SS | AS | BS | CS | DS | ES | FS | GS | HS
SSR | SSC
STH | STS | STX | STU | STR
SSP | ASP | BSP | CSP | DSP | ESP | FSP
SM | SSM | SMF
XP | CP | DP | EP | FP
AM | BM | CM | DM | EM | FM | FSAE
KM | FJA | FJB
CAMC | CAMS | CAMT
SS – Super Street – 28 Entries – 8 Trophies
2018 Champion: Cam Withell
SSL – Super Street Ladies – 4 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Jocelin Huang
AS – A Street – 70 Entries – 19 Trophies
2018 Champion: William Bostic
ASL – A Street Ladies – 6 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Jessy Gauthier
A Street is back again for 2019, and once again wields the torch for being the largest class at Nationals. This mostly “Spec. Corvette” class where discount Z06’s go to die even bested its own high score, as entries are up by three from 2018, 69 versus 64.
The class hasn’t become any less challenging either (with or without the torrential downpour), as four of the top five drivers from 2018 will be returning to defend their titles. William Bostic and John Wolf, whom previously pulled off at one-two finish in 2018 will be returning with nearly the same pedigree they brought to the table from the previous year.
After taking ‘The Bronze’ in 2018, Vivek Goel will be back to challenge the top two with his C6 Z06, and if the Grenada ProSolo is any indication, he more than has the capability to so. Jason Ruggles also returns this year, and can be expected to be one to contend with in the trophies.
In terms of new blood, A Street has that too. Tom DeYoung joins the ranks this year in a very, VERY familiar C6 Z06. Joining him as his co-driver will be Dan Bullis, who previously co-drove with DeYoung at 2018’s CAM Challenge Finale. Both of these drivers have national trophies in B Street on their resume, in fact, Bullis is still pedaling the C5 FRC to victory in B Street, with back to back wins in Packwood this year.
While we’re on the topic of B Street, let’s talk Porsches, because why have a spec. class, when you can have a good old-fashioned game of ‘Axis and Allies’. Coming to Lincoln to prove that the winning car isn’t made in America is Ryan Clark. Ryan also has past experience in B Street, namely, being the 2017 Class Champion. He’s updated his Cayman to something ten years newer, and has been doing very well at National events this year. Yury Kholondyrev will be making a return this year as well, also donning his Cayman.
Lastly, we have the proverbial ringer for A Street, Dan Simms. While his name often begins with “Who the Hell is…” on the National scale, he’s been in the trophies at National events since 2017. He’s been an entrant at Solo Nationals since that time as well, but has yet to capture a trophy. He’s been preparing extensively this year, and can be extended to be in the mix at the top of A Street.
A-Street Ladies has also grown in size for 2019, picking up two more competitors for a total of 6 versus 4 in 2018. Thus far, 2018’s champ doesn’t appear to be returning. Lana Tsurikova will be returning to the class however, and with previous consecutive trophies in the second podium spot, 2019 may just be her year.
Carla Russo is another returning competitor, and new for 2019, she has enlisted a co-driver in the form of one Donna Marx. Despite the exit of 2018’s National Champion, Melissa Fehr has jumped into the mix to be the sole representation for Porsche in the ladies class.
A Street takes to the course on Thursday, September 5th.
By David “FiveCar” Finchum
BS – B Street – 56 Entries – 15 Trophies
2018 Champion: Jeremy Foley
BSL – B Street Ladies – 11 Entries – 4 Trophies
2018 Champion: Shauna Rios
B Street is shaping up to be one of the most diverse street classes this year as competitors start to experiment with various car manufacturers and models in this class. There has not been a dominant car in the last few years as the Championships were shared between the BMW 1M, Cayman S and C5 Corvette. With the addition of the Camaro SS 1LE, BMW F80 M3/M4, Ford GT350 and the controversial Tesla 3 this year, the winning car has never been more uncertain.
The BMW M2 and Cayman S continue to show that they are very competitive in the 2019 Champ Tour so far. In particular, David Marcus has racked up three trophies in the M2 (including two 1st place finishes). Jeremy Foley will try to defend his title in the BMW 1M.
