Editors Note: This article was updated Oct. 6, 2024, based on official results and due to post-race penalty assessment.
Powering through a Spec Racer® Ford Gen3 (SRF3) field 55 strong, Charles Russell Turner took gold during the 60th anniversary SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco. The title race was held on the second of three Hagerty Race Days during the Sept. 28-Oct. 6, 2024, event at the storied racing circuit of Road America in Plymouth, WI.
In this class, the Tire Rack Pole is often decided by hundredths or thousandths of a second, and 2024’s Runoffs didn’t disappoint. Texas Region’s Denny Stripling earned top qualifying honors for the first time in his No. 4 Lupe Tortilla/LSM SRF3, but Charles Russell Turner qualified in second just 0.118sec back. Starting on the second row was David Ogburn and Tyler Stephens. The spread from first to fourth on the grid? An unbelievably tight 0.222sec. All told, the top 11 qualified less than one second off the pole time.
As the packed field approached the starter’s stand looking to take to the 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit, four cars tangled while heading up the hill, leaving a couple stranded cars and fluid on the course. That contact brought out a full-course caution by the time the front pack had made it to Turn 3.
The green flag waived for the second time a few laps later, but this time the field was single file. Stripling led the pack, followed by Turner, Ogburn, Tyler Stephens, Liam Flanagan, and more, but it didn’t take long before several cars entered the grass on the front straight as drivers tussled for precious real estate. As the field reassembled, Stripling and Turner began building a lead over the second grouping of cars – but still, that slightly separated pack (with Ogburn leading Bobby Sak, Tyler Stephens, and Liam Flanagan) were within striking distance.
While Ogburn was forced to defend challenges for third – giving up the spot to Sak on lap five – the top two were tucked together in a seemingly futile attempt to make a run for it.
With the top 10 in a closeknit train come the halfway point, Turner made his move and slotted into the lead, bringing Sak into second and Stripling third. The battle for second and third turned fierce, but no one poked a nose in on Turner in the lead.
With four to go, Dave Yahn was involved in an incident in the Kink, bringing out a full-course caution and the Mazda pace car with Turner, Sak, Stripling, Ogburn, Stephens, and Flanagan in the top six – but all the racers were champing at the bit for the restart.
The green flew for the third and final time with two laps to go – and the battle was on.
Unfortunately, cars exiting Turn 14 made contact before making it to the start stand, with more contact happening on the front straight and into Turn 3 resulting in another full course yellow. But before the caution flew, Sak had been shuffled to fourth, giving Turner his second SCCA National Championship title (his first coming last year in Formula Enterprises® 2), with Stripling crossing the stripe second and Ogburn, in an ill-handling car, third.
In post-race inspections, Stripling and Sak were penalized to the back of the field due to technical infractions, promoting Ogburn to second, Tyler Stephens to third, Flanagan to fourth, and Caleb Roethel to fifth.
Turner’s win not only meant he'd earned his second-ever National Championship title (his first coming in Formula Enterprises® 2 the year prior) but it also meant he clenched the SCCA Super Sweep (for the second time). Winning a Super Sweep requires a driver take the Hoosier Super Tour point victory and a Majors Conference championship all in the same class in the same year.
“Well, honestly, this is the toughest field I've ever seen,” he said on the podium while looking down on his No. 23 SRF3. “In the end, it boiled down to luck, an excellent team, and a little bit of strategy helped there at the end, and we were able to pull away.”
Ogburn’s race was marred by a left rear suspension that took damage early in the race, leaving Ogburn with a handful.
“On the yellow flag laps just warming up tires, I almost fenced it,” said West Texas Region member Ogburn of his damaged No. 108 Sim Seats/Dalrymple Racing Services SRF3. “I pulled up a couple times [to] Russ and Denny [on the caution lap] … and they told me that nothing was moving, so I figured I'd move on one more lap, and maybe I can give them space.
“It's the happiest podium of my life because I, for sure, thought I'd be watching the race from the trailer.”
For Lone Star Region’s Tyler Stephens, this not only marked his Runoffs first bronze medal, but it was also his first showing at the Runoffs, making for a memorable event.
The Sunoco Hard Charger award went to Wade White, who started 55th and finished 31st.
