NASA Arizona descended upon the newly revitalized Radford Racing School — the former Wild Horse Pass/Bondurant facility — in December for a high-stakes, single-day event. The compact schedule featured practice, qualifying, and two hard-fought races for the Spec Miata field. The challenge was amplified by a last-minute configuration change. The first race included the Carousel while the second race was run without it, removing approximately 20 seconds from the lap time on the already tight circuit. This provided a unique test of adaptability, especially since the Carousel section had been recently repaved, drastically increasing overall track speed.
Race One
The Spec Miata field was intensely competitive. Eddie Yakin Vasquez, a Teen Mazda Challenge driver known for speed and consistency, secured pole position with a fast lap of 1:10.970. The track, particularly the Carousel section, had a fresh repave that made it over a second per lap faster than the previous record. The race itself ran clean, with no major yellows or reds.
Yakin Vazquez’s dominance was evident, but the field was quick behind him, with Carlo D’Angelo of Team Midnight Auto Sports hot on his heels. For the midpack drivers, navigating traffic from the faster Super Touring and German Touring Series cars proved challenging on the narrow layout.
Race Two
The afternoon’s second race was run on the shorter configuration, which the drivers estimated shaved about 20 seconds off the overall lap time. This closer, more intense format saw the entire top five finish within a couple of seconds of each other. The race was interrupted by a red flag and subsequent double-yellow restart.
Yakin Vazquez again led the field, but the victory was hard-won. With two laps remaining, disaster nearly struck. “Unfortunately with two laps to go I lost third gear on a dominantly third gear track,” Yakin Vazquez said. He was forced to scramble, utilizing only second and fourth gears, barely holding off the charging Jason Griepentrog, who closed at about a second per lap.
Yakin Vazquez managed to cross the line just six-tenths of a second ahead. For many, including Graham Davies, the race felt like a “green white checker” once the restart happened. The difficulty of passing on the tight track was a major theme. Turns 3 and 4 were highlighted as the primary passing zone, requiring a bold move.
Conclusion
The Spec Miata races at Radford provided an exhilarating end to the NASA Arizona Region’s calendar. Eddie Yakin Vazquez took both wins, demonstrating his dominant speed and ability to overcome catastrophic mid-race mechanical failure. Jason Griepentrog’s strong, consistent finishes secured him second place in the final season championship. The racing itself was a testament to the close nature of Spec Miata, with the top five in the second race separated by mere seconds.
