The qualifying races are like the opening act for a rock concert. Sure, it’s
fun to watch an up-and-coming band set the stage, but everyone’s here for
the headliner.
The 2025 NASA National Championships are no different, and after a full
day of placement battles at Ozarks International Raceway in Missouri, the
racers are ready to rock out on Sunday. Most drivers took advantage of the
clear skies and dry track on Saturday to improve their grid position, while
preserving the car for Sunday’s National Championship races.
Sunday’s show should feature the familiar headliners on the podium, but
don’t be surprised if a new act crashes the lineup. With the lineup set and
the energy rising, Sunday’s NASA National Championships promises to
deliver the crescendo.
The opening act is over and now it’s time for the main event.
944 Spec
NASA Great Lakes Region’s Calvin Rowe set his fast lap in the wet in Q1
and then backed it up, setting another pole-setting lap later in the day in the
dry. That set him up to be able to run the qualifying race as he saw fit.
Despite some mixed-class racing with the Spec E30s, Rowe was able to
keep it out front and take the Q2 win.
“The whole qualifying race, I was just thinking put down a solid lap. No
mistakes. Don’t do anything crazy because the race isn’t worth costing the
weekend over it,” Rowe said.
Jeremy Pohlman dropped a couple seconds off his lap times, so he
definitely gave Rowe a run for his money. That will make the
Championships race on Sunday all the more exciting.
“I always think a good defense is just a good clean lap. I don’t really worry
too much about getting offline, trying to defend too hard,” Rowe said. “I just
worry about going as deep and as hard as I can, and that’s the way that I
like to defend and the way I like to drive.”
Rowe will start Sunday’s Championship race from pole, followed by
Pohlman and Shawn Taylor in third.
American Iron
Bruce Byerly captured pole for Sunday’s American Iron finale, putting his
bid for a third NASA National Championship into high gear.
“Mission accomplished just to survive to this point,” said Byerly, who races
in the NASA Florida Region. “Unfortunately, we’ve had some attrition with
some other cars, so the goal was to get to Sunday.”
Byerly started the qualifying race in P2, earning the spot after posting a
3:31.7 lap during Friday’s first qualifying session. Starting on the front row
with David Luaces, Friday’s fastest qualifier, Byerly made the most of the
dry OIR track posting a best lap of 2:40.174. It was enough to edge
Luaces, who finished third and just 1.5 seconds behind the leader.
Carmine Pace from the NASA Florida Region was second. The top three
finishers were within 1.63 seconds of each other. What a difference a day
can make as Byerly improved his best lap by more than 50 seconds from
Friday.
“We almost got rain tires, fortunately, we went out and got a time that we
could qualify a little better,” Byerly said. “I love driving in the rain because
we do it in Florida, but here, I’m not going to say that I was looking forward
to it because it’s such a challenge in the dry.”
Byerly starts from pole on Sunday, followed by Luaces and Pace.
American Iron Extreme
Brian Faessler is the driver to beat in American Iron Extreme as he seeks
his third consecutive NASA National Championship. Faessler won GT in 2024 and American Iron Extreme in 2023. Derric Carter won AIX in 2024 at Utah Motorsports Campus.
He put himself in position for another Championship with a strong showing in the qualifying
race to earn pole on Sunday’s grid.
Faessler is expected to tangle with Derric Carter, who finished second in
qualifying, as he looks to add to his trophy collection from NASA National
Championships in Utah and Pittsburgh.
“We just have a very well-built car and that falls on Paul’s Automotive
Engineering,” Faessler said. “I know how to take care of the car and not
over-abuse it.”
Faessler did nine laps on the track, logging a best lap of 2:23.735. Faessler
was running a full 2 seconds better than Carter, who left the track after five
laps. Robert Shaw, who set the pace in Friday’s qualifiers, saw his
weekend cut short when a crash forced his car out of contention.
Faessler also used the qualifying race as a final shakeout for the Ford
Mustang before Sunday’s extended finale.
“I’m mainly just trying to get an idea as far as fuel usage or at least how
much fuel we need and how long the tires lasted,” said Faessler, who runs
in the NASA Great Lakes Region.
Faessler will start from pole on Sunday, followed by Carter and Nick
Plocienik.
GT
Brian Faessler is likely one of the busiest drivers at the NASA National
Championships competing in three classes. If Sunday goes well, the
Cincinnati, Ohio, resident could win National Championships in
GT, American Iron Extreme and Time Trial GT.
Winning those Championships would give him National Championships
seven through nine. For now, he’ll have pole for the start of the Grand
Touring race.