The newly added Camaro SS 1LE is the most popular choice in the class with 12 entries as of this writing. Many believe that this is the car to have for B Street and the results provide some support to this. Jeremy Pittenger (@TeamZFG) proofed that at the Finger Lakes Champ Tour with a heroic last run. Ian Steward and Greg Shumaker have both took the podium this year with this car. We look forward to see how this heavy weight fair against the more nimble cars in the class.
The BMW F80 M3/M4 and the Ford GT350 may not be the favorites for the class, but they have demonstrated quick pace in local events and can definitely challenge for the top spots in capable hands. Mark Daddio has settled on the Ford GT350 despite him thinking it is not the car to have, but who is going to question his ability to win? The BMW M3/M4 is probably the dark horse (or should I say bird sh#% yellow horse) in the bunch. Christopher Laprus and Talha Sadik (@TeamZFG) are so quick in that M4 this year that the competitors may find themselves caught for snoozing.
The Tesla 3 has become a taboo in B Street. This car has shown so much pace, especially in the wet, that there is some serious discussion on the interweb that this car does not belong in the class. Anyone know if Tesla is working on an update just for the 2019 Solo Nationals? Dean Rhodes and Cullen Murphy will be the pioneers of the electric car competition in autocross history.
The bottom line is B Street will be exciting to watch as the “old” school fights with the new school.
B Street and Solo Spec Coupe are tied for the largest Ladies class entries so far this year. What is more impressive is the number of entries has doubled compared to last year. The Cayman S has been the more dominant car in the Ladies class this year. Last year Champion, Shauna Rios, will try for a repeat in the Cayman S. New comers to the class Dina O’Donnell and Becca Nell are co-driving the Camaro SS 1LE in hopes to take the win for American Muscle.
In the BMW M2 are Suzanne Segal and Meredith Brown. Meredith Brown is joining the class after winning E Street Ladies last year, so she will be a threat to the defending Champion. Suzanne Segal was a kart driver last year, and we all know kart drivers are fast when they get into a full size car.
UPDATE: Jeremy Foley may be making a last minute switch to a Tesla Model 3.
By Gary Tsui
CS – C Street – 33 Entries – 9 Trophies
2018 Champion: Andrew Pallotta
CSL – C Street Ladies – 7 Entries – 3 Trophies
2018 Champion: Tara Johns
DS – D Street – 56 Entries – 15 Trophies
2018 Champion: Javier Reynoso
DSL – D Street Ladies – 13 Entries – 4 Trophies
2018 Champion: Stephanie Reynoso
In open, I’m really torn on this one; anyone listed could steal the jacket, but Ryan, Mike & Javier are my podium picks. I did ‘eenie-meenie’ and Mike came out on top. Sorry guys that’s just how fate works.
Ryan Otis 2016 Focus RS
Mike King 2016 Focus RS
Javier Reynoso 2018 Type R
Dennis Sparks/Jordan Towns 2018 WRX
Annie Gill 2018 Type R
Van Townsend 2013 Audi TTS
DS-Ladies
Stephanie Reynoso in her 2018 Type R (Spyro)
I don’t need a magic 8 ball to help me with this one. Stephanie & Spyro will be putting on a clinic. Pay attention DSL and come back better next year.
BUT I do have one possible spoiler and that would be Lacey who I know has been pretty darn quick….rain might help the AWD RS.
ES – E Street – 60 Entries – 16 Trophies
2018 Champion: Bartek Borowski
ESL – E Street Ladies – 4 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Meredith Brown
E-Street or what used to be spec Miata. Not so much anymore. Brian Tefft Jr. had back to back wins in Packwood with his 03 Spyder. Matt Waldbaum was right on his tail in a borrowed car, could he have been on top in his usual ride? We’ll find out next week. Joey Green is new to E-Street but isn’t new to nationals. He’s been effortlessly fast in a Spyder with a win at the Topeka Pro and Spring Nats Pro and Champ wins. Chuck Matthews is never slow, and no E-Street discussion is complete without mentioning Bartek Borowski. He has to be the favorite and the guy everyone else is looking to beat. Shoot the moon pick and shameless plug for Bartek’s tire warmer Pax Rolfe.
