The American Iron faithful of the NASA Florida Region descended on Sebring International Raceway on May 31 – June 1, 2025, for a weekend packed with slick conditions, intense battles, and the enduring camaraderie that defines the series in NASA Florida. Drivers navigated pouring rain, grappled with new spec tires, and pushed their machines to the limit, resulting in more than a few war stories from the four-race weekend.
Dubbed the “Welcome to Summer” event, the weekend presented immediate challenges. Saturday’s qualifying session was a washout, with what driver Patrick Wehmeyer described as “ponds in most of the corners” under torrential rain. Robert Keller was one of the few, if not the only one, to brave the deluge and put in a qualifying lap.
Saturday’s Races: Slick Starts and Mechanical Drama
With weather still a factor, all races over the weekend used flying starts. In Saturday’s first race, Bruce Byerly, piloting his resilient Ford FR500S, showcased his renowned late-braking prowess. “Normally, I try to win the race in Turn 1,” Byerly commented, and he made good on that philosophy, working his way to the front with “a couple of aggressive braking maneuvers.” Patrick Wehmeyer, driving a lightweight Fox body Mustang, watched Byerly’s advances with a mix of awe and mock terror. “I’m thinking I’m braking at 110 percent and then that thing comes flying by another 50 feet, and then we are all like, you know, ready for his funeral, and somehow he makes the corner. It’s shocking.”
Byerly took the win, with Robert Keller closing the gap toward the end to take second. For Carmine Pace, it was a more frustrating affair. An ongoing electronic issue relegated his Mustang to “safe mode” after just three laps, though he managed to nurse it home for a provisional third, aided by Wehmeyer suffering a flat tire.
Race two on Saturday saw Byerly start from pole, a position he earned from his earlier victory. He and Keller again set a blistering pace, with Keller clocking the fastest lap at a 2:23.9, narrowly besting Byerly’s 2:24.1. Drivers were also continuing to adapt to the new Hoosier RCES spec tires. The battle for supremacy was fierce, with Byerly in first, Keller in second and Larry Giles in third.
Sunday’s Thrills: Inversions, Incidents, and an Oily Fix
Sunday morning’s feature race began with an inverted grid, placing Carmine Pace on pole. After leading the first lap, a misstep in Turn 1 saw Byerly and Wehmeyer surge past him. What followed was a gripping 25-minute, three-way tussle for the lead. The complexion of the race changed dramatically after a lengthy caution period, caused by an ST3 car oiling down a significant portion of the track.
With only two laps remaining, the restart was chaotic. Byerly made contact with a BMW in Turn 1, sending his FR500S off track, but remarkably, he rejoined the fray. The “red mist,” as Byerly later admitted, was evident. The climax came in Turn 17 on the final lap. Battling Pace, Byerly confessed, “I found the limit in 17 and a little bit of the wall.” Pace, who had been trading places with Byerly, described the intense final corners: “Last lap, it was Bruce and me, nose to tail or side to side through a few turns. Going to 17 it was going to see who can make the car stop last and make the turn. I made it through. He didn’t.” Patrick Wehmeyer skillfully navigated the drama ahead of him to take the win, with Pace securing a hard-fought second, and Keller in third.
Perhaps the most talked-about story of Sunday was Pace’s mechanical miracle. Plagued by a mysterious electronic gremlin for nearly a year that caused his car to randomly lose power, Pace, in desperation, changed his engine oil Saturday night. “I’m like, I’m going to change the oil for a Hail Mary,” he recounted. Miraculously, the car ran flawlessly on Sunday. “We get done with the race and Robert Keller is like, ‘All I could think all race long is that I’m going to get third ’cause Carmine’s going to break down,’ and he never broke down.” The exact reason remains a mystery, though theories involving oil pressure and cam phasers abound.
Tim Kelsey, seeking valuable seat time, was one of the few to contest Sunday’s fourth and final race, taking an “easy win” after Larry Giles, in his GT350, retired early.
Ride on board with NASA Florida American Iron driver Tim Kelsey for the start of race three on Sunday, June 1.
Sebring’s Test and Team Spirit
The drivers, who have raced together for years, even communicate via radio during races, offering warnings and sometimes, friendly jabs. Bruce Byerly recounted an instance where an excited radio call from Pace — “inside, inside!” — prevented contact. “That avoided a total calamity,” Byerly said.
As the American Iron series looks to its next event at Homestead, which was added at the end of June, the rivalries remain friendly but fierce. Several Florida drivers, including Pace, Byerly, and Wehmeyer, have their sights set on the NASA Championships, eager to represent their region and perhaps bring home more trophies.
SEASON POINTS
