Born out of one of the most competitive regions in the States, NASA Southeast has found a surefire way to keep their races unpredictable and lighthearted. Fun is the operative word when describing some of the hijinks that they’ve embraced. The recipe for guaranteed race excitement and no chance of a dull procession has been perfected with NASA Southeast’s Inverted Field Unlimited.
To keep a wide range of people challenged during an IFU event, the organizers reserve the right to throw flags and jumble the running order, guaranteeing a tightly-packed field and a range of hard-chargers tasked with making their way around slower cars. Random yellows and safety cars will jumble the field at a moment’s notice.
Of course, the constant jumbling of the field puts the quick among the not-as-quick, presenting a variety of dynamic situations in which a driver must study those around them and improvise. This is the antithesis of a single-file procession in which the leaders check out halfway through the third lap — an IFU race is a rapid-fire, relentless opportunity to strengthen those improvisational muscles.
As all participants are reminded, the emphasis is on fun. There are no trophies to win, no points, no contingencies, and you are just there to have fun.
“IFU – we always do something crazy in the race. Sometimes they throw a full-course yellow. This past year at Roebling Road, we added all the motorcycle chicanes,” Pantas said. “We stopped halfway through, let out the pace car, then had a red flag. Like usual, we had a few guys rearranging the field on the front straight, then we held a standing start then and there. Not only did the field have to navigate their new position in the pack, they had to learn a shortened version of the track without any practice!”
This irregularity guarantees a surprise finish. While the fast might get to the front, the added variables mean they might not stay there!
“We encourage everyone to push as hard as they can as long as they don’t make any foolish moves. We get some fantastic battles between drivers who normally run in different classes. The spectacle is something else,” Pantas added.
Santa’s Toy Run
IFU is only one of ways they take some of the pressure away from racing and remind us of the social element involved. For the last 17 years the spirit of the season played a part in the surprising success of Santa’s Toy Run. An exuberant crowd, a vast field of racers, and wild antics to diffuse any seriousness made the event a success.
This foundation first serves a social need: every year, it contributes a significant amount of support for local domestic-abuse women’s and children’s shelters in the area. Each attendee must contribute toys, funds, or gift certificates to be admitted. Santa’s Toy Run picks starting positions at random, with the caveat that the front two spots on the grid are available for purchase at auction.
“We have a lunchtime meeting and they pull a grid position out of a bucket,” Pantas said. “They can trade it with whoever they want. We raffle off the top two positions to help the charity. We usually raise $5,000 to $8,000 and gift cards for the charity and $20k worth of toys. They win, we win, and the kids win,”
Australian Pursuit
There’s also the Australian Pursuit, an event NASA Mid-Atlantic Regional Direction Chris Cobetto takes some pride in starting. “Everyone goes out and gets their lap times from qualifying. We release the slowest one first so many seconds ahead of the next one with the objective of everyone crossing the line at the same time, roughly,” he says.
It’s kind of like Time Trial, fast in front, slow in back, but reversed. In theory, the cars all should be crossing the finish line at the same time. It doesn’t always work out that way, but it’s usually the end of the race that’s hectic, not the start like with normal racing.
NASA Mid-Atlantic runs the last two points races of the season on Saturday, then has a party that night. On Sunday, most are recovering from the night before. That’s when they run the Australian Pursuit.
“We take all the cars there that weekend, whether Thunder or Lightning, and we put the slowest class at the front of the field,” Cobetto said. “To make it crazier, we put the slowest guy on pole and everyone starts from the pits — single file order, wave the green, and go!”
The way Mid-Atlantic staggers the release is simple. If the slowest class — usually Spec Miata — is 2 seconds slower around a lap than the next slowest group, staff multiplies the difference in lap times by the number of laps they will be running that day. If they are running 15 laps, they will let them out 30 seconds later. If staged correctly, theoretically they will have 60 cars coming across the finish line at the same time.
“It’s just fun, but we need to get back to these kinds of shenanigans. We did a lot of that when we were a new region, but not as much lately,” Cobetto said. “Our goal for 2025 is to have more signature events — more silly stuff in this vein — to draw in a new crowd.”
Poker Race
The NASA Great Lakes Region is as competitive as they come. Still, their hyper-competitive Camaro-Mustang Challenge field finds time to let their hair down.
“At the end of the season, we run a ‘Poker Race’ the morning after we hand out awards during our championship banquet,” says Jay Andrew, NASA Great Lakes Regional Director. “Each car is able to make five stops as they please throughout the 40-minute race, and each stop earns them a card. We each put $20 in the high hand kitty. At the end of the race, the best hand wins.”
Though there are no points on the line, being a post-season race, the winner is still eligible to receive contingencies. “We’re serious, but not so serious that we can’t mix things up with an inverted field or a little card playing,” Andrew added.
These events bring out some of the best qualities in drivers. It’s rare when a racer is judged on his or her altruism before they have to strap on a helmet. As if to prove the way fun and lightheartedness is prioritized not only by the organizers but by the drivers, too, there are seldom many wrecks, even when Road Atlanta has to support as many as 150 drivers — provided the weather is decent. Nobody takes home any hardware, so people aren’t as likely to tempt fate with desperate passes.
With competition being as intense as it is in the Southeast, the Great Lakes, and the Mid-Atlantic regions, it makes perfect sense why fun is the operative word in these events. There is no prize on the line, but driving pleasure and a chance to exchange stories with friends can help the serious racer remember why they began racing.
