INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Sept. 29, 2017)- In a tight battle for the Spec Racer Ford (SRF) National Championship, Mike Miserendino of Bakersfield, California, took the checkered flag in his MBI Racing machine for the first time since 2009 during the 54th Â鶹ÊÓƵ® National Championship Runoffs® at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway on Friday.
Todd Harris of Portland, Oregon, finished second for a fifth overall national podium, and Scott Rettich of Columbus, Ohio, snagged third for a 12th overall national podium.
“Crossing the bricks at IMS as a national champion hasn’t set in yet,” Miserendino said with a huge smile on his face. “I actually felt the bricks underneath me every time, but on the last lap it could have been a cobble stone road and I wouldn’t have known; I was just focusing on that flag. It’s awesome to race and win here in Indy. I feel absolutely amazing right now.”
Harris dominated the SRF class leading up to the championship race, setting fast-lap time in all four qualifying sessions. Driving the No. 42 Pro Drive Racing/Flatout car, Harris lost the chance to defend his 2016 title as the lapped-traffic on the final lap played a role in Miserendino’s win.
“The lapped traffic kept things entertaining today,” Harris said. “It helped me take first but in the end, it threw me off because we had traffic four cars long. I chose to draft and Mike took the inside, and he got by. I love racing these guys, though. They race very hard but clean. Everyone played it straight-up today and that is what we want Spec Racer Ford to be.”
The 50-car SRF field started the 19-lap race with Harris inside on the pole and Miserendino completing the front row. Denny Stripling of McKinney, Texas, Rettich and Todd Vanacore of Ormond Beach, Florida, rounded out the top-five starters.
Rettich got the jump on the start and slipped into first before Turn 1, creating a small gap from the rest of the field. However, his momentum was interrupted by a full-course yellow caused by a four-car, Turn 1 incident.
On the restart, Miserendino took the lead, holding off Rettich. Rettich, tight on Miserendino’s tail, seized the front-runner’s position during Lap 16, but not without contention from the 2016 SRF National Champion Harris. Harris completed a bold pass in lapped traffic to take the lead on Lap 17.
Harris led going into the penultimate lap with Miserendino and Rettich trying to catch his draft. As the trio approached the front straight, Harris ducked to the outside of lapped-traffic as Miserendino took the inside. Miserendino’s calculated move landed him the win, dropping Harris to second.
Miserendino, Harris and Rettich take the track again Saturday for the Spec Ford Gen 3 race.
The No. 7 Southeast Spec Racer/Lightspeed car of Denny Stripling finished fourth, and Matthew Harper finished fifth in the No. 77 Rose-Hulman racecar.
The Sunoco Hard Charger award went to the No. 78 Astra Products Co. car of Bill Ladoniczki who started 39th and finished in sixteenth position.
The 54th Â鶹ÊÓƵ National Championship Runoffs, the Pinnacle of American Motorsports, crowns Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Road Racing National Champions this year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from Friday, September 29 through Sunday, Oct 1.
While the live broadcast of all 28 National Championships is available at Â鶹ÊÓƵ.com and Motor Trend OnDemand, each race will be on demand in the coming weeks.
Provisional results for Friday’s Spec Racer Ford (SRF) race at the 54th Â鶹ÊÓƵ National Championship Runoffs from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.
1, (2), Mike Miserendino, Bakersfield, CA, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
2, (1), Todd Harris, Portland, OR, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
3, (4), Scott Rettich, Columbus, OH, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
4, (3), Denny Stripling, McKinney, TX, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
5, (8), Matthew Harper, Charlotte, NC, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
6, (6), Charles Turner, Montpelier, VA, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
7, (11), Connor Solis, Prunedale, CA, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
8, (10), Dave Ogburn III, San Angelo, TX, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
9, (14), Todd Fox, Memphis, TN, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
10, (18), Craig Blackwell, Carmel, IN, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
11, (15), Mark Goodman, Brentwood, TN, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
12, (17), Thomas A Panaggio, Tampa, FL, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
13, (16), Bill Cullen, Merritt Island, FL, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
14, (24), Benjamin Brinn, Lafayette, IN, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
15, (29), Bernard Grogan, Newtown Square, PA, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
16, (39), Bill Ladoniczki, Odessa, FL, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
17, (30), Reid Johnson, Hamel, MN, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
18, (38), Mark Peyser, Easton, CT, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
19, (31), John Annis, Tampa, FL, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
20, (20), Thomas Kirchman, Kilchberg, ZH, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
21, (33), Roy Hillenburg, Friendswood, TX, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
22, (27), Scott Schweitzer, Lake Orion, MI, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
23, (19), Kurt Breitinger, Martinez, GA, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
24, (25), Geno Barbera, Carson City, NV, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
25, (34), Mark Fickenscher, Painesville, OH, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
26, (44), David Knoche, Greensboro, NC, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
27, (21), Dave Cammack, New Brighton, MN, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
28, (26), Vince Balch, San Diego, CA, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
29, (40), Bruce Kromminga, Millersville, MD, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
30, (42), Steven Thomas, Marlton, NJ, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 19.
31, (45), Raymond R. Moser, Red Bank, NJ, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 18.
32, (43), Jim Nash, Bloomington, MN, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 18.
33, (35), Scott Sanda, Western Springs, IL, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 18.
34, (36), Jim Tibor Jr, Silver Plume, CO, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 18.
35, (48), David Glodowski, Minneapolis, MN, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 18.
36, (47), Craig Wheatley, White Bear Lk, MN, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 18.
37, (46), Michael Pesch, Franklin Park, IL, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 18.
38, (50), David De Bolt, Cumberland, IN, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 18.
39, (49), Steve Ladoniczki, Palm Harbor, FL, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 17.
40, (13), Tom Burt, Woodway, WA, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 17.
41, (23), Bruce Richardson, Los Gatos, CA, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 10.
42, (32), Jim Tibor, Cortland, OH, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 9.
43, (22), Hal Briand, New Baltimore, MI, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 5.
44, (28), Jay Messenger, Muleshoe, TX, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 2.
45, (37), Efren Ormaza, Quito, ECU, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 2.
46, (5), Todd Vanacore, Ormond Beach, FL, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 0.
47, (7), B. Doug Mead, Melbourne, FL, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 0.
48, (9), Richard Baldwin, Covington, LA, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 0.
49, (12), Max Koff, Ann Arbor, MI, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 0.
50, (41), Doug Stewart, Porter Ranch, CA, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Spec Racer Ford, 0.
Length of Race: 49 miles
Overall Time of Race: 39:14.221
Average Speed: 75.308 mph
Margin of Victory: 00.194 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 1:53.769 (82.019 mph)
Lap Leaders: No. 17 laps 1-2,17; #11 laps 3-16, 19; #42 lap 18
Sunoco Hard Charger: No. 78 Bill Ladoniczki
Image: Mike Miserendino on his way to the SRF win at the Runoffs.
Photo Credit: Mark Weber