By Pax Rolfe
FS – F Street – 32 Entries – 9 Trophies
2018 Champion: Jeff Cashmore
FSL – F Street Ladies – 3 Entries – 1 Trophy
2018 Champion: Cindy Duncan
GS – G Street – 61 Entries – 10 Trophies
2018 Champion: Lance Keeley
GSL – G Street Ladies – 5 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Barbara Seeger
G street has had some struggles over the past 7 years, being one of the affordable and probably the most practical class in Street filled with grocery getters. With a class battle cry of “for the groceries!” The past 2 years have seen Gstreet come out of obscurity with a vengeance as the class attendance has increased by 150% since 2017 with 61 Entries currently registered. Longtime championship winning staple of the class, the Focus ST, was finally unseated last year by the Civic Si driven by Lance Keeley. The Civic’s popularity can be seen with Civic’s being the lionshare of entries this year. 2018 had no clear favorites to pick from for the championship win, but 2019 is not lacking options to place a bet on. Keeley has returned and he faces a challenge from Champions Jason Tipple and Ron Williams. Tipple just switched from his STH civic sport into an Si at the end of July and is in strong form. Keeley has been very strong this year in GS, and could be a solid choice to repeat the win. But Williams has basically untouchable, his performance this summer has been a beat down as he’s just found himself right at home in the 10th Gen Civic Si. As such, Ron Williams is my pick for your 2019 G Street National Champion. G street Runs 4th heat on Thursday/Friday starting on the East Side and if you have time, I highly recommend you go watch that battle.
By Pete Lindberg
HS – H Street – 34 Entries – 10 Trophies
2018 Champion: Mike King
HSL – H Street Ladies – 5 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Laney Blume
Although the class may have the “slowest” cars, the competition in HS should no doubt be intense for 2019. In this field of mostly smaller hatchbacks and compact sporty coupes, the Ford Fiesta ST is narrowly the most popular choice, with 10 of the drivers this year choosing it as their ride. 9 drivers will be running the very competitive 8th-generation Honda Civic Si, while the new 10th-generation Honda Civic Sport will carry another 5 drivers. The remainder is a good mix of new and old small hot hatchbacks, and one seemingly out-of-place big coupe!
Reigning champ Mike King has traded one Ford hatchback for another, moving over to the increasingly-diverse DS in a Focus RS, but 4 of the HS trophy winners from 2018 can be found in this year’s lineup. HS veteran and 4 times National Champion Greg Reno will be back again, driving his 2010 Mini Cooper. Although the Mini is not the obvious choice for HS anymore, Reno has remained a very strong competitor in his, grabbing trophy spots in the last two years at Nationals and staying at or near the top in Champ Tour and ProSolo events. Rumor has it, Reno’s ability to carry speed through slaloms is unparalleled in HS, and he will need to wring every last bit from the Mini to battle with this year’s field. Last year’s dark horse Cameron Goode also returns in the V-6 powered 2010 Honda Accord Coupe. Though the big Accord might not have the simple agility of the smaller coupes and hatchbacks, on any open section of course Goode will almost certainly be taking advantage of the raw power on tap, which gives the Accord the best power-to-weight ratio amongst the HS field competing. After taking 2nd place at last year’s Solo Nationals, Goode has continued to be very competitive at ProSolo and Champ Tour events this year, placing himself in a strong position ahead of this year’s finale.
After running the last two Solo Nationals in FS, Philip Mitchell returns to HS in his Fiesta ST. Mitchell was incredibly close to winning the HS jacket in 2016, with a mere 0.040 seconds separating him from the winner Robert Luis. Mitchell has won HS in three National level events already in 2019, and it should be expected he will be aiming for the top at the big finale in Lincoln. Brandon Hagaman, with trophy finishes of 6th in 2016 and 11th in 2017, comes back again in the Fiesta ST, looking to secure another trophy after missing one in last year’s finale. Both Russell Blume and Peter Ling, 7th and 5th in 2018 respectively, have switched into the 10th-generation Civic Sport for this year and can be expected to provide a strong showing, with each having several HS trophies from National level events this year (and a ProSolo win for Blume). Also in a Civic Sport is Josh Brockman, who missed a trophy at last year’s Solo Nationals, but has racked up three so far at National level events in 2019.
