The three-day Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour (HST) party wrapped late Sunday afternoon at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The May 15-17, 2026, gathering hosted by SCCA’s Ohio Valley Region utilized the 2.4-mile, 15-turn circuit known as the Club Course. That layout included the old-school chicane prior to The Keyhole. It was HST’s sixth meetup in a season featuring nine events.
Part of the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program, HST action Sunday was all about competition. The entire day was filled with 35-minute or 20-lap contests for 25 different car classes spread across eight run groups. Top three finishers in each class walked away with trophies, commemorative bottles of Mazza Vineyards sparkling wine, and great memories to cherish for years to come.
OVR’s Mid-Ohio Maven
Pulling off an HST event requires a troop of Volunteers. The captain of that group for Ohio Valley Region (OVR) events at Mid-Ohio is and has been Jude Summers, recipient of a 1998 SCCA Worker of the Year award.
An SCCA member going on 40 years, Summers has played several different roles over time. She has more than 80 events to her credit where she filled some sort of Race Administration position. She has worked both Membership and Registration duties, and even edited OVR’s Observer Stand publication for a while.
“I wanted to give back to the SCCA because I’ve met so many people and they’re like family. The Club has brought a lot of joy to my life,” Summers said of her decision to devote so much time to SCCA.
“I believe in teams,” she added about her management style. “I want to help the area specialties and try to strengthen their teams. Everybody is important, and you treat everybody with respect. You give them leadership, you give them responsibilities, and they really appreciate it. And you appreciate them for all the work that they do. I think that is key in a lot of organizations that have volunteers.
“I personally love watching an event evolve from beginning to end,” Summers continued. “For a majority of events, I'm one of the first to arrive – especially if it’s SCCA. Then I'm one of, if not the last, to thank the track for its hospitality as I leave on Sunday night.”
Beyond SCCA activities, Summers also aids with pulling together Volunteers that play a role at pro events put on by IMSA, INDYCAR and NASCAR at Mid-Ohio.
“Through the years, I developed a working relationship with Mid-Ohio staff,” Summers noted. “As their management evolved, OVR had to evolve. Green Savoree needed a focal point for representing our organization as a whole and that’s the role I assumed as OVR Race Liaison.”
While Summers’ role is somewhat unique, it’s important to note that every single SCCA event around the country has countless members crafting an experience that ensures weekends run smoothly and safely. Members also get up close to the action, often mingling with drivers and getting exceptional access to wonderful cars and people.
SCCA strives to create opportunities for anyone who loves having #funwithcars. Interested in learning more? Just walk up to an SCCA Volunteer at any event and say “hello.” They’ll be happy to clue you in on how to get involved. A bunch more information can also be found by clicking here.
Flying in a Racecar
If there was an award for shortest tow to the track this weekend, Super Touring Under® (STU) driver Charley Baruth would win hands down. That’s because she and her husband, Jack, are Mid-Ohio’s neighbors. No, they don’t live in the next town over. The Baruth homestead literally shares a property line with the legendary circuit. And that is certainly fortunate for a woman who has fallen in love with motorsport.
Charley’s first passion was for flight. She got her pilot’s license when she was younger but stepped away from the hobby as life got busy. Fully intending to get back into the cockpit at some point down the road, that dream went away when she was significantly injured in a severe traffic accident.
“It took me quite a long time to recover from the crash,” she said.
About a year after that incident, Charley headed to Circuit of the Americas with her husband, who is an automotive journalist. They attended an event that allowed everyday people to drive street cars on the track used by Formula One. Turns out that getaway led to an epiphany.
“I’d never done anything like that before,” she said about the experience. “I had an incredible time. I loved it. I wasn’t too awful at it, and I came away from that weekend with a desire to do more on track.”
Shortly after that visit, Charley started participating in SCCA Solo. However, track driving kept calling. She soon bought a racecar and worked her way through the competition licensing process.
It was 2018 when Charley earned her license, and she started racing with SCCA a year later. This weekend at Mid-Ohio is her first race of the 2026 season, and she was chomping at the bit to get back on track.
“I really prefer SCCA’s racing format,” Charley said. “It feels like you get more on-track time. You have less noise throughout the day to deal with, so I’ve just started focusing on racing with SCCA.”