“Tomorrow’s the big day, so we’ll obviously be pushing a little harder
tomorrow,” Faessler said.
Faessler will face off against Tage Evanson of Arizona, who is second on
Sunday’s Grand Touring starting grid.
Legends
After securing an early lead in the Legends qualifying race, Bobby Pugh
spent the remainder of the 10 laps chasing down the cars in Thunder
Roadster class, which runs in the same group.
“I was just trying to pass as many Thunder Roadster as I could,” said Pugh,
who earned pole for Sunday’s Legends Championship race. “They got
quite a few seconds head start on us and I just love chasing them down.
Little carrots that make my time faster.”
With a small class and a tight-knit group, the Legends racers leave it to the
finals. Pugh won the qualifying race by more than 50 seconds over Bobby
Christensen, who won it all in 2024 at the NASA National Championships in
Utah, finished second. Pugh’s best lap on Saturday was 2:38.220.
Pugh admits his approach to the Championship race will be a lot different
than Saturday’s qualifying race.
“We’ll have to just pace ourselves a little bit, make sure we don’t tear
anything up to go the long distance,” said Pugh, who runs in the Texas
Region. “I probably won’t be quite as aggressive at passing
all the other cars, because it’s a long race and I need to keep the car
together.”
Pugh starts from pole followed by Christensen and Bryan Poage in third.
NASA Prototype
NASA Rocky Mountain Region NP01 driver Tyler Atkinson had been to
Ozarks International Raceway once before. It was his first trip to the track
to race his NP01 for the first time, so he was learning the track and learning
the car.
“I think what I've gained is just more experience in the car and with that
comes faster lap times,” Atkinson said. “And then just more comfortable
pushing the limits in the high speed, especially I think is where I've gained
most of my time.”
That investment in time to tow from Colorado to OIR and see how his car
performs appears to be paying off at the NASA Championships. Atkinson
set the fastest lap in Q1 and used that to his advantage to take the win in
NP01 over second place Steve Seiler. For Sunday’s Championship race,
Atkinson had no changes planned for the car.
“I just need to make sure that I have enough fuel so that I meet the
minimum weight,” he said. “It is close, but I'll be fine.”
Atkinson will start the Championship race from pole, with Seiler in second.
Spec E30
Because some cars ahead of the Spec E30 field got tangled up on their
start, the Spec E30 field was not able to do its usual standing start. Rather
than dumping the clutch and standing on the gas, the whole field kind of
just left the starting line under a double-yellow behind the pace car.
When they did actually start the race, they were single file and closing on
the Porsche 944 Spec field ahead of them. That mixed-class racing made it
more difficult for Manes to keep Ibrahim behind him for the 35-minute race.
“We ended up battling with them pretty much the whole race, which made it
really interesting between me and Matthew,” said pole-sitter and race
winner Garrett Manes. “I had a couple cars I had to pass and unfortunately
where I was faster than the Porsches was in the section where you can't
pass. So, it was just bringing Matthew straight to me and then we were kind
of in the draft train going out of the back stretch, but there's not much I
could do to actually get by unless somebody made a mistake. So yeah, just
made for an interesting battle.”
Manes will start on pole for the Championships race on Sunday. He
expressed some reservations about the Championships because he won
the qualifying race on his last set of tires. A new set of tires on a competitor
car could provide an advantage, and if so, Manes will have his work cut out
for him.
Manes will start from pole, followed by Ibrahim and Team Sean Aron in
third.
Spec E46
An old racing trope is to start the race out front and improve your position
from there. Team Mick Blue Racing put that old trope to good use in
Saturday’s qualifying race. He started from pole and got through some
early shenanigans ahead of him and tried to establish a lead that would
hold.
“I think the American Iron had a little bit of a skirmish and stuff like that, so I
had to back off. And then shortly after that the yellow flag came out,” said
driver Michael Omelko. “I think Jeremy Evans was behind me. He was
actually faster than I expected he would be. And I just tried to create a gap,
and he was on my rear bumper sometime, but there were a few sections
where I was just faster and then he was faster. And I think the consistency
created the final gap of the race after, in the end.”
Obviously, Omelko is hoping for the same result Sunday, but he was also
racing in Super Touring 5 race later in the day. Aiming for two NASA
National Championships is a huge undertaking. Omelko already has one
National Championship in Spec E30. Maybe he can make it three.
Team Mick Blue starts the Championship race from pole, followed by
Jeremy Evans and Jason Rikke in third.
Spec Miata
The best racing of the day usually occurs in Spec Miata and Saturday’s
Spec Miata race did not disappoint.