The biggest shake-up this year might come from long-time veterans who have jumped over to HS from other classes. With 6 National Championships to his name (2 in FSP, 3 in GP, and 1 in EP), Allen Kugler is certainly very familiar with “slow car fast” driving, and from his performance at Bristol Summer Nationals, he certainly needs to be kept in mind as now one of the top HS drivers competing. Another class jumper is Jinx Jordan, who may be into his 45th year of autocross(!), but who is still very much capable of hanging with the younger guys. Jordan was most recently a National Champion in 2016 in SMF, and also holds 2 National Championships in DSP and 1 in FSP. Both Kugler and Jordan will be driving 8th-generation Civic Si’s.
HSL’s National Champion for the last 2 years, Laney Blume, has switched to the 10th-generation Civic Sport for this year to defend her title. The shake-ups above in open class? Blume will need to deal with much the same over in Ladies class. Ginette Jordan, last year’s SMFL National Champion and holding 12 championships in total from various classes, will be making an appearance on this opposite end of the front-wheel drive performance spectrum. Also making the jump is Denise Kugler, previous National Champion 8 times in various classes, most recently 2012 in GPL. As above in open class, both Kugler and Jordan are driving 8th-generation Civic Si’s.
By Eric Fredricks
SSR – Super Street R – 23 Entries – 7 Trophies
2018 Champion: Bryan Heitkotter
SSRL – Super Street R Ladies – 4 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Nicole Wong
SSC – Solo Spec Coupe – 52 Entries – 14 Trophies
2018 Champion: Adam Benaway
SSCL – Solo Spec Coupe Ladies – 13 Entries – 4 Trophies
2018 Champion: Jennifer Bedell
STH – Street Touring Hatchback – 20 Entries – 6 Trophies
2018 Champion: Samuel Krauss
STS – Street Touring Sport – 44 Entries – 12 Trophies
2018 Champion: Adam Barber
STSL – Street Touring Sport Ladies – 1 Entries – 0 Trophies
2018 Champion: Katie Crawford
STX – Street Touring Xtreme – 47 Entries – 13 Trophies
2018 Champion: James Tatad
STXL – Street Touring Xtreme Ladies – 4 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Kate Fisher
STU – Street Touring Ultra – 28 Entries – 8 Trophies
2018 Champion: Bill Zerr
STUL – Street Touring Ultra Ladies – 3 Entries – 1 Trophy
2018 Champion: Tasha Mikko
John Hale in his 2006 STi ….. it’s your year!
Trophy boys:
Naked Luke Williamson (in that same 2006 STi)
Kai Jones. 2002 BMW M3
Mark Hill (if he chooses the correct car)
STR – Street Touring Roadster – 31 Entries – 9 Trophies
2018 Champion: Jonathan Lugod
STRL – Street Touring Roadster Ladies – 3 Entries – 1 Trophy
2018 Champion: Jessica Pao
SSP – Super Street Prepared – 18 Entries – 6 Trophies
2018 Champion: Mike Casino
Well the first thing you will notice is Mike “Big Casino” is not running this year. But don’t worry there’s a whole fleet of new vehicles waiting to stomp your ass into next Tuesday so cheer up. So let’s take a look at the entry list! 🙂
Andy Hollis has dumped the McLaren MP4-12checkenginelight for a new 720S. So yeah. It’s faster. And he’s faster. And might even bring tires that aren’t leftover garbage from OLOA. Locally it’s been impressive to watch so we will see how it does in Lincoln.
Eric Hyman saw this new ride and decided he couldn’t be bothered to slum around in his wide body Nissan Stanza anymore. So he got a Lamborghini Hurracan Performante. If you haven’t seen it yet…it’s awesome. HOWEVER, last we saw it in Topeka it only had 235 width front tires. Very small rubber by SSP standards but it didn’t slow him down. Only time will tell how it does in the deep end of the pool.
