We should probably get the inevitable out of the way first. Let’s agree right now that this story gets published at least in part for fun and entertainment, and a conversation starter.
However, every year one of the conversations seems to be, “How come you didn’t pick this driver or that driver?” to which I can only respond, I made these picks as logically and empirically as I could with all the historical references and data I could access. Trying to get all the picks right, especially for an event with so many confounding variables as the NASA Championships, is a fool’s errand, and it takes days to write it and rewrite it. But every year, we attempt to get more right than wrong. Maybe this will be the year that happens.
We do have some genuinely competitive races taking shape on the entry lists for this year’s NASA Championships at Utah Motorsports Campus, Sept. 5-8. And our picks here at Speed News do incorporate backgrounds and histories of the drivers named as potential winners. There is a method to the madness regardless of the final results when all the checkers have flown and all champagne has flowed.
But as we learned back in 2018, winning a NASA Championship requires a lot of things to go your way, luck being a critical ingredient. If any of those ingredients don’t fall into place, things can go sideways — literally and figuratively — in a hurry, and your path to a Championship disappears faster than Ted Cruz in a winter storm.
Even with the Championships just around the corner, the entry lists are still taking shape. Due to low numbers, some classes might be asked jump in with the appropriate Super Touring category and some might not materialize in time for the big event. At deadline, these lists were compiled from entry lists that had at least three competitors signed up. If you are signed up to race in Utah, and you don’t see your class here, it’s high time to prod some of your buddies to come on out and have some fun.
It’s also worth noting that Time Trial has set a record this year. There are nearly 90 cars competing at the 2024 NASA Championships, and most TT classes have more than 10 entries apiece. Because of numbers like that, a win this year in TT is going to be tougher to get, but more meaningful in the end.
Without further adieu, we present to the NASA Nation our prognostications for the drivers best suited to capture the big trophy at this year’s NASA Championships.
944 Spec
If our records are correct — and they are not infallible by any means —NASA SoCal’s Charlie Buzzetti already has three National Championships to his name in 944 Spec, a litany of race wins and regional championships to his name. We might even be missing one or two.
That’s what makes his name such a standout on the entry list for 944 Spec at Utah, and that makes him a pretty easy pick this year. There is a however, to this scenario, however, and his name is Josh Cleye, a young talent who has been making a name for himself in the Southern California Region in 944 Spec, and challenging Buzzetti and another SoCal Region standout and National Champion Marcelo Vine. Cleye is going to be playing the role of spoiler to Buzzetti this year, and if there is an entry on this year’s list that is seriously going to challenge Buzzetti, it’s Cleye.
Due to his experience at championships events, Buzzetti gets the nod again this year because it takes so much more than outright speed to win a NASA Championship. Once Cleye has gained more experience, he’ll be a standout in 944 Spec for as long as he wants to be. If Vine signs up to race at the Championships, those three are going to be the ones to watch.
GT
The new GT class debuts at the 2024 NASA Championships to draw a distinction between the slippery fast prototypes that populated Super Unlimited, and production-car-based racecars. It’s an important distinction because aerodynamics and curb weights between the two types of cars play a major role in lap times and competitiveness. It amounted to what Mark Donohue called an “unfair advantage.” The split leaves eight cars in Super Unlimited and three cars in GT. There’s also a Dodge Viper currently in SU that could easily move to GT, but the one name that stands out on the list of three current GT drivers is Brian Faessler.
Faessler’s car preparation is invariably first rate and his car is always spilling over with the requisite horsepower needed to stand out at a NASA Championships event. We think Faessler is going to come out on top in GT.
GTSU
The German Touring Series Unlimited field is comprised entirely of drivers from the Utah Region, so picking a winner should be easy, right? Just find the driver with the most wins or the points leader in the regional points chase, and go with him. Reality is a bit more elusive.
The season points leader in Utah isn’t registered for the 2024 NASA Championships, and the driver with the most wins and second-place vanishes also isn’t registered. By that methodology, that elevates Jim Larkins, who actually is registered, has two wins in GTSU in the Utah Region and one second-place finish this season. Larkins is currently third in points, so he looks like a good contender for the 2024 GTSU National Championship.
Legends
Every year, the Legends entry list at the NASA Championships is primarily three guys from Texas, and they always race hard and put on a great show. However, one of them seems to come out on top at the Championships events more often than the others, and that’s none other than Bobby Pugh, who has two Legends championships to his name, if our records are correct.