From the green it was Teen Mazda Challenge driver Vaughan Weber on
pole and TMC driver Lincoln Larson out front for an early lead over TMC
driver Vinnie Meskelis, Joseph Federl and NASA MidAmerica TMC driver
Hayden Manis.
Weber and Larson put on a veritable clinic of clean, close racing, with at
least four lead changes between the two of them during the 35-minute
race, despite the challenges of making passes stick at Ozarks International
Raceway.
“It's easy to get a pass. It's hard to hold it because as soon as you lose the
momentum, you get moved on the very next corner. But it was all good
racing,” Weber said.
Weber and Larson changed positions in the last hairpin onto the front
straight and in the Roller Coaster if you get a good enough of a drive out of
Turn 7. Weber struggled a bit in 7 and got a bit crossed up a time or two on
the entry to 6, and Larson was able to capitalize.
“Honestly the best place was using traffic. I got him twice from that,” Larson
said. “I just saw him coming up on the traffic and then kind of just slowed
down my entry and then on the exit just went past him and that traffic
helped a lot.”
Larson had the lead for the last third of the last lap, but Weber was able to
get a better run out of Turn 18 and get around Larson to take the win by
about a car length.
“Coming out of the final corner, he just got the inside line for the
straightaway and kind of a better run and then it just couldn't hold on the
outside,” Larson said.
Both drivers plan to go with fresh tires for the Championships race on
Sunday and it will be game on once again. Weber starts from pole, followed
by Larson and Meskelis in third.
Super Touring 1
Joe Kellerman has been waiting a year for the NASA National
Championships and now he’s in prime position to win the Super Touring 1
class.
Kellerman earned P1 after Saturday’s qualifying race, creating a 4-second
gap between second-place finisher Sean Butterfield. The top four finishers
in the class finished within 5.4 seconds of each other.
“I knew I needed a good start, and I had a nice start up front,” Kellerman
said. “I think I got the lead up to 9 seconds ahead in the race and I just tried
to manage my lead.”
The Great Lakes Region racer’s lap speeds have been remarkably
consistent at OIR. Kellerman had his best lap in Friday’s qualifying session
of 2:29.129 and followed it up Saturday with a 2:29.980 top lap. Kellerman
plans to put new tires on the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 for the Championship
race.
“I definitely can run a little faster than I did today,” Kellerman said. “I can’t
wait for (Sunday), this is where it’s at. I’ve been waiting for this all year
long. The start of the race is the best. When you get a good start, you can
start building on a lead.”
Kellerman starts from pole on Sunday, followed by Butterfield and Isaac
Richter in third.
Super Touring 2
Ben Grambau overcame low tire pressure at the start of the Super Touring
2 qualifying race to earn pole for Sunday’s finale.
“I set the tire pressures extra low for the long run, and the car was real
nervous under me in the beginning,” Grambau said.
Low tire pressure allowed Ken Mantovani to take an early lead and
Grambau found himself playing catch up.
“Ken got by me between turns 8 and 9 with the big horsepower difference,”
said the NASA Mid-Atlantic Region racer. “I had a lot of fun for four laps or
something like that just running nose to tail. And then got him in Turn 19,
coming onto the front straightaway, it was a fun pass and a fun race.”
Grambau who flies the University of Michigan maize and blue colors on his
Chevrolet Corvette Z06, put down his best lap time of 2:32.988. The lap
time was a full 10 seconds better than Friday qualifying. Grambau plans to
study the data and whether to change the tire pressure for the Super
Touring 2 championship race.
“You’ve got to make it to Sunday. That’s what they were telling us in the
beginning,” Grambau said.
Grambau starts from pole followed by Mantovani and Jonathan Maret in
third.
Super Touring 3
David Lecko finished the Super Touring 3 race just 0.3 seconds off the
track record to earn P1 in Super Touring 3. Turning a best lap of 2:33.051,
Lecko took advantage of the sunny conditions and relatively cooler weather
to rip his Ginetta G56 GTA around the Ozarks International Raceway
course.
“I had a good gap, but then there was some grass, and they threw the
debris flag,” said Lecko, who runs the NASA Texas Region. “The car in
front of me kicked up a lot of grass, and then I got a high oil temp warning,
so I had to back off and hopefully let some of that grass clear out of the
grill.
“And then toward the very end, I was starting to get a vibration, so I pulled
back a little bit again. Thankfully the checkers came out, so I was able to
keep my position.”
The team was going to look into the source of the vibration, but Lecko says
the cars will be ready on Sunday. “We’ll be ready to give it 100 percent,” he
said.