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 Spec Racer Ford 3 race at the 2024 SCCA® National Championship Runoffs, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
1, (2), Charles Russell Turner, Montpelier, VA, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
2, (3), David Ogburn, San Angelo, TX, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
3, (4), Tyler Stephens, Bixby, OK, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
4, (5), Liam Flanagan, Broken Arrow, OK, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
5, (8), Caleb Roethel, West Bend, WI, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
6, (20), Morgan Burkhard, Charles Town, WV, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
7, (11), Peyton Long, Conway, AR, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
8, (10), S Sandy Satullo III, Hillsboro Beach, FL, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
9, (9), Caleb Shrader, Tigard, OR, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
10, (21), Carter Kunkel, Bixby, OK, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
11, (23), James Goughary, Jupiter, FL, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
12, (19), Justin Claucherty, Jackson, MI, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
13, (22), Rob Pielsticker, Colorado Springs, CO, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
14, (29), Mark Greb, Iowa City, IA, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
15, (25), John Vogel, Saint Louis, MO, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
16, (12), Brian Schofield, Lakeland, FL, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
17, (35), Mac Harrison, Washington, DC, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
18, (32), Chris Jennerjahn, Hartford City, IN, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
19, (31), Jean-Luc Liverato, Atlanta, GA, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
20, (34), William Hendrix, Brighton, MA, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
21, (38), Ben Jacobs, Oshkosh, WI, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
22, (15), Simon Gamble, Lake Barrington, IL, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
23, (28), Tom Burt, Shoreline, WA, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
24, (36), Charles Pigeon, Abilene, TX, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
25, (33), Tyler Fox, Kansas City, MO, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
26, (39), Russell King, Minneapolis, MN, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
27, (37), Steven Greenhill, Libertyville, IL, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
28, (41), Judson Holt, Houston, TX, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
29, (44), Scott Barr, Appleton, WI, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
30, (43), Andre Perra, Government Camp, OR, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
31, (55), Wade White, Vail, CO, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
32, (40), Matt Gray, Chaska, MN, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
33, (57), Robert Edmison, Manhattan Beach, CA, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
34, (46), Peter Jankovskis, Lisle, IL, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
35, (48), Mark Fogarty, Appleton, WI, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
36, (51), Reid Johnson, Naples, FL, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
37, (53), Andrea King, Minneapolis, MN, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
38, (54), James Nelson, Westminster, CO, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
39, (7), John Black, Olympic Valley, CA, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
40, (16), Grant Vogel, Saint Louis, MO, SCCA Ent SRF3, 11.
41, (26), Richard Stephens, Bixby, OK, SCCA Ent SRF3, 11.
42, (24), Ben Albano, Greenwich, CT, SCCA Ent SRF3, 11.
43, (30), Scott Monroe, Seabrook, TX, SCCA Ent SRF3, 10.
44, (17), Robeson Clay Russell, Spartanburg, SC, SCCA Ent SRF3, 8.
45, (18), Richard Baldwin, Covington, LA, SCCA Ent SRF3, 7.
46, (52), Dave Yahn, Erin, WI, SCCA Ent SRF3, 7.
47, (50), Dave Tatge, Glenview, IL, SCCA Ent SRF3, 6.
48, (42), Steve Clifton, Evans, GA, SCCA Ent SRF3, 6.
49, (1), Denny Stripling, McKinney, TX, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
50, (6), Bobby Sak, Bloomfield Hills, MI, SCCA Ent SRF3, 12.
DNF, (14), Rob Clifton, Evans, GA, SCCA Ent SRF3, 4.
DNF, (13), Cliff White, Huntsville, AL, SCCA Ent SRF3, 4.
DNF, (45), Christopher Prevenas, Cedar Rapids, IA, SCCA Ent SRF3, 0.
DNF, (47), Dwight Rider, Aurora, CO, SCCA Ent SRF3, 0.
DNF, (49), Craig Wheatley, Sanibel, FL, SCCA Ent SRF3, 0.
DNS, (27), Todd Vanacore, Ormond Beach, FL, SCCA Ent SRF3, 0.
DNS, (56), Justin Elder, Lakeville, MN, SCCA Ent SRF3, 0.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 48.58 Miles
Overall Time of Race: 39:54.881 (avg. 73.020 mph)
Margin of Victory: 00.265 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:28.129 (98.379 mph)
Lap Leaders: #4, Laps 1-5; #23, Laps 6-12
Sunoco Hard Charger: #59 Wade White
Photo by: Rick Corwine
