When it comes to motorsport, there’s always a chance, and it’s never over ‘til it’s over. Formula Vee® (FV) driver Brian Farnham, of SCCA’s Neohio Region, proved that to the utmost late Saturday afternoon during the first of two Hagerty Race Days at the 63rd Mission Foods SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® taking place Oct. 3-4, 2026, at Road America in Wisconsin.
Farnham, in the No. 15 Quixote/Bugslife/Noble/KearneyDD Vortech machine, drove from the rear of a 34-car field to claim victory after a 10-lap contest around Road America’s 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit. The hard work netted him a second Runoffs gold medal, and his fourth-ever visit to the victory podium to receive a commemorative bottle from Mazza Wines, the Official Sparkling Wine supplier to SCCA.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Farnham proclaimed after the race. “It’s a dream come true to come through like that.”
After Friday’s qualifying session, Farnham’s car experienced some trouble during Tech inspection. There was an issue with the vehicle’s exhaust, and he was penalized and ended up starting 35th in the field.
“It’s just amazing,” Farnham continued about the victory. “I’m ecstatic and this is just the best.”
Certain developments played a crucial role in Farnham’s ability to execute his feat at America’s National Park of Speed. At the start, Tire Rack Pole Award winner Zachary Whitston was out front of the colorful kaleidoscope of cars that headed into Turn 1 after the long front stretch. That lap ended with Andrew Abbott leading Donnie Isley, Chris Jennerjahn, and the rest.
The second lap saw an incident develop exiting The Kink, and the field was led into pit lane by reigning FV Champion Alex Scaler after the black flag was shown. The event was halted for around 12 minutes for cleanup before the contest was restarted with about 17 minutes remaining in what became a 40-minute, timed event.
The restart’s pace on lap four was slow, which allowed Scaler to get a bit of a gap on the rest of the field. But it didn’t take long before everyone caught up, and Andrew Whitston actually led the lap followed by Abbott, Scaler, Zachary Whitston, Isley, Graham Loughead, Steve Whitston, Jennerjahn, with Hunter Phelps-Barron rounding out the front pack.
By the next lap, Farnham appeared in seventh thanks to the field bunching up for the restart. On lap six, he moved to sixth; and lap seven saw him sitting second with time running out in the race.
When the white flag flew to start the 10th and final lap, Farnham was out front followed by Zachary Whitston, Scaler, Steve Whitston, Andrew Whitston, Abbott and Isley – the final two experiencing trouble on the last lap and departing the fight.
Coming through Kettle Bottoms and into Canada Corner, drivers remaining in the hunt seemed unsure who wanted to be in the lead. So, Farnham took the front spot and prepared for battle through the last couple corners. The others, however, couldn’t quite hook up to make things work, and Farnham ended up with a 0.089sec victory over runner-up Steve Whitston in the No. 18 LOA Construction Protoform P3 car. For Steve, that earned him his first Runoffs silver medal.
“It was a great race, and a little wild out there,” Steve said, noting he thought he’d lined things up perfectly for a run at victory before Farnham hesitated a bit through Turn 13 and disrupted his rhythm. “I don’t know if he missed a shift or had some kind of a mechanical problem, but his car completely slowed down.”
Only 0.096sec behind Steve in third was his brother Zachary in the No. 27 Whitmoore and Associates Protoform P2 car. That is Zach’s third bronze medal in nine National Championship appearances.
“I was glad to be there at the end,” Zach said. “Obviously, I’d like one more lap if we could do it over.”
Andrew Whitston finished fourth only 0.263sec off the leader, and fifth was Scaler just 0.112sec further back. The Sunoco Hard Charger award went to Tad Lenhart after he started 37th and finished 21st. Farnham, who started 35th due to a penalty, was not eligible for the award.
The 63rd Mission Foods SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® is the pinnacle of American amateur motorsports and crowns Sports Car Club of America™ Champions as part of the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program. In 2026, two Hagerty Race Days at Wisconsin’s Road America decide 23 gold-medal winners.
