Editor’s note: This article was modified to include a post-race penalty that affected the race winner.
Chances were good that a Lotus was going to finish on the Super Touring® Under (STU) podium. And one did. What nobody saw coming was the 360-degree spin another Lotus took in one of the most dangerous sections of the track, and how that would help put a BMW on the top step of the podium.
The racer who led the 18-car STU field to the green during the Oct. 3, 2026, Hagerty Race Day at the 63rd Mission Foods SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® at Road America was Richard Astacio, a driver whose best previous Runoffs start was fourth and his best finish ninth. This year, he claimed the Tire Rack Pole with utter dominance, the New England Region driver dropping a qualifying fast lap in his No. 80 Krugspeed Lotus Exige that was 1.5sec quicker than second place. In second was Krugspeed teammate Anthony Geraci in the No. 31 Krugspeed Lotus Exige. Three quarters of a second back from Geraci sat Hugh Stewart and Jose Osiris Pena, the former in a BMW E46 and the latter in his Honda CRX.
Astacio wasted little time at the green, putting space between himself and Geraci, with Stewart on the tail of that second Lotus. Zach Hillman made a great start to get into fourth, but his chase for the gold ended in Canada Corner with what seemed like a mechanical issue, giving an easy pass to Pena.
Three laps down, the front pack of Astacio, Stewart, Geraci, and Pena were close enough to throw a blanket over as they ran away from the field, when a slide by Pena through Turn 8 dropped him from the lead pack.
Remember Astacio and Geraci being teammates? This came in clutch when Geraci finally cleared Stewart in the Carousel. Geraci then showed a nose on Astacio into Turn 1, but ultimately the two tucked in and began to build a gap to Stewart. For a short period of time, anyway.
Let’s talk about that 360-degree spin.
On lap six, Astacio and Geraci made side-by-side contact in Kettle Bottoms, causing Astacio to loop his car in spectacular fashion. He kept the car off the walls and managed to get back up to speed, but only in time to find himself in a battle with Pena. This spin advanced Stewart to second, with Astacio (rather amazingly) tucking into third, with Pena a close fourth.
The drama was far from over, though, as with three to go, Astacio had contact with a lap car in Turn 6. Pena got past the same car through Turn 7, although it also involved a tiny bit of fuss.
Entering the penultimate lap, Geraci held a 2.4sec advantage over Stewart, with Pena hounding Astacio. That battle for third solved itself when Astacio pulled off track, likely due to damage suffered during his very eventful race.
By the white flag, New England Region’s Stewart was on a charge in his No. 23 Hi Speed Motorsports/Hoosier BMW E46, barely 1.5sec behind Geraci and running faster lap times. Stewart carried big speed through Turn 1, running fast through the other corners, too. While Geraci crossed the finish line first, he was later assessed a two-position penalty due to the contact between him and Astacio, putting Stewart first, Pena second, and Geraci third.
“I finished third last year really trying hard,” said an emotional Stewart. “This year, I came back with a new car, had a good run and thought I could pull it off in the end.”
Stewart then pulled out photos he kept with him during the race. “I have a picture of my dad on one side, and a picture of my mom on the other side. My dad died in 2007; my mom’s been bedridden all of 2026. Hopefully she’s at home watching with her nurse.”
Puerto Rico Region’s Pena didn’t get the win in his No. 199 Honda CRX, but was quite happy with how the race went and his chance to once again spray Mazza sparkling wine on the podium. “Thank you to the workers and thank you to the SCCA. To my wife, thank you. To my children, I have a smile on my face. The podium is more than I can ask,” he said.
For Geraci’s race: “I tried to get a gap on the BMW, and I had a big run on through the Kink, and … we connected a little bit,” Geraci said of the spin. “At the last couple of laps, I was just trying to hit your marks, and your crew chief gets on and talks you down. I’m very blessed to have the team around me that I do.”
Finishing fourth was Jorge Nazario, with Rylan Hazelton fifth and Peter St. Pierre in sixth. The Sunoco Hard Charger Award went to Whitfield Gregg, running from 15th on the grid to ninth.
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 official results for Saturday’s Super Touring® Under race at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
- 1, (3), Hugh Stewart, Milford, CT, BMW E46, 13.
2, (4), Jose Osiris Pena, Miami, FL, Honda CRX, 13.
3, (2), Anthony Geraci, Glen Head, NY, Lotus Exige, 13.
4, (9), Jorge Nazario, San Juan, PR, Mazda MX-5, 13.
5, (5), Rylan Hazelton, Soquel, CA, Honda S2000, 13.
6, (6), Peter St Pierre, Dallas, GA, Honda Civic Coupe, 13.
7, (11), Michal Kuna, Wells, ME, BMW E46, 13.
8, (13), Edwin Soto-Quinones, Orlando, FL, Porsche Boxster S, 13.
9, (15), Whitfield Gregg, Manson, WA, Mazda Miata, 12.
10, (16), James Mullen, Arvada, CO, Honda S2000, 12.
11, (1), Richard Astacio, Wilton, CT, Lotus Exige, 11.
12, (7), David Fiorelli, Coppell, TX, Ford Mustang, 7.
DNF, (8), Zach Hillmann, Chicago, IL, BMW 330, 5.
DNF, (12), Michael Lewis, Poway, CA, Mazda RX-7, 2.
DNF, (14), Armen Megregian, Naples, FL, Mazda Miata, 1.
DNF, (17), David Wessel, Milwaukee, WI, Honda Civic Coupe, 1.
DNF, (18), Tony Ave, Maiden, NC, Honda Civic, 0.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 52.62 miles
Overall Time of Race: 32:04.365 (avg. 98.446 mph)
Margin of Victory: 10.273 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:26.416 (99.530 mph)
Lap Leaders: #80, Laps 1-6; #31, Laps 7-13
Sunoco Hard Charger: #37 Whitfield Gregg
Photo by Jay Bonvouloir