Matthew Braun looks to be codriving with reigning 2019 Porsche club parade overall champion Rad Delgado. In a brand new 2019 GT3 RS? Oh you guys are sooooo screwed 😉 Nah but maybe he won’t adapt quickly enough. Who knows!
And more bad news…Stan Whitney and Su Brude are even faster in the family 911 turbo and have made more than one event so far this year! So they will be contenders.
Keith and Kristi Brown have decided to try and ruin their upper strut mounts in the unibody while the car is still under warranty with some Hoosiers. Cool! 😉
Yes, Ryan Johnson is still in the Lotus. NO! He is not slower this year either. You better hope the course isn’t momentum related or he may sneak past all the new fat bottom cars in SSP these days. Freddie Mercury would be happy for a win for jolly ole England again. Remember when the Elan used to win the top SP class?
Then there’s the Corvette kids Alex Tziortzis, Eric Stemler and his car owner and probably the fastest American car this year in the class.
So who will win? No idea. Whoever I pick will lose and I don’t want that weighing on me. Lol
ASP – A Street Prepared – 10 Entries – 4 Trophies
2018 Champion: Aaron Miller
BSP – B Street Prepared – 14 Entries – 5 Trophies
2018 Champion: Ron Bauer
CSP – C Street Prepared – 17 Entries – 5 Trophies
2018 Champion: Neal Tovsen
CSPL – C Street Prepared Ladies – 4 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Stephanie Humphries
CSP is gearing up for another loaded gun fight this year. If you’re bringing a gun you can try your skills against veteran winners Billy Davis and Neal Tovsen. However, for all the readers looking for a pay day, bets are not advised for or against either competitor since the odds are about 50/50 after Neal’s upset of Billy last year. Neal and Billy are fast and can build fast cars so other trophy spots are likely going to Bob Davis and Todd Cochran who will be showing off their skills… so maybe bet on them for trophy spots. Returning players like Steve Eberlein and Brian Wells are looking to better last year’s finishes. Just know, if you bring a knife to this gun fight you can “also ran”.
Turns out there’s a brewing battle in CSPL also. The class is looking a bit light this year with only 4 drivers even though Katie Lacey is returning after a year off. With so many wins under Katie’s belt, Sportscar Magazine picks her for the win, but under dog Stephanie Humphries brought some muscle last year at her first ever Nationals with only 5 years under her belt. With a year of fine tuning her skills, and of course both cars having fine tuning by PFTuning, there’s got to be a good battle in store for the ladies. CSPL Rookie Maegan Contreras and Nationals Veteran Barbara Bielucki will be giving all they’ve got to point out that co-drivers can “bring it”.
DSP – D Street Prepared – 20 Entries – 6 Trophies
2018 Champion: Evan Schickel
ESP – E Street Prepared – 14 Entries – 5 Trophies
2018 Champion: Devin Taylor
ESPL – E Street Prepared Ladies – 7 Entries – 3 Trophies
2018 Champion: Becca Nell
FSP – F Street Prepared – 19 Entries – 6 Trophies
2018 Champion: Randy Pobst
FSPL – F Street Prepared Ladies – 6 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: N/A
There’s an old autocross adage: “When the Pobst is away the FSPers will play.” There was little doubt how 2018 was going to play out but a Randy-less 2019 brings a field of drivers that’s almost twice the size of last year. In fact FSP open and Ladies is the largest of all the combined SP classes and arguably the hardest to pick. So let’s try and figure out the raddest of the radwood.
Steven Duckworth is back in the Zimmer Rabbit and he’s won this class before so that would be the easy pick. But Steve Mieritz has threatened every year he has shown up in his ’86 CRX and it would be no surprise if he took the title. There hasn’t been a ton of head to head national action amongst the field this year but the Peru Tour gave us a glimpse of what should be an exciting nationals battle. There, Greg Anthony in his trusty Dodge Neon edged out Andrew Blasiman’s VW Rabbit who himself edged out Zimmer. All drivers were separated by 0.3 seconds over the weekend.
