The Runoffs® B-Spec race is a nailbiter year after year, with the victor usually being decided on the last lap or even the final set of corners. But the 2026 Mission Foods SCCA® National Championship Runoffs®, taking place Oct. 3-4 in Wisconsin at Road America, presented something totally different during the event’s second Hagerty Race Day.
Tire Rack Pole Award winner Josh Schmidt, from SCCA’s North Carolina Region, was more than ready for his B-Spec race Sunday afternoon slated for 13 laps. After establishing a track qualifying record for the class Friday with a lap of 2:51.987, he led a field of 22 cars into Turn 1 and quickly began building his advantage.
By the end of the second lap, he had driven his No. 19 Babyface Fabrication Chevrolet Sonic to a 2-second lead on Myles Goertz in the No. 41 Honda Fit. That advantage had doubled by the sixth lap. When the checkered flag flew, Schmidt’s winning margin was 8.755sec, which is rarely seen in B-Spec competition.
The effort netted Schmidt his first Runoffs victory in four attempts, giving him the right to claim the top step during victory podium celebrations and grab a commemorative bottle from Mazza Wines, the Official Sparkling Wine supplier to SCCA. He also now holds the B-Spec track record during a race after executing a lap of 2:51.633 around the 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit located within America’s National Park of Speed.
As an added bonus for his hard work in 2026, Schmidt has earned Super Sweep honors. Those who accomplish the rare feat will have won at least one Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour race, a Hoosier Super Tour Points Championship, a U.S. Majors Tour® Conference Championship, and a National Championship Runoffs race – all within a single class.
“I’m speechless,” Schmidt said after Sunday’s event. “I was just going to run qualifying laps and do the best I could do. Every time I looked behind me, they were racing side by side and swapping spots. I just thought, ‘I ain’t lifting.’”
Indeed, the battle for the final two victory podium spots was being hotly contested by Goertz, Caleb Patrie in a Honda Fit, and Jim Ebben who is Patrie’s father. Each of those drivers took a turn in the runner-up spot at some point during the 63rd running of SCCA’s National Championship. But Ebben eventually brought his No. 60 Ford Fiesta home in the second spot for his first-ever Runoffs medal in 14 starts.
“This was only the third time in this car,” Ebben said. “This is a great bunch of people, and B-Spec is really fun.”
It was Goertz who then claimed the third spot by only 0.251sec over Patrie, who finished fourth. That’s Goertz’s second bronze medal in five Runoffs appearances.
“I’m really satisfied and the racing was great,” Goertz said with a grin. “It’s a long year and to end in third makes me really happy. I was third last year, so we can only go up from here.”
Spectators also watched another group of drivers – about 16-seconds behind Patrie – racing hard for the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth finishing positions. Those drivers were having #funwithcars and swapping spots nearly the entire contest. Garret Dunn was the fastest of that group and finished fifth, which earned him the Sunoco Hard Charger Award after he started in the 11th position. Stewart Black came home sixth, Gale Corley seventh, and Rob Piekarczyk was eighth.
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 Sunday's B-Spec race at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
- 1, (1), Josh Schmidt, Kannapolis, NC, Chevrolet Sonic, 13.
2, (4), Jim Ebben, Appleton, WI, Ford Fiesta, 13.
3, (2), Myles Goertz, Waukee, IA, Honda Fit, 13.
4, (6), Caleb Patrie (Ebben), Waukesha, WI, Honda Fit, 13.
5, (11), Garret Dunn, Commerce Township, MI, Kia Rio, 13.
6, (5), Stewart Black, Greensboro, NC, Chevrolet Sonic, 13.
7, (7), Gale Corley, Willis, TX, Mazda 2, 13.
8, (8), Rob Piekarczyk, Brunswick, OH, Honda Fit, 13.
9, (14), Kent Carter, Houston, TX, Mazda 2, 13.
10, (9), Ricky Holmstrom, Florence, WI, Nissan Versa Note, 13.
11, (13), Matt Wolfe, Canton, MI, Mazda 2, 13.
12, (15), Austin Boynton, Appleton, WI, Honda Fit, 13.
13, (10), Matt Downing, Canal Winchester, OH, Honda Fit, 13.
14, (16), Michael Saltenberger, Chicago, IL, Mazda 2, 13.
15, (19), Jonathan Wickert, Janesville, WI, Chevrolet Sonic, 13.
16, (17), Derrick Ambrose, Brush Prairie, WA, Nissan Versa Note, 13.
17, (20), Tom Hopson, Plain City, OH, Honda Fit, 12.
18, (21), Erick Zanner, Bexley, OH, Mini Coupe, 12.
19, (22), Paul Jensen, Colorado Springs, CO, Mazda 2, 12.
20, (3), Chris Taylor, Elroy, TX, Nissan Versa, 9.
21, (18), Peter Zekert, Maryland Heights, MO, Honda Fit, 9.
DNF, (12), Joseph Gersch, Conroe, TX, Toyota Yaris, 4.
DNS, (23), Jordan Wickert, Kiel, WI, Chevrolet Sonic.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 52.62 miles
Overall Time of Race: 37:25.110 (avg. 84.382 mph)
Margin of Victory: 08.755 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:51.633 (84.907 mph)
Lap Leaders: #19, Laps 1-13
Sunoco Hard Charger: #66 Garret Dunn
Photo by Jeff Loewe
