With rain threatening the NASA Texas Spring Fling throughout the weekend and a competitive grid of BMWs, the event delivered some of the tightest nose-to-tail racing of the season. Eight Spec E46 competitors took the grid at the technical 2.7-mile Eagles Canyon Raceway.
The weekend was marked by a unique grouping strategy that paired the Spec E46 field exclusively with Spec Miata. The move was praised by drivers for eliminating the chaos of faster prototype traffic. “This was much better with Miatas and Spec E46,” Greg Hartman said. “We didn’t have the prototypes or the Radicals coming up on us after a lap. All races were so much cleaner.”
Saturday, Race One
The first sprint of the weekend saw Dave Finkelstein take the win, but the story of the race was the sheer density of the lead pack. Finkelstein, John Major, and Jason Rikke finished within 1.5 seconds of each other. Daniel Parmelee, finishing fourth, described the intensity as “deja vu” from previous tight battles in Houston.
The race was not without mechanical drama. Greg Smith, who surprised the paddock by rolling a brand-new build out of his trailer Friday morning, suffered a broken electronic throttle pedal only four laps in. “I kept it quiet because I wanted the surprise,” Smith said of his debut. Despite the DNF, the field took notice of the GSR Motorsports owner’s return to the driver’s seat.
Race one ended with Finkelstein in first, Major in second and Rikke in third.
Saturday, Race Two
Strategy took center stage in the second Saturday session. Rikke, Major, and Parmelee formed an intentional draft to hunt down Finkelstein. The cooperation nearly paid off, as Parmelee finished a mere 0.279 seconds behind Finkelstein at the stripe.
“Jason, John and I decided to try and work together,” Parmelee said. “We decided to cooperate and do the sort of Spec Miata thing of—right behind, don’t battle and peak, just stay close. We kept the pressure on most of the race.”
The technical nature of Eagles Canyon provided a high-stakes backdrop for the chase, particularly the downhill Turn 12. “That’s the kind of turn if you mess up, I think you’re [totaling] the whole car for the season,” Rikke noted.
Race Two Results:
- 1st: Dave Finkelstein (No. 213)
- 2nd: Daniel Parmelee (No. 99)
- 3rd: Jason Rikke (No. 775)
Sunday, Race Three
Sunday brought the second contingency race and the most dramatic conditions of the weekend. Although it rained overnight, the track remained dry enough for slicks, though midrace incidents and a light mist kept drivers on edge.
Greg Smith proved his new car’s pace by charging from fifth on the grid to finish second, hounding Finkelstein until the checkered flag. “I just kind of put my head down and focused on doing clean laps,” Smith said. “Dave made a couple bobbles in the last two laps, but nothing enough that I was able to capitalize.”
Farther back, Rikke struggled with a mental block after a setup error. “I was a little too heavy on the air pressure and had maybe two gallons more fuel than I needed,” Rikke said. “By the first two turns, I could tell the car was off and I couldn’t recover from that mental block.” The race was further complicated when Rikke went wide, kicking mud onto Parmelee’s windshield. With no wiper fluid, Parmelee had to finish the race peering through the grime.
Race Three Results:
- 1st: Dave Finkelstein (No. 213)
- 2nd: Greg Smith (No. 66)
- 3rd: John Major (No. 88)
Key Driver Perspectives
The weekend highlighted the grit of the Texas region. Greg Smith performed a “heroic” clutch swap on John Major’s car in less than three hours on Friday to ensure his competitor could race. Meanwhile, the paddock celebrated a different kind of win: Audrey Wiseman found a stray kitten at the track, which Rikke’s family decided to adopt. “It was serendipitous,” Rikke said. “I knew right away we have to get that cat.”
Conclusion
Dave Finkelstein emerged as the weekend’s dominant force with a triple-win performance, but the rising speed of Greg Smith and the collaborative tactics of Parmelee and Rikke suggest the gap is closing. As the NASA Texas Region looks toward the next event, the Spec E46 class continues to prove it is one of the most competitive and professional groups in the paddock.
