The Mission Foods SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® is taking place Sept. 28-Oct 4, 2026, at Road America in Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine, and we can’t wait. The winner-take-all road races will see hundreds battle on the track’s 4.048-mile, 14-mile circuit for the right to call themselves SCCA’s next National Champions, and while we don’t know who will win those 24 championship races, we can guess.
Yet, it’s not as easy as that, because when it comes to Spec Racer® Ford Gen3 and Formula Enterprises® 2, those battles could go in any direction. In many cases, it’s no stretch to say that any driver running in the top 10 in SRF3 coming into the last lap could pull off the win. Still, we’re going to guess who we think will pull off the victory – but before we get there, we’ve got links.
Up first is the Runoffs homepage, where you’ll find literally everything you need to know about the event. Also below is the driver’s entry list and event schedule, so you can discover who is racing, and when they’ll be on track. Then there’s a link to spectator tickets for those who want to view the action on site, along with a link to SCCA’s YouTube channel, where Runoffs qualifying and Hagerty Race Days will be streamed live:
- Runoffs homepage
Keep reading to discover who WE think will win, then vote on who YOU think will take the gold.
Spec Racer Ford Gen3
I honestly don’t know why we even try to predict the winner in SRF3. It’s a hopeless endeavor. Totally, completely, and utterly hopeless. With more than 40 drivers entered, this is a fool’s errand.
Still, here we go.
Peyton Long is coming up sevens. He’s been to the Runoffs twice before, finishing seventh in 2024, then starting and finishing seventh in 2025. This year, his number seems to be ones and twos, as he currently sits second in the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour, earning that position thanks to five second-place finishes and four wins. His performance at the Chicago Region June Sprints® wasn’t strong enough to put him on the podium, but we don’t think that matters – we anticipate that he’ll be on the top step at the Runoffs.
We mentioned that Long is second in the Super Tour point standings. In first is those standings is Tyler Stephens. He’s got a bundle of first- and second-place finishes this year. He’s also got a pair of third place finishes at the Runoffs (and considering he’s only raced at the Runoffs twice, that’s super impressive). We expect he’ll add a second-place Runoffs finish to his racing resume this year.
Unlike the two we just mentioned, Brian Schofield is far from a new name at the Runoffs. A regular since 2004, Schofield has nine Runoffs podium finishes, with two of those being wins. He’s currently third in the Super Tour points, and we expect him to be third at the Runoffs.
Or maybe Schofield wins, with Long in third. Or maybe It’s Stephens up front. But then there’s Robeson Clay Russell to consider – maybe he takes the win. Or perhaps it’s Bobby Sak, or Tyler Stephens or last year’s Champ Caleb Shrader or, or or…
As of this writing, there were 43 drivers entered, and we’ve named just seven. Expect the 36 others to be ready to pounce should the opportunity arise.
Formula Enterprises 2
Spec classes are so hard to predict the winners, but this year, we think we’ve got it figured out. In FE2, it’s Franklin Futrelle, although it’s not in the bag.
Futrelle is on a roll, winning FE2 in 2025 and finishing second in 2023. In 2023, he won SRF3, which was his second Runoffs gold medal in a row in that class. The guy’s hot right now, and we think those good times keep rolling through this year’s Runoffs.
Yet we see Steve Whitston as a threat to that prediction. Whitston brings a Runoffs win of his own to this game, only his was in Formula Vee®, a class that isn’t “spec,” but might as well be when you look at how close the racing is. If anyone can knock Futrelle out of the top position, it’s Whitston.
Paul Schneider is another one who knows speed. Schneider is always knocking on the door in this class, with four podium medals in his trophy case. He’s the kind of racer who can apply pressure and capitalize when his strategy pays off – although he could get distracted by a mirror full of Daryl Wills.
Our guess right now? Futrelle in first, Whitston second, Schneider third. But keep in mind that our track record for predictions is iffy at best.
Photo by Jeff Loewe
