race. “He showed poise and just pushed me. I just knew it was going to be a barnburner on the last lap.”
Stephens was breathless during a post-race interview, absolutely thrilled to be visiting the victory podium once again. His first Runoffs appearance was in 2024, where he earned a bronze medal, and he repeated the feat again this year.
“This was one of the toughest weekends I’ve ever had,” Stephens said. “I’ve got to say thank you to the mechanics and the whole team. They worked their butts off.”
Burkhard finished fourth, and Sak fifth. The Sunoco Hard Charger award went to Matt Gray, who started 32nd and finished in the 17th 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 Spec Racer Ford 3 race at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Sunoco; with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
1, (5), Caleb Shrader, Oregon Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
2, (4), Brian Schofield, Central Florida Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
3, (6), Tyler Stephens, Lone Star Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
4, (10), Morgan Burkhard, Washington DC Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
5, (1), Bobby Sak, Detroit Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
6, (14), James Goughary, Florida Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
7, (7), Peyton Long, Arkansas Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
8, (3), Simon Gamble, Chicago Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
9, (18), Liam Kerper, Glen Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
10, (16), Cliff White, Tennessee Valley Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
11, (11), Zach Della, Milwaukee Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
12, (21), Chris Jennerjahn, Indianapolis Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
13, (9), Todd Vanacore, Central Florida Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
14, (8), Robeson Clay Russell, Central Carolinas Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
15, (17), Ben Jacobs, Milwaukee Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
16, (28), Scott Monroe, Houston Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
17, (32), Matt Gray, Land O'Lakes Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
18, (24), Rob Pielsticker, Colorado Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
19, (22), Jon McClintock, Oregon Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
20, (27), Sam Schechter, Washington DC Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
21, (34), Steven Greenhill, Chicago Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
22, (29), Craig Chase, New England Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
23, (25), EJ Abed, San Francisco Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
24, (20), Tom Burt, Northwest Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
25, (37), Russell King, Land O'Lakes Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
26, (36), Peter Jankovskis, Chicago Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
27, (40), Nick Heinig, Northeast Oklahoma Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
28, (38), Richard Herman, Washington DC Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
29, (42), Thomas Kirchman, New England Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
30, (43), Andrea King, Land O'Lakes Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
31, (41), Douglas Cox, Colorado Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 13.
32, (33), Mark Hutchins, Nebraska Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
33, (31), Andre Perra, Oregon Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
34, (35), Scott Barr, Milwaukee Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
35, (19), Steven Rehkemper, Chicago Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
36, (2), Caleb Roethel, Milwaukee Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 8.
DNF, (26), Grant Heinig, Northeast Oklahoma Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 5.
DNF, (15), Jackson Diehl, Tennessee Valley Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 3.
DNF, (12), John Black, San Francisco Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 3.
DNF, (13), Justin Claucherty, Detroit Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 3.
DNF, (30), Mark Greb, Iowa Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 3.
DNF, (39), Dwight Rider, Colorado Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 2.
DNF, (23), John Janssen, Land O'Lakes Region, SCCA Ent SRF3, 0.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 52.62 miles
Overall Time of Race: 32:49.821 (96.174 mph)
Margin of Victory: 00.012 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:29.839 (97.256 mph)
Lap Leaders: #61, Laps 1, 6-12; #22, Lap 2; #105, Laps 3-5; #99, Lap 13
Sunoco Hard Charger: #64 Matt Gray
Photo by: Jay Bonvouloir
