One gem of a weekend went down at Watkins Glen International (WGI) June 19-21, 2026, during the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour (HST) in New York hosted by SCCA’s Finger Lakes Region. The penultimate round of HST’s nine-event schedule this season, weather conditions couldn’t have been better for races that make up a portion of the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program.
Sunday was all about competition from the get-go, with 15-lap or 35-minute contests around WGI’s legendary 3.4-mile, 11-turn circuit that included trips through the Inner Loop and around The Boot. Each of the eight run groups, encompassing 22 different car classes in all, battled it out to see who’d step upon victory podiums to receive a trophy, adoration, and commemorative bottles of Mazza Vineyards sparkling wine.
Tribute Car for Dad
Lots of dads enjoyed Father’s Day at WGI. Some were racing, some working on racecars, and some relaxing trackside while enjoying HST competition. One dad, however, was enjoying family time while unveiling a tribute car for his father.
Fred McConnell towed his brand-new MG Midget creation north from Texas to compete in H Production (HP) this weekend. After joining SCCA in 2006, he has spent the last few years primarily running in F Production. But he bought this particular MG Midget from longtime racer Bob Stream, then decided to do something special with the vehicle.
“This car is inspired by the one my father raced in G Production throughout the 1970s and 1980s,” Fred said. “The weekend became an opportunity to celebrate our family's long connection to Club racing.”
Pulling together this HP project was certainly a family affair. In just two months the car was prepped, updated with some current technology, and given a paint scheme that matched the one Grandpa McConnell had on his car when he was racing. Involved in the build was Fred’s son and daughter, Matthew and Lydia, as well as wife Tabitha. The X-Factor Racing prep shop was instrumental in the effort, too, plus a team of friends.
“This project truly exemplifies how motorsports creates lifelong friendships, shared experiences, and connections that span generations,” Fred said. “We are very much a racing family. I grew up at Summit Point as part of the Washington DC Region racing community, and about twenty years ago I started Club Racing myself. Since then, racing has been something my father and I have continued to share together.
“Despite spending a lifetime around racing, my father had never been to Watkins Glen,” Fred continued. “Given the significance of the track to so many racers from our home region, it felt like the perfect place to gather family and friends, enjoy a weekend together, and create a few new memories.”
Fred’s father, who is also named Fred, was indeed at WGI this weekend with his wife, Diana, to enjoy the rollout of the tribute HP machine.
“It’s a bucket list kind of thing for an old racer,” said grandpa about finally getting to WGI.
Challenging weekends are always expected when rolling out a new build, and Fred’s weekend was no different. The car experienced some troubles early in Saturday’s race, but the McConnells got things sorted overnight and were ready to try again the next day.
Fred ran second for most of Sunday’s race. On the last lap, however, the leader had car trouble and slowed. The No. 40 Think Racing/X-Factor Racing MG Midget then went by and reached the checkered flag first. That put the perfect bow on the weekend for the car’s first outing and Fred’s first-ever HP contest.
Off to Other Adventures
A Club member since shortly after attending her first event in 1971, Kathy Barnes has collected several of SCCA’s most prestigious National honors. In 2004, she received the Woolf Barnato Award honoring a Club member who has made the most outstanding long-term contributions. In 2014, she was inducted into SCCA’s Hall of Fame. Then in 2004 she received the David Morrell Memorial Award recognizing an active Steward in the Stewards Program who exhibited outstanding performance and dedication to the sport and its highest principles.
She originally joined the Road Racing Stewards program in the 1990s and has been a Race Director for the Hoosier Super Tour the last three seasons. This weekend at WGI, she disclosed to competitors it was her final HST event.
“The Club has given me many opportunities in autocross competition and development, Region and Club management, being a Road Racing official and in the Experiential Programs,” Barnes said previously. “I hope that my work as a mentor is what defines the rest of my time in SCCA. It is the people who join us and lead us and mentor us that define each of our experiences in SCCA.
“I’m very appreciative of this opportunity with the Hoosier Super Tour,” Barnes noted. “One of the things I really believe in is sharing what I know with other people who might be a good fit in the Race Director role. I feel that has been accomplished.
“I think it is critically important that young women coming into motorsports see a woman standing at the front of the room. That has been a really big driving force for me,” Barnes added. “There are not a lot of women Stewards … but we’re seeing more and more young women come road racing. I want them to see that women are not sitting in the back of the room or off to the side. They are standing in the front of the room, and that thought has pushed me forward.”
Barnes is moving on to devote her time and focus to other SCCA-related activities. But road racers might just see her around now and again, perhaps even at this year’s Runoffs® at Road America in some capacity. She’s also thinking about working on a Starter license for fun and giggles.
Sunday Race Winners
Below are provisional race winners from Sunday’s HST races at Watkins Glen International in New York. Each entry below includes Car Class: Driver Name, SCCA Region, and Car. An asterisk (*) denotes drivers with a weekend sweep in the class.
*American Sedan®: Daniel Richardson, Washington DC Region, Chevrolet Camaro
B-Spec: Josh Schmidt, North Carolina Region, Chevrolet Sonic
E Production: Anthony Parker, New England Region, Triumph GT6+
F Production: Craig Chima, Mahoning Valley Region, Lotus Super Seven
H Production: Fred McConnell, Texas Region, MG Midget
*Formula Atlantic®: Jeremy Hill, Ohio Valley Region, Swift 014a
*Formula Continental®: Dean Kiriluk, Detroit Region, Van Diemen RF01 2
Formula Enterprises® 2: Keith Joslyn, Western New York Region, SCCA Enterprises FE2 Mazda
Formula 600: Dino Lodico, South Jersey Region, F600
*Formula F: David Ybarra, Texas Region, Mygale
*Formula Vee®: Brian Farnham, Neohio Region, Vortech
*GT-1: David Jans, Indiana Northwest Region, Ford Mustang
*GT-2: Tony Ave, Central Carolinas Region, Porsche 991.2
*Spec Miata: Francisco Barroso, Florida Region, Mazda Miata
Spec MX-5: Michael Tinis, New York Region, Mazda MX-5
Spec Racer® Ford Gen3: Tyler Stephens, Northeast Oklahoma Region, SCCA Enterprises SRF3
Super Touring® Lite: Nick Leverone, New England Region, Mazda Miata
Super Touring® Under: Darin Treakle, Washington DC Region, BMW 325
*Touring 1: Brian Kleeman, Washington DC Region, Ford Boss 302
Touring 2: Russell King, Land O'Lakes Region, BMW M2
Touring 3: Marshall Mast, Philadelphia Region, Ford Mustang
*Touring 4: Gabe Fehribach, Southern Indiana Region, Mazda 3i
One More to Come at Barber Motorsports Park
Eight of nine HST events for 2026 are now in the books. The next and final “regular season” HST gathering doesn’t happen until August 29-30 at Barber Motorsports Park. Found just east of downtown Birmingham, this will be HST’s first-ever visit to the luxurious venue in Leeds, AL, for an event co-hosted by SCCA’s Alabama Region and Tennessee Valley Region.
Registration for drivers and volunteers is scheduled to open the first week of August. Certainly, racing from Barber will be available online and for free via HST’s broadcast produced by DriversEye Live. Before then, relive thrills from The Glen with on demand video accessible at SCCA’s YouTube page. Also, Sunday victory podium celebrations from WGI can be viewed at the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing Facebook page.
Photo: Fred McConnell won in H Production at Watkins Glen on Sunday during the Hoosier Super Tour weekend.
Photo by Jeff Loewe