Pugh picked up a win at Daytona in 2021 in a borrowed car and scored another championship win at Pitt Race in 2023, so we’re going with Pugh again in 2024. One thing is clear: The Legends race is going to be a whole lot of fun to watch.
NP01
If you look at the entry list for NP01 at this year’s Championships event at Utah, one driver has more time in an NP01 than any other driver, and that’s Jeremy Croiset. That makes sense. Croiset essentially created and drove development of the car, and he looks poised to take the Championship in 2024. He already has one NP01 Championship from Circuit of The Americas in 2018, and a Honda Challenge Championship from Sonoma in 2014 and a Spec Z Championship in 2012.
As CEO of NASA, Croiset has a number of other obligations for his time at the 2024 Championships. He’s going to need to sprint from his work commitments and jump in the car, which will need to be prepped and ready to go because he won’t have time to do any of that on his own. If he has enough support on hand for the 2024 NASA Championships, he has shown he has the chops to take the Championship in NP01.
Spec E30
With the field of Spec E30s as it is currently stacked, we would have to give the advantage to Team TFP, which has been on something of a tear this year in Spec E30 in the Northern California Region this season. With podiums in all but one race this season, driver Raymond Zanotto has the advantage as the Championships nears.
Zanotto has seven wins in 12 races this season and two second-place finishes, so we think Zanotto should end the weekend standing on the top step.
Spec E46
Turnout for the NASA Championships Spec E46 has been wonderful this year, which holds the promise of it being the best Championships race in the history of the class. At deadline, there were 22 entries from six different NASA regions.
One look at the entry list reveals a bevy of quick drivers, such as Michael Mihld, Jared Zakem and Sean Lovett, all of whom came up from the ranks of Spec E30 in the Northern and Southern California regions.
However, there is one name on the entry list that is relatively new among Spec E46 drivers, and he seems like a pretty good pick to take the win the Spec E46 Championship this year because he has been so successful in Spec Miata, Spec MX-5 and even MX-5 Cup. That name is Wyatt Couch, a driver whose car prep is as fastidious as his driving. Look for him on the top step.
Spec Miata
Spec Miata is always so much fun to watch, but for the same reason, it’s always the most difficult race in which to predict a winner. The fields are always stacked with talent, the top 10 on grid are often separated by less than a second, and if anything happens up front, well, then it opens up possibilities for those in the second half of the top 10.
In looking at the roster, we think we’re going to see NASA NorCal’s Will D’Elia up front with NASA Rocky Mountain’s Vaughan Weber, NASA Arizona’s Scott Phillips and NASA Rocky Moutain Regional Director Dan Williams. Look for NASA Utah’s Jason Bleak to be in the mix, too.
Williams and Weber likely could work together in a draft, which will pay big dividends on Utah Motorsports Campus’ long front straightaway, and if they do, it’ll be a toss-up between those two at the end. Those two have been battling all season in the Rocky Mountain Region, each getting the better of the other as often as not.
However, if D’Elia can find a willing partner to draft with, he’s going to be tough to beat, but we think the Teen Mazda Challenge driver, who is leading TMC and Spec Miata points in the NorCal Region, has what it takes to take the win and the coveted NASA Spec Miata Championship.
Spec Z
There is no better region for Spec Z competition than NASA Utah, and all but one driver in the field at this year’s NASA Championships are from Utah. That means nearly everyone knows the track like they know the path to their kitchen with the lights out.
In instances like these, it pays to check out the season points standings to see who’s who in that region. In NASA Utah Spec Z, Geoffrey Crockett and Matthew Singler are currently tied in the season point standings. Tied at 375 points each with the same number of wins, seconds and thirds. Normally those two would be an easy pick, then flip a coin to name the projected winner, but Ayrton Littel also is likely to be up front. Littel has two wins against Singler and Crockett, so we’re going to give Littel the nod for this year’s Spec Z National Championship.
Super Touring 1
Currently, there are four cars registered for ST1, and they couldn’t be more different. We’ve got a Porsche GT3, a Honda Civic, a Nissan 350Z and a Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
All drivers are at the top of the points standings in their respective regions. Chad and Cody Knight are first and second in Rocky Mountain, Joe Kellerman is on top in Great Lakes and Tage Evanson is numero uno in NASA Arizona. So, we know we’ve got top talent in the field, which makes picking a winner a bit of a challenge. That said, it still comes down to car and driver, and the driver in the field who knows what it takes to win a championship is Joe Kellerman, the 2023 ST1 National Champion.
