Editors Note: This article was updated Oct. 6, 2024, based on official results and due to post-race penalty assessment.
Danny Richardson was elevated to his second consecutive American Sedan gold medal on Saturday at the 60th Anniversary SCCA National Championship Runoffs during the second of three Hagerty Race Days at Road America following a post-race penalty on Gregory Eaton.
Eaton and his No. 21 Eaton Racing and Development Ford Mustang led every lap from the Tire Rack pole with Richardson right on his tail. Eaton crossed the finish line 0.564sec ahead of Richardson and 4.193sec ahead of James Jost.
But that initial start from the front of the field was ultimately his downfall, as he was judged to have accelerated before the start zone and penalized five seconds post-race. That slipped Eaton to third on the standings, behind Jost and 0.172sec ahead of fourth-place Amy Aquilante. Eaton was later disqualified from the race per GCR Rule 7.4.D for leaving technical inspection prior to official dismissal, elevating the rest of the field one position in the standings.
Following the penalties, Richardson’s No. 22 Hoosier/Carbotech/AutoGear/Anze Chevrolet Camaro was lifted to his second-consecutive class title after last year’s win at Virginia International Raceway. That gives Richardson three total Runoffs medals.
“This is something that I never even thought was possible,” Richardson said. “It’s the absolute pinnacle of working your butt off in the garage, on the simulator, every day at the track messing with the suspension finding every last tenth. The work never stops. You always try to go faster the next year. Two times is great, but three times would be awesome.
“VIR is a home track for us, and we did have that home field advantage. There was a part of me that wondered, did we win because of that? Today we made a statement with our pace and I’m proud of that.”
It didn’t come easy for Richardson, who spent the early part of the race battling with eight-time class winner Andy McDermid. The pair were lock step and sliding sideways through corners, swapping positions twice. Richardson was in front on lap seven when the motor in McDermid’s Mustang let go and ended his race.
Richardson was alone on the track at that point, as Eaton had crept away.
But that gap was erased when Kyle Jones, battling with Jost and Aquilante for the third position, hit the wall coming out of the Carousel. As he stopped on track, the ensuing full course caution bunched the field for the final showdown.
Richardson took a few looks on the opening lap in an attempt to get around Eaton, but Eaton held on and broke away on the final lap. Behind that battle, Aquilante moved around Jost for what was then-third into Turn 1, with Jost back around later that same lap while that duo continued to push to the podium.
Jost’s podium in the No. 14 Jost Iron Works/Yanek Custom Guns Ford Mustang GT was the third of his career.
“It feels excellent. Phenomenal,” Jost said. “She’s a hell of a racer, and I’ll race alongside her any time. My guys were telling me that I was a second and a half faster than the front runners were, and we had a chance at this. But when we did the extra lap for the yellow, I thought it might be too much and it was.”
Aquilante finished fourth on the track and was elevated to third for her fourth career podium. Thomas West was fourth on the official results, followed by Evan Pecore in fifth. Tim White was awarded the Sunoco Hard Charger after moving from 13th on the grid to 7th in the final standings.
The 60th anniversary SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco is the pinnacle of American amateur motorsports and crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Road Racing National Champions this year at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI, during Hagerty Race Days running Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, is available throughout the three days of competition at SCCA.com/runoffs-live. Live timing and scoring for each race are also available at SCCA.com/pages/runoffs-live-timing.
Below are final results for Saturday's American Sedan race at the 2024 SCCA® National Championship Runoffs, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
1, (1), Gregory Eaton, Woodbridge, VA, Ford Mustang GT, 13.
2, (2), Daniel Richardson, Derwood, MD, Chevrolet Camaro, 13.
3, (7), James Jost, New Ringgold, PA, Ford Mustang GT, 13.
4, (4), Amy Aquilante, Phoenixville, PA, Pontiac Firebird, 13.
5, (8), Thomas West, Standish, ME, Cadillac CTS-V, 13.
6, (5), Evan Pecore, Newton, WI, Ford Mustang GT, 13.
7, (9), Roger Eagleton, Burlingame, CA, Ford Spec Mustang, 13.
8, (13), Tim White, Omaha, NE, Ford Mustang Cobra, 13.
9, (16), David Henderson, Sioux Falls, SD, Chevrolet Camaro, 13.
10, (17), Kelly Lubash, Stamford, CT, Chevrolet Camaro, 13.
11, (12), Andy Schniedermeyer, Florissant, MO, Chevrolet Camaro, 11.
12, (15), Phillip Waters, Grand Prairie, TX, Chevrolet Camaro, 11.
13, (6), Kyle Jones, Milford, MI, Pontiac Firebird, 7.
14, (3), Andrew McDermid, Fowlerville, MI, Ford Mustang, 6.
DNF, (14), Beth Aquilante, Collingswood, NJ, Pontiac Firebird, 5.
DNF, (10), Kyle Gilbert, Janesville, WI, Chevrolet Camaro, 5.
DNF, (11), Tom Brown, Breesport, NY, Chevrolet Camaro SS, 4.
DNF, (18), Douglas Cross, Brockport, NY, Chevrolet Camaro, 3.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 52.62 miles
Overall Time of Race: 38:19.944 (avg. 82.350 mph)
Margin of Victory: 3.629 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:26.429 (99.521 mph)
Lap Leaders: #21, Laps 1-13
Sunoco Hard Charger: #6 Tim White
Photo by: Rick Corwine
