They were driving different cars than they did a year ago, but Michigan teammates Matt Spicuzzi and Alex Lozano replayed the 2025 Touring 4 race to open the second of the Hagerty Race Days at the 63rd Mission Foods SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. Spicuzzi and Lozano finished one-two in Ford Mustangs last year, then repeated that performance in Mazda RX-8s this year.
“It was kind of the last-minute decision. After our Mustangs got kicked out [of the class] last year, we weren't sure we we'd come back,” said Spicuzzi. “Two weeks ago, we said, ‘Last time at Road America for a while, we'll go and see what happens.’ This car has let me down before, so I was hoping that it didn't do that. But fortunately, we made it to the end today.”
Celebrating his victory on the podium with Mazza sparkling wine, the Official Sparkling Wine of SCCA, Spicuzzi relished his second-consecutive Touring 4 National Championship, achieved in three attempts.
Spicuzzi, the Tire Rack Pole Award winner in his No. 63 Huffmaster Racing/Hoosier RX-8 thanks to a 2:35.876 lap turned in the only dry qualifying session on Friday, got the jump at the start, and pulled out a two-second lead in the early stages of the 13-lap race.
By halfway, Lozano started closing the gap, then with three laps to go was back on Spicuzzi's bumper. Lozano had some glimpses of the lead in the closing stages, especially as Spicuzzi hung the rear end out at the exit of Turn 5, but the best he could do was show Spicuzzi the nose of his No. 198 AMJ Racing/HR Speed Shop/Hoosier RX-8 in Turn 8.
The final gap to Spicuzzi at the finish was 0.458sec.
“He was struggling to make the left-handers, and I wasn't as good through the Carousel, so it was kind of an accordion effect back and forth,” explained Lozano. “I had to avoid him pretty bad one of the times, but I spent a lot of time trying to get back through. I was pretty much out of brakes by the end of the race, so I didn't have a whole lot to make a move. But, man, just a great, great race, super fun.”
Kevin Fryer had a solo run to third in his No, 98 Mazda MX-5, finishing some 28sec behind Lozano.
“It was probably the longest race of my life, trying to make sure I didn't make any mistakes or anything,” declared Fryer. But a great, great start, and I was able to hang with them long enough to get a gap to the rest, which I needed.”
Arguably the best battle in the race was between Madin Workman and Stephen Blethen in two different Mazda models, Workman in an MX-5 and Stephen Blethen in an RX-8, for fifth. From the mid-point of the race, Stephen Blethen and Workman battled back and forth, spending large portions of several laps side-by-side. Workman led into Turn 14 on the final lap, but Stephen Blethen moved left at the exit as Workman moved right, and won the drag race to the checkered. Stephen Blethen earned the Sunoco Hard Charger award by claiming fourth, up from his eighth-place starting position. Workman finished fifth, and Derrick Ambrose rounded out the top sixth.
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 Sunday's Touring 4 race at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
- 1, (1), Matt Spicuzzi, Waterford Twp, MI, Mazda RX-8, 13.
2, (2), Alex Lozano, Brighton, MI, Mazda RX-8, 13.
3, (3), Kevin Fryer, Durham, NC, Mazda MX-5, 13.
4, (8), Stephen Blethen, Bow, NH, Mazda RX-8, 13.
5, (7), Madin Workman, Canal Winchester, OH, Mazda MX-5, 13.
6, (5), Derrick Ambrose, Brush Prairie, WA, Mazda 3 S, 13.
7, (10), Richard Mooney, Dane, WI, Mazda MX-5, 13.
8, (11), Dirk Straussfeld, Sealy, TX, Mazda RX-8, 13.
9, (6), Raymond Blethen, Londonderry, NH, Mazda RX-8, 13.
DNF, (12), Trenton Kramer, Perrysburg, OH, Mini Cooper S, 3.
DNF, (9), Leann Falk, Tolar, TX, Mazda RX-8, 3.
DNF, (4), Mario Carini, Fox Point, WI, BMW Z4, 2.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 52.62 miles
Overall Time of Race: 34:04.382 (avg. 92.667mph)
Margin of Victory: 00.458 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:35.757 (93.561 mph)
Lap Leaders: #63, Laps 1-13
Sunoco Hard Charger: #38 Stephen Blethen
Photo by Mandy Mobry