We also think Kellerman will enjoy a bit of an edge because of his car. His C5 Z06 is the right tool for the job on that long front straightaway at Utah Motorsports Campus. Its LS engine should be making the most power right before the Start/Finish line, which means that even if it’s a drag race to the finish, the ‘Vette should have the edge. Advantage: Kellerman.
Super Touring 2
When we look at the roster for Super Touring 2, three names stand out immediately. We are thinking out loud here, but Ben Grambau, Brett Strom and Timothy Carel seem to be the most promising prospects for an ST2 Championship.
Grambau is almost always in contention. His level of prep is first rate and he’s a fast driver always looking to improve. He is currently leading the ST2 points race in the Mid-Atlantic Region and he is capable of winning.
Carel has three wins and two second-place finishes, which puts him at third in the regional points race, so he looks like a good candidate do place high at the NASA Championships, too.
However, we think it’s going to be Brett Strom who stands on the top step of the ST2 podium at the 2024 NASA Championships. Strom has ample support mechanisms in place, is a wildly talented driver and his “B46” BMW seems to be a good weapon for the long straights and curvy technical sections of Utah Motorsports Campus. Look for Strom at the front.
Super Touring 3
Familiarity breeds success in racing, which is why we’re going with Team Us Against One/Enerbank USA to take ST3 at this year’s NASA Championships.
The team is made up of NASA Utah Regional Director Matt Guiver and NASA Utah’s Todd Ainsworth, who are leading the ST3 points race in the Utah Region. They have amassed two wins and two second-place finishes in ST3 in the Utah Region this season. It’s usually smart money to bet on the home team, so that’s what we’re going with in ST3 this year.
Super Touring 4
We have seen a lot of good things from NASA Utah’s Chad Aalders over the last year or so. From winning the February 2024 Move of the Month contest, and more Move of the Month submissions to being a source for people looking to build the Nissan Z car for ST4 competition, Aalders has enjoyed his share of success in ST4 in the Utah Region.
It will not be easy, though. Favored to win ST2, Brett Strom also is registered for ST4 driving the proven Team Hemisphere Racing E36 M3 chassis. Strom can win in ST4, too, but we think Aalders’ experience intimacy with the track at Utah Motorsports Campus will give him the edge he needs to win it all at the 2024 NASA Championships.
Super Touring 5
It’s arguable that experience matters at a NASA Championships event, and home track advantage can play an outsize role.
Competition in ST5 is going to be tight at this year’s NASA Championships. A few names on the entry list stand out, namely, John Matthew, who won what was PTD at Utah in 2013, Larry Moore who has a strong Magic Developed car and a couple of wins in the competitive NorCal Region this year and Nic Gerardi, who has the largest ST points lead of all in the Arizona Region.
However, we are going to go with NASA Utah’s Nathan Ulrich, who seems to have the right stuff. He has three wins among his six podiums in six races in ST5 at Utah this year. No doubt ST5 is going to be a battle this year, but Ulrich looks like the man to beat.
Super Touring 6
ST6 has a field of five cars so far, but the one driver who stands out as the favorite is Michael Omelko. In 2022, Omelko nabbed the win in TT6 at the 2022 NASA Championships at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and he has been improving ever since, winning six races this season in Spec E30 in NASA SoCal, and getting on the podium in all but one event.
Omelko likely will have NASA Utah’s Chris Miller and Todd Green hot on his heels. Those two have been trading off wins in ST6 in the Utah Region this season, and their knowledge of the track might give them the edge, but we still think it’s going to be Omelko on the top step.
Super Unlimited
With nine cars slated to hit the grid at Utah, Super Unlimited is going to competitive yet again in 2024. Typically grouped with the fastest of the other Super Tourings, Super Unlimited drivers have the added task of having to carve through traffic more than drivers in any other class.
That makes predicting a winner even more difficult because there are even more variables. This year, it should be a toss-up between NASA NorCal’s Vasili Stratton and NASA Utah’s Henry Hill.
Stratton nailed the SU Championship in 2023 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca against 2019 SU Champion James Paul. Stratton picked up a win at Utah Motorsports Campus this year, but Henry Hill was not at that race. With three race wins and one second-place finish this season, Hill has gotten the better of Utah SU points leader John Annunziata more often than not this season.
