(editor's note: this article has been revised based on official results)
Franklin Futrelle ran a perfectly executed Spec Racer® Ford Gen3 race on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023, during Hagerty Race Days at the SCCA® National Championship Runoffs®, holding back a pair of challengers on the final lap to capture his third career gold medal and second consecutive in the class.
Futrelle, David Ogburn, and Russell Turner, along with Tire Rack Polesitter Morgan Burkhard, broke away from the field and built a 10-second gap running nose to tail. Burkhard fell off on lap 12 with a cut tire, and all that was left to decide was who would occupy which step on the podium.
Each took a turn at the front of the field throughout the 15-lap race, with Turner leading Futrelle’s No. 97 Comprent Motorsports/Meco Inc SRF and Ogburn’s No. 108 Salt Stick/Sim Seats Spec Racer at the white flag – but everyone knew the race wasn’t over. Futrelle got the run out of Oak Tree and down the backstraight they call Madison Avenue to pull into the lead with the help of the draft. Turner kept his No. 23 Spec Racer Ford glued to the rear of Futrelle into the Roller Coaster portion of the track, but had to check up into the right hander and float wide, opening the door for Ogburn to take a shot Futrelle.
Ogburn chased Futrelle down the hill, through Hog Pen and onto the front straight to the checkered flag, but Futrelle kept his car in front to take his second class win in as many years.
“I tend to do good on cold tires, so I wanted to get out front and try to turn the race into three, four, or five cars instead of maybe 10 cars,” Futrelle said. “We managed that, and about a quarter of the way through, I started to notice I was good out of Hog Pen compared to the other guys. Come the end of the race, I saw an opportunity to take the lead at the end of the back stretch, which put me in the lead going into Hog Pen. That’s not always where you want to be in a Spec Racer on the last lap – but today it was where I wanted to be, and it worked out.”
Ogburn, a second-generation member and two-time SCCA autocross champion, turned the fastest lap of the race at 2:04.911 while running in the draft on his way to his first SCCA Runoffs podium. Ogburn officially led two laps across the stripe and was just 0.359sec behind at the end of the lap that counted most.
“I just wanted to be in the top three right there at the end,” Ogburn said. “I kept trying to get between Franklin and Russ so we could work together. I had a run on the back straight, but it was a bit too late – I’m not going to dive under for second because that would just let Franklin walk away. We locked up, rolled inside, and he checked me up a little bit, and then Franklin had a bit of a gap. You want to be second, and I was third, on the white.
“It feels very good,” Ogburn concluded. “I started watching [the Runoffs] in high school. It feels great. It’s mixed, because I could taste it. But it was a hell of a race.”
Turner, who claimed the National Championship in Formula Enterprises® 2 earlier in the weekend in a battle with Futrelle, saw his car fail the post-race technical inspection and was later relegated to last in the class after being the third across the finish line.
A similar three car battle to the leaders was playing out on track, but 10 seconds behind the lead group. Caleb Shrader separated himself from Justin Claucherty late in the race, and the two crossed the stripe alone in fourth and fifth place, respectively, which became third and fourth after Turner's penalty. Jase Petty, who was fifth on the final results, started the race in 21st and was named the Sunoco Hard Charger.
The race’s green flag was waved by honorary starter Bill King in celebration of the Spec Racer’s 40th anniversary season. King was the first Program Manager as an SCCA Staff member when the program launched in 1983, then called Formula Renault, and has evolved through three generations to remain one of the strongest classes in the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program.
The 60th running of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs®, the Pinnacle of American Amateur Motorsports, crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Road Racing National Champions this year at VIRginia International Raceway — in Alton, VA — during Hagerty Race Days, Friday, Sept. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 1.
Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, is available throughout the three days of competition at SCCA.com/live, and at SCCA’s official YouTube and Facebook social media channels. Live timing and scoring for each race is also available at SCCA.com.
Below are official results for Saturday's Spec Racer Ford Gen3 race at the 2023 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
1, (4), Franklin Futrelle, Augusta, GA, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
2, (3), David Ogburn, San Angelo, TX, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
3, (8), Caleb Shrader, Tigard, OR, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
4, (11), Justin Claucherty, Jackson, MI, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
5, (21), Jase Petty, Oakland, IL, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
6, (13), Robeson Clay Russell, Spartanburg, SC, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
7, (12), Todd Vanacore, Ormond Beach, FL, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
8, (17), Sam Schechter, Boyds, MD, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
9, (18), Scott Monroe, Kemah, TX, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
10, (22), Sal Webber, Spring Branch, TX, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
11, (15), James Goughary, Jupiter, FL, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
12, (19), Chris Jennerjahn, Hartford City, IN, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
13, (27), Matt Gray, Chaska, MN, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
14, (20), Brian Cates, Gainesville, VA, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
15, (26), William Hendrix, Brighton, MA, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
16, (29), Tom Burt, Woodway, WA, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
17, (25), Andre Perra, Government Camp, OR, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
18, (31), Russell King, Minneapolis, MN, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
19, (16), Gianclaudio Angelini, New Haven, CT, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
20, (33), Craig Chase, Darien, CT, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
21, (24), Lee Hill, Reidsville, NC, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
22, (28), Ben Jacobs, Oshkosh, WI, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
23, (30), Steven Greenhill, Libertyville, IL, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
24, (34), Jeff Beck, Ingleside, IL, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
25, (32), Scott Ross, Nashville, TN, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
26, (35), Steven Spano, Dryden, NY, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
27, (23), Charlie Rogers, Pittsboro, NC, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
28, (38), Jeff Futrelle, North Augusta, SC, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
29, (36), Keith Fraser, Annapolis, MD, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
30, (39), Craig Wheatley, Sanibel, FL, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
31, (14), Mac Harrison, Washington, DC, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 14.
32, (37), Kenneth Reilly, New Canaan, CT, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 14.
33, (40), Andrea King, Minneapolis, MN, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 14.
34, (1), Morgan Burkhard, Charles Town, WV, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 11.
35, (10), Denny Stripling, McKinney, TX, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 9.
36, (2), Charles Russell Turner, Montpelier, VA, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 15.
DNF, (6), Bobby Sak, Bloomfield Hills, MI, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 4.
DNF, (9), John Black, Olympic Valley, CA, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 3.
DNF, (7), S Sandy Satullo III, Hillsboro Beach, FL, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 1.
DNF, (5), Brian Schofield, Lakeland, FL, SCCA Spec Racer Ford Gen 3, 0.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 49.05 miles
Overall Time of Race: 31:23.702 (avg. 93.741 mph)
Margin of Victory: 0.359 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: #108 David Ogburn, 2:04.911 (94.203mph)
Lap Leaders: #97 laps 1-3, 5-10, 13, 15; #23 laps 4, 14; #108 laps 11-12
Sunoco Hard Charger: #106 Jase Petty
Photo caption: Franklin Futrelle had a full Runoffs weekend, with his SRF3 race concluding with him earning a third National Championship title.
Photo by: Jay Bonvouloir
