People will likely choose which of the Sept. 28-Oct. 6, 2024, SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco races they’ll watch based on how close they think the racing will be. In short, that means everyone will tune into this year’s Spec Racer® Ford Gen3 and Formula Enterprises® 2 races.
The National Championship Runoffs is an event unto itself, but toss in the spectacular racing that comes from these two spec classes, and the excitement is raised by quite a few notches. The problem is, with racing as close as it is in SRF3 and FE2, it’s impossible to predict the outcome – but that’s never stopped us from trying.
Today, we’re going to attempt to pick which drivers will spray the Mazza sparkling wine come Hagerty Race Days during the 2024 Runoffs at Road America, and who’s determined to spoil their fun.
Read on – and when you get to the bottom of the article, we’ll even tell you how to tune into the action to watch the races live, meaning you’ll be among the first to discover just how wrong our predictions were.
Who Will Win Spec Racer Ford Gen3?
Road America is a great track for just about any class, but for Spec Racers, the long straights and fast turns in Elkhart Lake mean that it's absolutely critical to find a drafting partner (or several) if you want to run at the front. At Road America, experience is king.
So, it will come as no surprise to anyone that the likely lads for this year's SRF3 championship are all familiar names. Our pick to win this year is Brian Schofield, who has two prior Spec Racer Ford National Championships to his name from 2010 and 2013, both won at Road America. But as with any year in SRF3, there will be many more past championships in the first 10 cars than there are drivers. If you want to win this year, it ain’t gonna be easy
"Anyone can win this year's Runoffs," Schofield says. "This is probably the deepest field we've had in years. The cars are so equal, it’s going to come down to who has a dedicated dancing partner and who has the best luck."
That's not false modesty, it's just a fact. Our second-place pick is Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour points leader Bobby Sak, himself a past National Champion at Road America in 2020. Sak also claimed a second Championship at Indy in 2019. Our pick for the bronze medal is Charles Russell Turner, who has never won the Runoffs at Road America, but has finished on the podium, and won Formula Enterprises 2 (more on that in a minute) last year at VIR. But that's not the end of the list. By the time you add in heavy hitters like defending National Champ Franklin Futrelle, John Black, Caleb Shrader, Cliff White, Sandy Satullo, and others, this race could go any which way.
"Franklin Futrelle and Clay Russell will be tough to beat," Schofield admits. "I feel confident, but I also need Lady Luck on my side to win this year."
Podium Prediction: Spec Racer Ford Gen3
1. Brian Schofield No. 61 PM Racing SRF3 (2 National Championships)
2. Bobby Sak, No. 19 Further Motorsport SRF3 (2 National Championships)
3. Charles Russell Turner, No. 23 PCS SRF3 (1 National Championship)
Who Will Win Formula Enterprises 2?
In Formula Enterprises 2, we think Charles Russell Turner will repeat last year's win at VIR. He’s currently sitting atop the Super Tour points this year, and his previous outing in FE2 at Road America resulted in a third-place finish. West Coast phenom Caleb Shrader is our pick for second place, but while he's never won a National Championship title before, he finished on the podium for both SRF3 and FE2 last year in Virginia, and he's always fast.
Franklin Futrelle is another driver who is double-dipping in both SRF3 and FE2, and he was last year's runner-up in FE2. He'll be looking to step up to the top of the podium this year, if he can shake off the Road America curse – he’s never finished well at this track during the Runoffs, despite leading seven laps of the SRF3 race here in 2020.
Other leading FE2 drivers with a chance to win include Jason Conzo (who finished second at VIR in 2022), Bailey Monette (who beat Conzo for the National Championship in 2022), and three-time Formula Mazda champion Darryl Wills (who collected all his gold medals at Road America).
Podium Prediction: Formula Enterprises 2
1. Charles Russell Turner, No 32 Southeast spec racer/ PCS FE2 (1 National Championship)
2. Caleb Shrader, No. 99 Consonus Healthcare FE2
3. Franklin Futrelle, No. 97 Meco Inc./Comprent Motorsports FE2 (3 National Championships)
Catch the Action Live
Qualifying at the National Championship Runoffs takes place Oct. 1-3, with Hagerty Race Days falling on Oct. 4-6. You can keep up on all of the action by clicking on the Runoffs homepage, where you’ll find the driver entry list, the event schedule, and more.
Races will be broadcast live on Oct. 1-3 on SCCA’s YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe to the page and ring that bell icon now to get notified when the race broadcasts begin.
Photo of Brian Schofield in SRF3 (top) by Rick Corwine; Charles Russell Turner in FE2 (bottom) by Jeff Loewe