Lecko starts from pole on Sunday, followed by Nick Padron and Steven
Bright in third.
Super Touring 4
The rules for Super Touring are set up to allow a bit of creative freedom.
More weight allows for more power. Less tire also allows for less weight.
NASA NorCal veteran racer Scott Smith knows this because he has been
racing in Super Touring for years.
His choice of tire, the Hoosier Track Attack Pro, allowed him to dial in more
power than his competitor Svilen Kanev, who was on Hooser R7 tires.
“Well, it seemed that I was pulling him on the start and I kind of expected
that,” Smith said after the race. “So, I was able to pull a little bit of gap on
the straight, but then with the really twisty bits, my car is 500 pounds lighter
and so I was able to, I think, open more of a gap.”
Just 2 seconds separated Smith’s fastest lap time from Kanev’s, but over
the course of several laps, that small gap in time becomes a larger gap in
terms of track position. Smith kept clicking off laps till the checkers flew.
Smith won, with Kanev in second and Patrick Kroll in third.
“It seemed like he started to catch up a little bit. I tried to get a groove
going, but it was definitely not as fast as I was this morning,” Smith said. “I
think the track, it hits a temperature where all of a sudden times fall. So
even though I'm on sticker tires, I was turning slower times than I was
yesterday, today, this morning.”
Smith will enjoy the benefits of pole position, followed by Kanev and Kroll in
third.
Super Touring 5
Justin Mason raced at Ozarks International Raceway back in July, when he
took two wins in three races in his Spec MX-5, so he knows how to win
here. For Saturday’s qualifying race, he started from third and was up
against some quick BMWs with extra torque and some aero bits.
“They’ve got power and downforce and we’ve got to rely on momentum. I
think it was just committing at the high-speed corners, just knowing that I
could catch the car when it gets out of sorts without having any downforce,”
Mason said. “And then keeping my speed up in the slow corners. That's
really where my car has a little bit of an advantage in the slower corners
over the BMWs. So, I got to keep my time up there and make sure I don't
lose any in the high-speed stuff.”
Mason was able to get out front early in the race and hold the lead till the
end. When he rolled over the scales in impound, he was 1 pound over his
minimum weight, something for which he credited his crew. He likes his car
the way it is enough to leave it alone. Fresh tires and the right fuel load
should do the trick.
“I'm going to use my sticker tires tomorrow,” Mason said. “But yeah, things
went a little bit better than I planned today, so I'm sitting pretty for
tomorrow.”
Mason starts from pole, followed by Bryce Kliewer in second and Team
Mick Blue Racing in third.
Super Unlimited
Two-time Super Unlimited National Champion Jonathan Finstrom was the
man to beat early in the race. He was laying down lap times some 14
seconds quicker than anyone else in the field.
But as the old saying goes, to finish first, you must first finish. Two laps in,
Finstrom pulled into the pits and never returned. That put Jason Ross in the
lead, with Joe Henski hot on his heels. Ross and Henski were both running
2:22’s. Henski got close to Ross, but couldn’t get by him. Ross went on to
take the win.
“Yeah, he kept me honest. I'm a little bit rusty, but that's no excuse. Joe's a
pretty good driver,” Ross said. “When we got into traffic, he was right up on
me and a couple times he poked his nose in there and I said, well, I better
stop screwing around and put my foot down. So, I used the advantage of
the car, used the advantage of the horsepower.”
Unfortunately, Ross struck an object on track late in the race, and as he
pulled his Ligier JPS320 into his paddock space, engine oil began dripping
out the right side in front of the rear wheel. Ross was uncertain whether he
would be able to start Sunday’s Championship race.
Thunder Roadsters
Gary Tinker found himself quickly behind at the start but rallied to nip
Jordan Dosch to start on the pole in Sunday’s National Championship race.
John Spain held the early lead, but lost two spots in Turn 8 about halfway
through the race. Tinker edged second-place finisher Dosch by .207
seconds, making it the closest race so far at the 2025 NASA National
Championships. Tinker’s best lap was 2:38.075 on the Ozarks International
Raceway track.
“I dropped back to like fifth place at the start, and then slowly worked my
way back to first,” Tinker said. “There were some really good drivers
sending it in there. They got into those first few corners and sent
me back. I just picked them off one at a time.”
Other than some minor work on the car Saturday afternoon, Tinker said his
Thunder Roadster is ready to go.
“We’re going drinking tonight and eating pizza,” Tinker said. “Hopefully,
everyone will play nice on Sunday.”
Tinker starts from pole on Sunday, followed by Dosch and Spain.
