2006 Runoffs Programming Comes To An End With Final Four Races

TOPEKA, Kan. (Dec. 18, 2006) – E Production, D Sports Racing, G Production and Formula Atlantic close out this year’s SCCA National Championship Runoffs programming on SPEED.

E Production gets things rolling at 12:00 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Polesitter Thomas Thrash, of Houston, Texas, gets a great start to lead the opening laps before a multi-car incident on lap three brings out a full-course yellow. Thrash will resume the lead when the green flag comes back out, but this time he has Lawrence Loshak, of Glendale, Wis., and Bob Neal, of Harbor City, Calif., filling his mirrors. An intense three-car battle develops, climaxing when the trio heads down the front stretch of Heartland Park Topeka three-wide. Will it be Thrash, Loshak or Neal capturing their first SCCA National Championship? If you miss it the first time, catch it again at 3:00 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 20.

Next up at 1:00 p.m. is D Sports Racing. Polesitter J.R. Osborne, of Centennial, Colo., will have his hands full starting next to three-time DSR Champion Mark Jaremko, of Spokane, Wash. The pair wastes no time when the green drops and swap the lead in the opening corners. An 18-lap battle will not materialize however, as Osborne pulls into the pits with mechanical problems on lap two. A full-course yellow on lap five might be the only chance the rest of the field has of catching Jaremko. The DSR race will be rebroadcast Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 4:00 a.m.

G Production hits the airwaves Thursday, Dec. 21 at 12:00 p.m. Andy Deatherage, of Cleveland, Ohio, and Chuck Mathis, of St. Jacob, Ill., put together a great early-race battle as the rain begins to fall at Heartland Park. It may look like this fight is destined to go all the way to the finish, but when the checkered flag flies, one of these two will glide across the finish line a full 14 seconds ahead of the competition to take his first National Championship.

Wrapping up this year’s SPEED broadcast is the Formula Atlantic race at 1:00 p.m. As the rain continues to fall, polesitter Keith Grant of Germantown, Tenn., has the task of leading the field into the first wet corners. Grant finds the grip in Turn One, but isn’t so fortunate in Turn Two and slides off track, handing the lead to local favorite Mirl Swan, of Platte City, Mo. As Mirl rockets away from the rest of the field, keep your eyes on the battle for the other two podium spots between Kyle Kelley, of Huntington Beach, Calif., John Strickler, of Olathe, Kan., and Keith Grant’s brother David. A late-race full-course yellow will make it a sprint to the finish for this group. You can watch the Formula Atlantic race again on Friday, Dec. 22 at 4:00 a.m.

For results from any of the races you might have missed, log onto the Runoffs event page.