So my $100 Vegas bet? I’m all about the exotics so I’ll take a $1 trifecta box on the 7, 27, 97, 137 and 197. And I’ll hedge that bet with a $5 across the board on two Colorado cars: the 86 car (Jason West in the Corolla GT-S is my sleeper pick) and the 51 car of Jay Bonvouloir which won FSP back in 2017 with the previous owner. Then I’ll put my final $10 on the 13 car to snag a bottom trophy. Gotta love Andrew Buck’s street-prepared daily driver 200sx Se-R!
FSP ladies should be exciting as well. It should be noted that 100 percenter Dee Shweikle will be in attendance yet again. You can find her relaxing between runs in her fold out chair alongside her husband, George. Nadine Zimmer will be piloting the family rabbit and Annie Bonvouloir will be in a CRX with championship credentials but newcomer Emily Danti seems to have the ’86 Corolla GTS figured out and could very well find herself on top of the podium.
By Van Townsend
SM – Street Modified – 22 Entries – 7 Trophies
2018 Champion: Dallas Cutler
SSM – Super Street Modified – 18 Entries – 6 Trophies
2018 Champion: Randall Wilcox
SSML – Super Street Modified Ladies – 3 Entries – 1 Trophies
2018 Champion: N/A
SMF – Street Modified FWD – 12 Entries – 4 Trophies
2018 Champion: Brian Kuehl
SMFL – Street Modified FWD Ladies – 5 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Ginette Jordan
Years ago Mark Daddio said that anything more than about 350hp was useless in a FWD car in autocross. Or something like that. Well there are 14 idiots going to Lincoln who didn’t get that memo. Welcome to Street modified front wheel drive. It’s kind a like the FSP of the street mod world. Because hey we used to overheat Hoosiers with 110 hp on a mini. Surely four times that amount couldn’t possibly be sub optimal right?
One note is the Kuehl CRX is. It there. Might still be for sale. Someone may want to buy it and win. 😉
And let’s start with old reliable. Mike Forsythe in the EG civic. It’s always fast and dialed in and handling well. So unless there is a big power course look for Mike to be near the top fighting for a win.
The duo of Chris Janusz and Chris Haydu will be trying to move on up in the EF Civic and should be quick and in the trophies.
And last but not least we get to the duo of Joe Silva and Craig Wilcox. Craig ditched the mini and bought himself a jackstand holder. Yes if you have been in a cave you didn’t notice the silver civic Craig has now. It’s quick. And it will be much quicker and more reliable come September. I believe this car will be at the pointy end of the field in SMF but hey we have seen it all.
XP – X Prepared – 16 Entries – 5 Trophies
2018 Champion: Andy McKee
XPL – X Prepared Ladies – 3 Entries – 1 Trophy
2018 Champion: Amanda Hahn
CP – C Prepared – 45 Entries – 12 Trophies
2018 Champion: Tommy Pulliam
CPL – C Prepared Ladies – 4 Entries – 2 Trophy
2018 Champion: Tracy Lewis
DP – D Prepared – 16 Entries – 5 Trophies
2018 Champion: Todd Roberts
DP – D Prepared Ladies – 3 Entries – 1 Trophy
Deja vu is in full effect for D-Prepared in 2019. Many of the front runners who battled last year are back. Curiously most of them are from Texas. Not resting on his laurels, 2018 National Champion Todd Roberts has done some engine upgrades. Perry and Stephen Simonds have also reportedly made some improvements and will be looking to move up in the standings. Ward Marshall is also back, I’m sure wanting to flip last year’s second place into a first. And for this year’s dark horse look no further than Andrew Pfotenhauer. I have it on good authority that he has found some pace this year and might be fighting closer to the front.
