The SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® likely has the largest collection of data for any event that the Sports Car Club of America hosts, mostly because this is the 60th anniversary of the event that began in 1964 with a race at the now-extinct Riverside International Raceway.
Through the years, the Club has amassed a large swath of Runoffs data, and this year, we continue to add to those statistics, logging each and every number that proves intriguing.
What lies below are just a few of the facts that crept up during the Sept. 28-Oct 6, 2024, SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Sunoco at Road America.
69
Consider this our annual update, but this is the number of starts that SCCA Hall of Famer Mark Weber should have after this event, provided he takes the green in both F Production and E Production (as he plans to do). His stated goal is to make his 70th Runoffs start next season when he turns 70-years-old.
Others reaching milestones during this year’s event: it will be 50 starts for Richard Colburn, 40 for Steve Sargis, and 30 each for Wolfgang Maike and Peter Zekert.
44
The record for the most consecutive starts at the Runoffs. Weber’s consisted of multiple starts in many years, but Colburn is at the event for the 44th consecutive year. Weber is just one behind, however.
105
That’s the number of first-timers at the Runoffs, at least as drivers. That includes youngsters like 16-year-old Spec Miata driver Ethan Ayars.
7
Lucky seven is the number of podium finishes that Scotty B. White holds at the Runoffs, the most this season of anyone yet to clinch the Runoffs gold medal. White has been close several times in his previous 43 Runoffs starts, and has three more chances this year, since he’ll be competing in Touring 2, 3, and 4.
White’s not the only one who has been close but not climbed to the top step. Bart Wolf, Wolfgang Maike, and David Lapham have all been on the podium six times, and Jason Miller and Charlie Campbell have been there five times.
It would not be a shock to see more than one of these drivers take a gold medal this year.
16
We’d be remiss if we didn’t talk winners.
John Heinricy has 16 Runoffs wins and a chance to add to that total this year. Andrew Aquilante holds 14 gold medals and has a chance to add one more this year – but not multiple, as the racer is entered in just one class in back-to-back years for the first time since 2012. Michael Lewis has 10 Runoffs golds, and Steve Sargis could join him in double digits this year with an H Production win.
21
How about Tire Rack Pole awards? Andrew Aquilante has 21 of them, which is second all time. He needs just four to catch Jerry Hansen’s record of poles, and could be one closer at the end of the week.
5
Let’s talk Road America specialists – or at least success stories.
Five entered drivers have captured their one and only Runoffs wins at Road America. That list is: James Weida, Riley Salyer, Chris Jennerjahn, Greg Gauper, and Michael Borden – with Salyer, Jennerjahn, and Borden grabbing their golds in the last visit here.
26+
Finally, let’s concentrate on this number – that’s the hours of live, streaming Runoffs coverage from Friday to Sunday on SCCA’s YouTube channel. Every race is produced by the team at Apex Broadcasting (for the 16th year!) and features commentators John Fippin, Greg Creamer, Larry MacLeod, and Tom O’Gorman, with Heyward Wagner on pit lane. Don’t miss a minute!
Photo: Scotty B. White has seven Runoffs podium finishes in 43 attempts, but no wins. Running in three classes, will this be his year?
Photo by Jeff Loewe