The live, online Runoffs Broadcast presented by Mazda features video over both competition days at SCCA’s Official YouTube Channel. Live timing and scoring for each race is also available at SCCA.com/live.
Below are provisional results for Saturday’s Formula Vee race at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
- 1, (35), Brian Farnham, Medina, OH, Vortech, 10.
2, (12), Steve Whitston, Georgetown, TX, Protoform P3, 10.
3, (1), Zachary Whitston, Austin, TX, Protoform P2, 10.
4, (10), Andrew Whitston, Neenah, WI, Protoform P2, 10.
5, (4), Alex Scaler, Asbury, NJ, Scaler Mk1, 10.
6, (9), Rick Shields, Bridgeville, PA, VDF 2, 10.
7, (6), Jeffrey Valeo, Brooklyn, NY, Mysterian M2, 10.
8, (7), Graham Loughead, Noblesville, IN, Vortech, 10.
9, (3), Chris Jennerjahn, Hartford City, IN, Vortech, 10.
10, (11), Ethan Satterley, Howell, MI, Mysterian M2, 10.
11, (8), Quinn Posner, Camas, WA, Protoform P3, 10.
12, (16), Simon Stallings, Indianapolis, IN, Adams Aero, 10.
13, (17), Colin Satterley, Howell, MI, Lazer Mk 2.5, 10.
14, (20), Robert Detrick, Pine Bush, NY, Protoform P3, 10.
15, (13), Hunter Phelps-Barron, Garland, TX, Mysterian M4, 10.
16, (22), Mark Richardson, Washington, IL, Mysterian M3, 10.
17, (27), Mace Gjerman, Windsor, CA, DART II, 10.
18, (18), Connor Loughead, Columbus, OH, Vortech, 10.
19, (24), Greg Buttrey, Indianapolis, IN, Vortech, 10.
20, (15), Anthony Henderson, Chattanooga, TN, Vortech, 10.
21, (37), Tad Lenhart, Cedarburg, WI, Citation 90V, 10.
22, (2), Andrew Abbott, South Lyon, MI, Vector GB-4, 10.
23, (34), Ronnie Chuck, Redwood City, CA, Mysterian M2, 10.
24, (5), Donnie Isley, Fletcher, NC, Agitator 16, 9.
25, (29), Gavin Sweeney, Brooklyn, NY, Protoform P3, 9.
26, (26), Simon Hughes, Houston, TX, Womer EV3, 7.
27, (14), Mike Lawrence, Charlotte, NC, Protoform P2, 6.
DNF, (30), John McAleer, Hixson, TN, Vortech, 4.
DNF, (19), Dave Scaler, Asbury, NJ, Vortech, 3.
DNF, (31), Alexander Smith, Albrightsville, PA, Mysterian, 3.
DNF, (33), Rich Richardson, South Pekin, IL, Zero Laser 001, 3.
DNF, (21), Blake Tatum, Stockton, CA, Adams Crusader, 1.
DNF, (28), William Styczynski, Plainfield, IL, Vortech, 1.
DNF, (32), Raymond Carmody, Horseheads, NY, Mysterian M3, 1.
DNS, (23), Michael Nitz, Menomonee Falls, WI, Protoform P3.
DNS, (25), Ron Whitston, Neenah, WI, Protoform P2.
DNS, (36), Stuart Delaney, Plymouth, MI, Caracal C.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 40.48 miles
Overall Time of Race: 42:40.269 (avg. 56.919 mph)
Margin of Victory: 0.089 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:45.272 (88.175 mph)
Lap Leaders: #25, Lap 1; #79, Laps 2-3, 5; #12, Lap 4; #27, Lap 6; #18, Lap 7; #15, Laps 8-10
Sunoco Hard Charger: #55 Tad Lenhart
Photo by Jay Bonvouloir
