[h=2]Sunday SCCA Runoffs notebook[/h] Sunday, 01 October 2017
By Jeff Zurschmeide / Images by IMS Photo and the author
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American Sedan's Andy McDermid makes a heroic effort
American Sedan's defending champion Andy McDermid of Howell, Michigan, has had a tough week. On Monday, McDermid crashed his Ford Mustang into the wall coming onto the Indianapolis Motor Speedway main straight, flattening the left side and destroying the suspension.
Any driver could be forgiven for packing the car up and retiring from the SCCA Runoffs after a crash like that. But the determination that has made McDermid an eight-time national champion would not allow a crash to be the end of this year's story.
"We assessed the damage and there was an awful lot of work to be done," McDermid says.
McDermid's team replaced the entire suspension, engine mounts, rear axle and all the bodywork on the left side of the car in three days.
"I have an incredibly talented crew," McDermid insists. "We rocked on it morning, noon, and night and we got it done. We had help from Capaldi Racing with some parts, and those guys are awesome. It's one of those times where you had to buckle down and do the work."
The repaired car arrived back at Indy on Friday evening, in time to make the AS race on Saturday afternoon. But without a qualifying time, McDermid had to seek permission from the event's chief steward to start the race from the back of the field.
"We're all set to go," McDermid says. "We're cautiously optimistic. But when you start at the back, there's no plan other than to go like hell and hope it works out."
McDermid started in 28th position and raced as high as seventh before retiring with a flat tire in Saturday afternoon's American Sedan race.
Collin Jackson sets a new Runoffs record
In the entire history of the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, more than 20,000 drivers have tried to win a championship, and several hundred drivers have succeeded over the years.
But Collin Jackson of Langley, British Columbia, became the first driver in Runoffs history to extend a perfect Runoffs record to four entries and four wins.
"There are so many guys with multiple championships," Jackson says. "Some have thirteen or more. That's way more impressive than just four, but it would be interesting to look it up!"
We looked it up, and 69 drivers have entered once and won their races. Five drivers have entered twice and won twice. Just two drivers, Skip Barber and David Vegher, have entered three times and won all three. Now Collin Jackson is the only driver to have done it four times.
"I've never been about stats," Jackson demurs. "It's always for me about the moment, and the engineering challenge."
Jackson plans to race again next year at the Runoffs at Sonoma Raceway, hopefully extending his record to five entries and five wins.
Goodbye Indy – See you in Sonoma
The eight races scheduled for Sunday mark the finale of the 54th SCCA Runoffs, with 28 champions crowned and nearly 1,000 drivers turning a wheel in competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Next year's Runoffs will be held at Sonoma Raceway in Northern California. The dates will move later in the year to October 16-21, 2018. The Runoffs have not been to the West Coast since the 2014 event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, and the championship event has never been held on Sonoma's iconic track.
Wishing all competitors, officials, and fans a safe journey home, that's a wrap for the 54th Runoffs Notebook from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.