Charley has seen plenty of success at the Regional level and participated previously in U.S. Majors Tour® and HST events. But the STU class at Mid-Ohio this weekend was stacked with former and current Runoffs® winners, as well as drivers who have won plenty of previous HST races. That sort of challenge, however, doesn’t trouble Charley.
“I don’t think about that too much, to be honest,” she said of the competitor lineup. “I love to race. I just want to go out there and have some fun and give it all I can.
“When I’m racing, everything else disappears,” Charley continued. “Racing has been one of the greatest gifts of my life.”
Skillfully, Charley brought home her No. 76 Albany Autoworks Mazda MX-5 in one piece on both competition days at Mid-Ohio. Saturday’s very wet STU race was won by Chip Herr in the No. 19 Warwick Autopark/Carbotech/Hoosier/MCS/Roux Audi A4 car. Sunday’s dry, then wet STU contest was won by Tony Ave in the No. 144 Honda Civic.
Sunday Race Winners
Below are provisional race winners from Sunday’s Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Each entry includes Car Class: Driver Name, SCCA Region, and Car. An asterisk (*) denotes drivers with a weekend sweep in the class.
*American Sedan®: James Jost, Philadelphia Region, Ford Mustang GT
B-Spec: Chris Taylor, South Texas Border Region, Mazda 2
E Production: Jon Brakke, Land O'Lakes Region, BMW Z3
*F Production: Mason Workman, Ohio Valley Region, Mazda Miata
*H Production: Matt Brannon, Ohio Valley Region, Fiat X 1/9
*Formula Atlantic®: Reilly Harris, Neohio Region, Van Diemen DP04
*Formula Continental®: Chris Campanale, Detroit Region, Van Diemen RF05
Formula Enterprises® 2: Gian Buffomante, Chicago Region, SCCA Enterprises FE2 Mazda
*Formula 600: James Weida, Indianapolis Region, Scorpion W1
*Formula F: Jonathan Kotyk, Buccaneer Region, Mygale
*Formula Vee®: Andrew Whitston, Milwaukee Region, Protoform P2
*GT-1: David Pintaric, Mahoning Valley Region, Ford Mustang
GT-2: Zach Arnold, Northwestern Ohio Region, Porsche GT3 Cup
*GT-X: Madison Aust, Texas Region, Hyundai Elantra N TCR
*Prototype: Gary Peck, Blackhawk Valley Region, Stohr WF1
*Prototype 2: Richard Colburn, Cincinnati Region, Nostendo 1
*Spec Miata: Max Stallone, Texas Region, Mazda Miata
Spec MX-5: Camden Gruber, Washington DC Region, Mazda MX-5
Spec Racer® Ford Gen3: Peyton Long, Arkansas Region, SCCA Enterprises SRF3
Super Touring® Lite: Mike Taylor, Atlanta Region, Acura Integra
Super Touring® Under: Tony Ave, Central Carolinas Region, Honda Civic
*Touring 1: Brian Goodman, New England Region, BMW M3
*Touring 2: Chip Herr, Susquehanna Region, Audi RS3 LMS TCR
Touring 3: Nic Hammann, Kansas City Region, Nissan 370Z NISMO
*Touring 4: Madin Workman, Ohio Valley Region, Mazda MX-5
A Minute, Then the June Sprints
Hoosier Super Tour competitors have a moment to catch their breath before rolling into one of the biggest events of the year. That will be the June 5-7, 2026, Chicago Region® SCCA June Sprints® presented by WeatherTech at Road America in Wisconsin. As most know, that venue is where the 2026 National Championship Runoffs will also be held later this fall.
Driver and Volunteer registration is already open for what will be another fantastic affair in Elkhart Lake, WI, with two races this year for all competitors. Sign up now and make plans for what will be another stellar experience at America’s National Park of Speed.
Of course, action from the June Sprints will be offered live and online thanks to the free broadcast produced by DriversEye Live and available for free at SCCA’s YouTube page. Before then, however, relive the fun from Mid-Ohio on demand at the same YouTube page. Also, Sunday victory podium celebrations can be viewed at the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing Facebook page.
Photo: Tony Ave raced to Super Touring Under victory Sunday at Mid-Ohio during the Hoosier Super Tour.
Photo by Jeff Loewe