By Pax Rolfe
EP – E Prepared – 12 Entries – 4 Trophies
2018 Champion: Ryan Field
FP – F Prepared – 17 Entries – 5 Trophies
2018 Champion: Jason Frank
AM – A Modified – 4 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Marshall Grice
BM – B Modified – 10 Entries – 4 Trophies
2018 Champion: Matt Ellam
CM – C Modified – 17 Entries – 5 Trophies
2018 Champion: Ben Martinez
DM – D Modified – 16 Entries – 5 Trophies
2018 Champion: Bob Tunnell
DML – D Modified Ladies – 4 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: N/A
EM – E Modified – 15 Entries – 5 Trophies
2018 Champion: Ron Ver Mulm
EML – E Modified Ladies – 3 Entries – 1 Trophy
2018 Champion: Shawn Kiesel
FM – F Modified – 30 Entries – 9 Trophies
2018 Champion: Zak Kiesel
FML – F Modified Ladies – 6 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Andrea Albin
FSAE – Formula SAE – 11 Entries – 4 Trophies
2018 Winner: Jack Heideman (Hope College)
It looks to be a high-powered shootout in the FSAE class this year with the largest class participation since 2012. Eleven drivers from four different schools will vie for the fastest student-built racer at the Solo Nationals. Perennial standouts from The University of Kansas and The University of Texas of Arlington will each bring two cars and look to prove their speed on the concrete while replicating their strong performances from this spring’s SAE collegiate competition. Not to be outdone, Kansas State’s 2019 and Western Washington University’s 2008 will surely add to the excitement of what should be the fastest class during the first two days of competition in Lincoln. The favorite to win is easily John Price, 2017 FSAE class champion and winner of the Dr. Bob Woods Cup for fastest student racer, but both Kansas and UTA will be bringing quick drivers who are hungry for their first championship.
By Zach Taulbee
KM – Kart Modified – 17 Entries – 5 Trophies
2018 Champion: Larry MacLeod
KML – Kart Modified Ladies – 4 Entries – 2 Trophies
2018 Champion: Kate Regganie
So kart mod. Who the hell knows what chassis and engine and pipe and whee and whatever is fast. So let’s look at some names.
Larry “Lefty” MacLeod is the reigning champ. People have been known to sell their soul to the devil for increased abilities. Blues men for guitar prowess for example. Rumor has it Lefty sold his right nut and that’s how he got the name. Well it works. He is going to try and repeat his dominating win from last year.
But Daniel Wendel won’t go down without a fight. Apparently the Porsche Taycan sucked last year so he is bringing a 1976 F350. Should be fun to watch.
And what about Tom Harrington. He has been finding his fast again this year and looks to be trying to get another KM jacket. Will 2019 be his year?
And will Ryan Lower have another amazing event and take a big win at nationals? He has shown the speed at other national events. So keep an eye on KM this year…if you can. 🙂
FJA – Formula JunioR A – 9 ENTRIES – 3 Trophies
2018 Winner: Mason Herrick
FJB – JunioR KART B – 8 ENTRIES – 3 Trophies
2018 Winner: Carter Heaton
Formula Junior A will be an interesting class for 2019. Since the kids don’t count toward the entry cap (that hasn’t even been hit yet as of this writing), there could be more kids sign up before registration closes. That would be a good thing, as there are currently only 7 drivers signed up. That being said, there is a lot of experience in those drivers that should make the class worth watching.
Mason Herrick is one of the names that stands out, as he has won this class the past two years (and Junior B the prior two years). He will try to make it another win, but he will have to get past some talented competitors. Carter Heaton won Junior B the past two years and has moved up for 2019. Conner Herrick has the most experience in this class and has been getting noticeably quicker. Darren Thomas is relatively new to the sport but has been showing significant speed lately, and newcomer Robbie Campbell has been very quick on the east coast. And nobody can count out Abigail Dorsey or Erika McKee, who have both continued to get quicker; if you have any question about their abilities, just take a look at their last names and try to count the number of championships in their families.
No matter how many drivers end up coming, Junior A should be worth watching, as any one of the entrants are capable of putting in a winning performance.
Formula Junior B is going to be fun to watch this year because there are plenty of possibilities of how it could turn out. Just like Junior A, there are several well-known family names in the class, so the level of talent potential is huge. Last year’s winner has moved up to JA, so we at least know we will have a new winner for 2019.
Olivia Hammac finished 2nd last year and will try to move up a spot this year. Alana McKee has been doing well and could be right there with her. Zach Minehart has been in this class for a few years and has the experience to be near the top. Local kids Hudson Heaton and Max Knop have plenty of seat time at the Lincoln site, which may help their efforts. And newcomer Ethan Turpin has shown good speed and should make a good showing in his first trip to Nationals.
