Shenandoah Track Sprint was held August 30-31 on the Shenandoah Circuit at Summit Point Motorsports Park in Summit Point, WV. This SCCA Sanctioned event was hosted by the Blue Mountain Region and was the sixth event in the eight event 2025 PHA Championship Series.
The weather couldn’t have been better. It was in the upper 70’s both days, and there was not a hint of rain all weekend.
The battle for FTD was between Dan Foley in his 2008 Mitsubishi Evo X that he runs in Sport Unlimited (SU), and Mike Robinson, in his 1999 Chevrolet Camaro that he runs in Outlaw (0). By the end of the day Saturday, Dan Foley was in the lead by .340 seconds.
I talked to Mike Saturday night, and he thought that he might have 3/10’s of a second out there, but it was not to be. Dan Foley ended up taking FTD, standing on his fast time from Saturday with an 87.883.
Mike Robinson was second overall, running 88.223, also his fastest time from Saturday.
Third overall was Todd Bowland, running George Bowland’s Bowland BBR in Special 1 (S1). Todd’s fast time was a 90.374. They had car issues on Saturday, so George never took a run. It is good to see Todd back after 19 years!
Joshua Bittle was the fastest car running under the SCCA National TT rules. Joshua ran an impressive 93.852 in his 2025 Chevrolet Corvette Eray that he runs in TT Sport 1 (TTS1). He also placed in the top 10, finishing up 8th overall.
So let’s address the elephant in the room. Ron Moreck was expected to take FTD, but he had the strangest of incidents. The wind caught under his car over the crest at the bridge straight, tipping him over backwards. He was fine, and was reportedly walking around looking for another car to drive. 🙂 I am so glad that the safety equipment worked, and also that our organizers have not let off on our safety requirements.
We had 16 class records set, but all but 4 were classes new in 2025. Not to take away from everyone in the new classes achievements, but I only have so much room here before I lose your attention, so I am going to concentrate on the 4 existing classes.
In GT Lite (GTL), Eli Sharp took the record by 2.473 seconds with a 103.667 in her 65 Mini Cooper S. She held the previous GTL record, set in 2023. Eli is on fire recently, setting course records at the last 2 events (Giants Despair and Duryea).
In Formula 600 (F6), Joseph Oxeham took the record by 0.463 seconds in his 1994 KBS MK7. He also beat his previous record that he set in the same car in 2024.
In INEX Spec (IS), we had two novices competing for the first time at this event, and one for the first time in her new car. Todd Burkey set the class record in his 1934 Ford Sedan INEX Legend with a 119.864. Todd was pitted next to me, and had some car troubles, but managed to fix the car well enough to run. I also learned the secret behind his car number, but you will have to come to the PHA Banquet on Nov 22 to find out what it is — there will be a program article.
Clair Harris was the other INEX Spec driver, racing a 2006 US Legends 37 Chevy. This is a new to her car, and all of her previous experience was in a street car. Clair dropped almost 50 seconds from her first run to her last, and I can’t wait to see what she can do going forward with this car!
Brian Serfass set the record in Forumla Ford (FF) with his 1976 Tiga Formula Ford, running a 111.871. This is a change for Brian, as we are normally used to seeing him in his Miata.
The Shenandoah event almost didn’t happen due to rising track costs and lower entries. Thanks to our patrons who contributed:
And of course we had a campfire both nights. So good to catch up with everyone, bench race, and also brainstorm on the future of this event.
As far as how I did… I did what I set out to do: I was less terrible than last year (by almost a second), but more importantly, not only did I take every run, I had fun taking every run. The car ran well, and I have no complaints!
Don McLaughlin managed to beat me by almost 3 seconds, running a 120.205 in his 1983 Renault R5. On Sunday, Don admits to putting all 4 wheels off after the turn before the bridge straight, and exited the course taking a DNF because he was a bit shaken up. Apparently, he is taking our impromptu competition seriously. Also, apparently, I am a bad influence!
Ian Mont took some really nice photos of the Shenandoah course, and I couldn’t figure out how to fit this into the event report.
Also thanks to Chris Matcho for his photos:
