NASA Mid-Atlantic descended upon Virginia International Raceway for HyperFest May 16–17, 2026. As one of the most highly anticipated stops on the calendar, the weekend drew massive, energetic crowds to the 3.270-mile full course. The packed stands completely transformed the typical racing dynamic for the Spec E30 field.
“It is like my favorite event of the year just because of, you know, you get all these people coming out,” said driver Jack Cobetto. Cobetto credited a surging social media push for driving up fan attendance, adding, “I was surprised how many people were in the stands for the Bimmer Parts race we did on Friday. It definitely is cool and it’s definitely like an added effect. I feel like it’s definitely the event you want to try to win.”
Fellow competitor Michael Dayton echoed that sentiment. “It’s always more fun when you’ve got people watching,” Dayton said.
Friday Night Prelude: BimmerParts Showcase
Before the official points weekend kicked off, 11 Spec E30 racers took to the track on Friday evening for a special, high-stakes BimmerParts race. While labeled a fun exhibition race, the field kept its standard qualifying order, and the drivers did not hold back.
The battle up front was fierce, primarily featuring a multi-car dogfight with Jack Cobetto, Garrett Manes and Cameron Beattie. Manes ultimately suffered overheating issues and had to pull off the track, opening the door for others. Cobetto secured the victory and a $500 prize, followed by Beattie in second for $300, and Carter Hunt pulling through in third and collecting $200.
Saturday Race One
The opening official race of the weekend Saturday afternoon was disrupted by on-track incidents. Multiple full-course cautions limited the field to roughly four laps of green-flag racing, completely shattering any hopes of sustained green-flag battles.
Garrett Manes started strong in his No. 12 BMW 325i and managed to escape the chaos, crossing the finish line first to secure the official race victory.
Behind him, Jack Cobetto initially crossed the line in second place, but was disqualified during post-race tech inspection due to a technical infraction regarding his differential breakaway torque. The Spec E30 series enforces a strict 65 foot-pound legal limit, and Cobetto’s differential registered at 72 foot-pounds.
“Rules are rules,” Cobetto later explained. “The fluid was a little bit old, and as the fluid gets older it gets thicker, so it makes the diff lock up a little bit later.”
Cobetto flushed the unit with fresh fluid to resolve the issue for Sunday, noting he plans to add a limited-slip differential additive later this year and pull the differential entirely for inspection before the NASA Championships at Sebring International Raceway. The disqualification shook up the official podium standings.
Joey Griscavage was elevated to second place with a best lap time of 2:17.534. “Following Jack, I definitely learned a lot, like just to improve myself and my line,” Griscavage said. “It’s not how I wanted to get a second, but I’ll take it.”
Joey’s father, Jason Griscavage inherited third place, finishing a mere 0.372 seconds behind his son Joey. This marked the first time the father-son duo shared a NASA podium together.
Michael Dayton secured fourth place, trailing Jason Griscavage by only 0.849 seconds. Dayton noted that a Spec 3 car held up a pack of drivers, preventing them from mounting a true charge at Joey Griscavage before the race ended under caution.
Zach Dayton took fifth place with a best lap of 2:20.248, and Dan Hagenbuch finished sixth, followed by Carter Hunt in seventh.
Sunday, Race Two
Sunday morning brought a welcome change of pace with an entirely clean, green-to-checkered-flag nine-lap race. Free from the restriction of yellow flags, Garrett Manes put on a masterclass from the pole position.
“With Jack’s DQ, I was not waiting around for him to catch back up,” Manes said. “Right off the get-go it was kind of hammer down, try to get a gap, break the draft early on. It was a fun one to be able to kind of dial-in the car and figure out what we needed.” Manes noted that after years of mechanical heartbreak at Virginia International Raceway, his car was finally sorted, allowing him to cruise to victory.
Further back, Jack Cobetto was forced to start near the rear of the grid due to his Saturday disqualification but quickly sliced through the field. He spent the majority of the race locked in a spectacular three-way battle with Michael Dayton and Joey Griscavage.
“We went side by side from the lower S’s to Roller Coaster,” Dayton said.
Cobetto added that his car had just enough top-end power out of the corners to edge ahead, claiming second place. Joey Griscavage, watching from third, called it “some of the tightest, cleanest racing I’ve ever seen.”
The battle further down the order was equally fierce. Dan Hagenbuch and Zach Dayton traded paint all morning after Hagenbuch got a better launch off the starting line. Dayton caught up using Hagenbuch’s draft out of Hog Pen but fell short at the line by an incredibly slim 0.079 seconds, leaving Hagenbuch in seventh and Dayton in eighth.
Sunday, Race Three
The weekend culminated in a dramatic 10-lap afternoon finale that featured an absolute blockbuster duel for the victory. Garrett Manes and Jack Cobetto started on the front row and proceeded to exchange the lead multiple times in a masterclass of racecraft.
On the final lap, Cobetto executed an aggressive inside pass coming out of Hog Pen to take the white flag. The two went door-to-door into Turn 1, where local yellow flags were being waved for an isolated incident in Turn 3. Confused by the flags, Manes momentarily backed off before realizing the track was clear ahead, temporarily conceding the position.
The two made minor contact through the Turn 4 and Turn 5 complex before charging out of Oak Tree. Cobetto got sideways coming out of the corner, forcing Manes to lift momentarily to avoid a collision. The recovery turned the back straightaway into a classic drag race. Side-by-side and door-to-door, Manes utilized a perfect side draft in the final 20 feet to slip past Cobetto at the stripe, winning by a breathtaking 0.014 seconds.
VIDEO
“Man, that was one of the best races I’ve ever been a part of, for sure,” Cobetto said, despite finishing second. Cobetto noted that his car was picking up its right rear tire in the slower corners, an alignment and handling issue he intends to fix since Manes was noticeably quicker through the sharper, technical sections of the track.
Michael Dayton avoided the lead drama to cruise to a comfortable third-place finish, while Joey Griscavage finished fourth after picking the wrong lane during an execution of a double-yellow restart mid-race.
Key Driver Perspectives
For Richard Montoni, the weekend was a grueling exercise in mechanical troubleshooting. After installing a brand-new engine, Montoni discovered he was missing roughly 7 mph at the end of the back straightaway, leaving him unable to contend.
“It was a weekend to forget for me,” Montoni said. “Four out of the six fuel injectors were bad out of the packaging. Turns out fuel injectors are good for about four seconds a lap.” After tracking down the electrical and fuel issues, Montoni borrowed older, serviced injectors from Jorge Giovannini on Sunday. Though his transponder failed in the final race, Montoni happily noted he was able to unofficially edge out Zach Dayton on track.
Conclusion
HyperFest 2026 proved exactly why Spec E30 remains one of the most competitive and thrilling classes in NASA Mid-Atlantic competition. Garrett Manes established himself as the undisputed king of the weekend, sweeping all three official races in his white BMW. Jack Cobetto proved he has the raw speed to contend for championships once his differential setup and minor handling tweaks are finalized. With the Griscavage and Dayton families locking down consistent top-five finishes, the points race is heating up beautifully as the region looks ahead to summer events on the road to the 2026 NASA Championships.