Even though there aren’t very many entrants in the class as of this writing, the ones who are signed up should make it a class worth watching.
By Mike Herrick
CAMC – Classic American Muscle Contemporary – 36 Entries – 10 Trophies
2018 Winner: Shaun Bailey
Classic American Muscle Contemporary is the largest of all the CAM classes, and there is some seriously fast company in the 38-deep field. While the open rules are the same as for the CAM-T class, it seems that a lot of CAM-C builds are milder, with many cars retaining their original chassis, drivetrain, and suspension layouts. Case in point, the magical ATS-V of the GM team, driven by Tyler Chantrenne and Alexander Doss. Another car that’s “ESP Plus” is one of the oldest cars in the class, Brian Burdette’s 1995 Camaro, now with more power than earlier in the season. If the course is right, there’s a good chance he could walk away with his second national championship. On the other end of the age spectrum, the 2020 Camaro of Karl Riggs should keep everyone honest given the GM Team’s performance requirements for their national drivers. Scott Steider and Matt Lucas will fight for the trophies in Scott’s S550 Mustang, and don’t be surprised to see James Paulson or David Feighner near the top in their Mustangs either. Randy Adkins will battle with James Thomas for the high RPM record in their Shelby GT350s, though Robert Gosda in his S197 Boss 302 won’t be far behind. And whether he’s in a Mustang or a Tesla, John Laughlin is always quick. But everyone will be chasing Mike “Junior” Johnson’s ZL1 1LE Camaro, as he attempts to add a CAM-C victory to his many others.
By Eric Yee
CAMS – Classic American Muscle Sport – 24 Entries – 7 Trophies
2018 Winner: Mike Johnson
Classic American Muscle Sport is always a fun class for everyone, participant and observer alike. Big power and big tires along with a significant reduction in minimum weight from the other CAM classes make for some fast, fun to drive machines.
One of the believers in moar better power is JG Pasterjak of Grassroots Motorsports Magazine, as his ride this year is GRM’s boosted C5 Z06 project car. Zach Driver, Eric Brown, David Rock and Kent Kroll will also uphold the C5 banner in their quest for yet another trophy. Only one C6 Corvette, a 2007 Z06 driven by Eric and Justin Peachey, is scheduled to make an appearance, but the newer C7s are well represented, with John Nwanagu and Steve Waters leading the charge in their respective 2017 models. Paul Townsend, a member of the Team GM in another C7, also has a good chance of adding to his trophy collection. And taking advantage of the rule that states a Cobra can weigh less than a Corvair with its body panels rusted off, David Lousteau and Clay Turner buck the “factory plus” trend with their lightweight snakes. The absence of a certain other Cobra makes it harder to pick a winner, and I believe that weather and course design could have an affect on who, and indeed which type of car, will come out on top.
By Eric Yee
CAMT – Classic American Muscle Traditional – 20 Entries – 6 Trophies
2018 Winner: Chad Ryker
Classic American Muscle heads into its sixth straight year of supplemental status at the 2019 National Championships. Despite ever increasing entries and deepening fields, the club has yet to award a jacket for the driver finishing at the top of the podium. Does the SEB think that making the class official will make it a blank check championship, where the biggest spender has the biggest chance of winning? I don’t know, but as things stand now, the CAM Traditional class, for front engine, rear drive American iron designed before the mid-80s should be entertaining to watch.
Entries are as varied as they come, with everything from a Ford Falcon wagon to a flared out Vega scheduled to compete, but most of the field will be in Ford and Chevy ponycars. Camaro drivers include regulars Tara and Brian Johns in a 1989 Camaro, while Chris Cargill and Wayne Atkins have proven that a CP car on street tires can be a fun, and fast, combination. Keith Lamming and Patrick Darling, in a 1968 Camaro, show that the first generation F-body can compete too. Previous trophy winners Steve Seymore, Rob Ippolito and Mike Trenkle will hatch a plan to notch up (sorry, couldn’t resist) some hardware for their respective Fox-bodied Mustangs, but if you’re looking for the winner, the only name you need to know is Mike Meier, who has more championships than I’ve had tires this season.
By Eric Yee