Kansas Region’s Jesse Prather captured an emotional eighth SCCA National Championship to equal the tally achieved by his father, Kent Prather, after a gripping battle for victory in the H Production class on Oct. 3, 2026, at the 63rd running of the Mission Foods SCCA® National Championship Runoffs®.
Prather’s deciding move on this Hagerty Race Day came at Turn 1 on the 13th and last lap around the 4.048-mile Road America course, sending his little Mazda 2 hard down the inside of the Tire Rack Pole-winning VW Jetta of Chris Schaafsma, and carrying enough momentum to stay ahead.
This pair didn’t have it all their own way, however, as from lap three to checker, they were shadowed by a resurgent Steve Sargis, whose Triumph Spitfire had carved through from the back of the HP pack following mechanical issues in qualifying.
Afterward, a moist-eyed Prather chilled in his No. 34 JPM/Carbotech/Mazda/AMSOIL and declared: “That was the best damn race I ever had! Chris and I worked together really well. As soon as we saw Steve coming, we quit battling and he pushed me quite a bit. He’s got more power than I do, I’ve got better brakes than him … But what a pleasure to race with those guys out there.”
Schaafsma could hardly have made a better start in his No. 23 G-Loc/RaceKeeper/NGP/Tech53/Hoosier 1990 VW Jetta, but Prather’s 2011 Mazda 2 starting alongside him remained on his outside through Turns 1, 2, 3, and 4 until finally the little blue Mazda edged ahead on the run down to the hard-braking zone of Turn 5. At the start of lap two, Schaafsma pulled alongside on the pit straight but was on the outside and eventually had to concede to the Mazda again.
In the meantime, Sargis’s No. 15 Hoosier/Carbotech Triumph Spitfire had carved through from near the back of the grid to where he was right with the leaders into Canada Corner on lap three.
Sargis’s arrival in his mirrors made Schaafsma all the more determined to get around Prather, and with nine laps to go, he got the job done before Turn 1. Blackhawk Valley Region’s Sargis, too, probed the Mazda’s defenses through lap five, but the Spitfire was going to have to find a turn to make the pass, as it couldn’t out-power the more modern cars on the straights. Sargis had a grandstand seat to see Prather dive down the inside of Schaafsma’s VW at Turn 5 to reclaim the lead.
The Mazda survived a wild moment out of Canada Corner on lap seven and lost enough momentum to allow the trio to fan across the track into Turn 1, and for Sargis to briefly taste the lead, but so tight to the apex that he ceded momentum on exit. He appeared to back off on lap nine to watch the lead duo bump-drafting along the straights.
Into Turn 1 on lap 11, Schaafsma claimed the lead from Prather just past the start/finish line, by which time Sargis was back in the fray and stalking the pair. Into the last lap, Prather made a hard lunge at Turn 1 to snatch the lead and carried enough momentum to retain the advantage. Schaafsma’s retaliatory attempt at Turn 5 was fouled by what sounded like a missed gear, and the lost momentum on exit actually allowed Prather to escape to victory.
Prather's Mazda crossed the line 0.882sec ahead of Chicago Region’s Schaafsma who nonetheless recovered to stave off Sargis by just under two seconds. Sargis, for his run from 11th on the grid to third earned the Sunoco Hard Charger Award. The three were followed by Brayden Connolly in a Fiat X, Greg Gauper in a Honda Civic Si, and Chris Albin in his VW Golf, rounding out the top 6.
The 63rd Mission Foods SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® 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 2026, two Hagerty Race Days at Wisconsin’s Road America decide 23 gold-medal winners.
The live, online Runoffs Broadcast presented by Mazda features video 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 provisional results for Saturday’s H Production race at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
- 1, (2), Jesse Prather, Topeka, KS, Mazda 2, 13.
2, (1), Chris Schaafsma, Wheaton, IL, Volkswagen Jetta 1780, 13.
3, (11), Steve Sargis, Hartford, WI, Triumph Spitfire, 13.
4, (4), Brayden Connolly, Columbus, OH, Fiat X 1/9, 13.
5, (3), Greg Gauper, Hubertus, WI, Honda Civic Si, 13.
6, (5), Chris W Albin, Maryland Heights, MO, Volkswagen Golf, 13.
7, (12), Angus Crome, Maryville, IL, Volkswagen Golf, 13.
8, (7), Brooke Fairbanks, Hayward, WI, Volkswagen Golf, 13.
9, (9), Tom Broring, Derwood, MD, Toyota Yaris, 8.
10, (6), Kendall Jones, Armada, MI, MG Midget, 6.
DNF, (15), Jerry Oleson, Aurora, CO, Austin-Healey Sprite, 2.
DNS, (8), Ralf Lindow, Bellevue, NE, Volkswagen Golf.
DNS, (10), Ray Elliott, Wheaton, IL, Volkswagen Rabbit.
DNS, (13), Matt Brannon, Columbus, OH, Fiat X 1/9.
DNS, (14), Robert Bax, Cincinnati, OH, Mini Cooper.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 52.62 miles
Overall Time of Race: 34.36.360 (avg. 91.240mph)
Margin of Victory: 0.882 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:38.036 (92.212mph)
Lap Leaders: #23, Laps 1, 5, 11-12; #34, Laps 2-4, 6-10, 13
Sunoco Hard Charger: #18 Steve Sargis
Photo by Jay Bonvouloir
