2017 SCCA Runoffs National Champions crowned in Indy - MotorSportsTalk

For SCCA club racers, the opportunity to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course for this year’s National Championship Runoffs was something most could have only dreamed of.

More than 1,000 entries pre-registered although a number of them dropped off by this weekend’s races, but the number still ended at 983 cars entered, and were spread across 24 races.

This year’s Runoffs held at IMS followed runs at Mid-Ohio (2016), Daytona (2015), Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (2014) and Road America (2013) in the last five years.

Next year, the Runoffs head back West to Sonoma Raceway on October 16-21, 2018.

Crowning amateur national champions @IMS & hosting nearly 1,000 drivers the past 11 days was one of the coolest things we've done! Thanks! https://t.co/1IGSxqSZjb

— J. Douglas Boles (@jdouglas4) October 2, 2017

Here are this year’s National Champions, below. Full results from the week of SCCA Runoffs, in all classes, are linked here via SCCA’s website.

FRIDAY

Touring 1: Andrew Aquilante
Formula Atlantic: Keith Grant
Prototype 2: Jeff Shafer
SRF: Mike Miserendino
Spec Miata: Preston Pardus
Formula F: Matthew Cowley
F Production: Eric Prill
GT-2: Andrew Aquilante
Touring 3: Derek Kulach
B-Spec: David Daughtery

SATURDAY

GT-3: Collin Jackson
Formula Continental: Austin McCusker
Formula Mazda: Melvin David Kemper Jr.
E Production: Kip van Steenburg
SRF Gen3: Tray Ayers
STL: Adam Roberts
American Sedan: Bryan Long
Touring 2: John M. Buttermore
Prototype 1: Jonathan Eriksen
Formula 1000 (FB): Alex Mayer

SUNDAY

Formula Enterprises: Elliot Finlayson
GT-1: David Pintaric
Formula Vee: Michael Varacins
GT-Lite: Christopher Bovis
Touring 4: Darren Seltzer
Formula 500: Wiley Clinton McMahan
STU: Max Gee
H Production: Jason Isley

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”