Stratton and Hill are in Wolf chassis, Stratton a Wolf GB08 Extreme and Hill in a Wolf Mistral. The sky is the limit in Super Unlimited, so whichever driver can manage traffic well and tune for a moonshot is going to take it. We’ll give the nod to Stratton because he’s done it before. Experience in that realm matters at a Championships event, so we think Stratton has what it takes.
Time Trial 1
It’s no secret that we have been hearing a lot about Eric Kennel and the Team Auto Solve C6 Z06 Corvette in TT1. Lest we be accused of piling on, you’re going to hear more because we think the Team Auto Solve Corvette is the team to beat in TT1 at the 2024 NASA Championships.
Yes, NASA Great Lakes’ Joe Kellerman, NASA Arizona’s Tage Evanson and NASA Utah’s Rhett Panter are going to be right there in the mix, but Kennel has been setting lots of track records in the Team Auto Solve Corvette, so he looks poised to take the TT1 Championship.
Time Trial 2
For TT2, it would be hard to bet against the current points leader in the Utah Region, Jesse Bohannon. He has won all but one of the six Time Trial events he has entered this season, and the one he didn’t win was a second-place finish.
Of course, this is a tough call because Ben Grambau and Alessandro Sensoli are both quick drivers with lots of Championships experience, including TT podiums at NASA Championships. But a home track confers home track advantage, and that means Bohannon is going to have the edge. Look for Bohannon on the top step come Sunday.
Time Trial 3
With 15 cars on the entry list, TT3 competition this year is going to be fierce. Without a doubt, there are a few drivers who are capable of winning.
Consider NASA SoCal’s Herve Bezard, who leads his regions points race in TT3. We also need to add NASA Texas’ Blake Pomykal’s name to the list. Pomykal has won every event he has entered except for one, and that result was a second-place finish. He is quick, as is NASA Rocky Mountain’s Jack Pope, who is making the trip to Utah this September. However, we do need to give the nod to NASA Utah’s Austin Kent, another hometown favorite who has won every TT3 event this season and leads the points race in his region. Look for Kent on the No. 1 step on the podium.
Time Trial 4
TT4 is a tough one to call, but a couple of names stand out. One is Brett Strom and the other is Shaun Webster, both very quick drivers in their own right. However, for TT4, we are going to go with Webster for a couple of reasons. One, we think Strom might be a bit, well, oversubscribed at this event. He is racing in two ST classes and competing in Time Trial.
As competent a driver and strategist as Strom is, we think that is a lot to take on, and if he leaves something on the table, we think it’s going to be in Time Trial.
Webster, who won ST4 at PittRace last year has the ability to fly in, jump in the car and go fast. He can win TT4 and we think he will. Webster on top in TT4.
Time Trial 5
The top of the lap time charts at this year’s NASA Championships is likely to be topped by a few drivers. One of them is Besim Hojhalli in his BMW 128i. Hojhalli currently leads TT5 in NASA Utah, with three wins, and two second-place finishes.
Another is Tyler Mikesell in his Honda S2000. Mikesell is currently second in points in NASA Utah, and he has gotten the better of Hojhalli three times this season. Mikesell is going to be vying for first.
However, we think Wyatt Couch has what it takes to win not only Spec E46 as predicted earlier in this story, but also TT5. He is that good.
Time Trial 6
NASA Utah’s Todd Green doesn’t lead the points race in his home region currently, but it’s important to note that he has beat every other TT6 driver who is ahead of him in the points championship.
Green will get plenty of competition from NASA SoCal’s Michael Omelko and NASA Rocky Mountain’s Andrew Clos, but we do think Green will come out on top in TT6.
Time Trial GT
TTGT is debuting at this year’s NASA Championships to establish a dividing line between the prototypes of SU TTU and the entries that are based on production cars. Regardless of how much horsepower you make and how much tire you put under a car, a production-car-based racecar is immediately on unequal footing compared with a prototype chassis.
There were three entries at deadline, and one name immediately leaps out at you when you read them: Brian Faessler, whose car prep is as fastidious as his driving. Look for Faessler on top as he has done so many times before.
Time Trial Unlimited
TTU is going to come down to three drivers in prototype chassis: 2023 TTU Champion Jonathan Finstrom, and NASA Utah’s Henry Hill and James Ingram.
To be honest, this is probably the toughest race to call, but we think home track advantage is going to come into play again, which means it’s Hill and Ingram vying for the win. They have faced off a couple of times this year, taking one win and one second place each, which makes it a dead heat, statistically speaking, but we think Hill is going to take TTU in his Wolf Mistral. And it’s going to be a nail-biter.
