Just four races remain in the 2024 SRO TC America championship. Today's 40-minute contest at Barber Motorsports Park is the first of those as SRO America makes its return to the Birmingham, Alabama circuit for the first time in eight years, since 2016. Before we get started, let's take a look at our individual class polesitters. The only additional entry in the pair of races this weekend is the #93 HART Alabama Honda Civic Si FE1 to be driven by American driver Karl Hertel. Championships are coming into focus. We are down in Alabama, returning to this track for the first time in eight years as we join Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish in the broadcast booth and Amanda Busick in the pit lane.
In the championship fight, Jeff Ricca in TC, had some trouble with a fire on the car. The chassis damage must be assessed. Ron Zaras, his teammate, has loaned Ricca his car for the weekend. So, Jeff Ricca will be racing the #76 car. Ron Zaras is watching from the wonderful museum here at the circuit with motorcycles and Lotus race cars. The man chasing Ricca is the #37 Mini of Cristian Perocarpi who had drama as well yesterday. Cristian Perocarpi's brakes went numb, he went off the road and crunched the wall.
Those two are going to be pushing hard as the fans are watching from the hillside. P.J. Groenke in his Mini could win the 2024 TCA championship today, the former TCB class champion. The cars roll off the grid and in TCX it is Chris Walsh on the pole narrowly over Celso Neto. To stay alive in the championship, Neto needs to finish ahead of Chris Walsh. Neto has won three of the last four races. If Neto beats Walsh this weekend that keeps the championship open headed for the finale double at Indianapolis Motor Speedway expected to have more entries on the grid.
The TCX cars have a bigger berth than the TC cars. The TC runners will have clear running. TC class manager John Ferguus has made that decision. Chris Walsh on his eighth pole of the 2024 season. P.J. Groenke on the TCA pole. Groenke could very well win the title today. Karl Hertel is in his hometown race. Two and one third miles around, with elevation change and blind crests. This should be a raceable circuit for the touring cars, loading the left side tires as it is a clockwise track. The front wheel drive cars are going to find it a bigger challenge than the rear wheel drive cars.
Long duration corners will load up the tires. Alright. Safety car lights off and Mike Stillwagon will be pulling into the pit lane, the SRO safety car driver. Alright. We've got a green flag and it's go time! Tom Hansing waves the flag and we're off! Walsh leads and Celso Neto is glued to his decklid. Aaron Kaplan close by. In the TC class it is Ricca and Perocarpi 1-2. New colors for Ricca in a spare car. He is chasing the drivers' championship and the manufacutrers' championship.
Ricca needs tire temperature and Cristian Perocarpi is turning on the heat. The TCA cars are in the fight. P.J. Groenke vs. Alex Garcia and Karl Hertel. At the top of the shop, Walsh leads Neto through the long duration final turn. We almost had argy bargy between the leaders coming up through the turn ten and 11 switchback and Neot nearly spun! Yikes! Keeps it together. Neto based in Florida after racing successfully in Brazil for many years.
Neto in the Acura, keeping the heat on the BMW. The bonnet is lifting a tad. Hopefully the hood pins are secured. Chris Walsh gave Celso Neto the tongue in cheek nickname "Brazil's Minister of Defense". Walsh also racing in Pirelli GT4 America later today. Walsh enjoying the pressure from Celso Neto. The touring car class is so amazingly competitive before the end of the season, and we have seen that in this class over the years. The BMW is a tried-and-true package, but the Acura Integra Type S race car has a lot of trick upgrades.
Walsh looking good and we'll need to see about tire degradation with the abrasive surface here at Barber Motorsports Park as the race continues. Neto doing what he needs to and Aaron Kaplan is also in the fight, three and a half seconds behind with Cooper Broll behind. Kaplan driving his own car for the Kaplan Racing Systems BMW M2 CS (Cup). Barber Motorsports Park is a track many drivers in SRO America have no experience at and Sonoma in California is the closest place that has similar characteristics. 1:34.8 is the new fastest lap of the motor race for Celso Neto.
In the TC class Jeff Ricca has cleared Christopher DeFreitas in another Acura TCX car and now, Neto has a head of steam through Charlotte's Web at turn five, named after the spider in the children's book who is friends with one Wilbur the pig. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Walsh makes a correction and so that BMW might be tail happy, and he has to let go of the brakes. The balance, the handling on that car is not optimized. Celso Neto still working the headlight flasher. These two blokes are evenly matched. Hats off to the SRO technical staff for evenly matching these race cars.
Acura and BMW have battled back and forth in SRO touring car world challenge racing. Pierre Kleinubing, Peter Cunningham, James Clay and Bill Auberlen in BMW's. and many more. BMW and Acura's battle renewed in TCX. These two are very evenly matched. Nothing in it. The final ten minutes of the race will be the most crucial. Jeff Ricca continues in the lead in TC over Cristian Perocarpi. A good scrap developing now between Aaron Kaplan and Cooper Broll for the final step on the podium. Cooper Broll has had three podiums in the last four races.
Kaplan has had a tough road especially at his home track at Road America last time out in the dairy country of Wisconsin. 28 minutes left on the board, and we see that maybe Aaron Kaplan is clobbering the curbs and Broll, in the Pied Parker sponsored Acura, stepping up to TCX to TCA. Next year, the TCA class will be no more. TC and TCX will merge for a deeper field, and we will have more races to talk about at some of the SRO America events in 2025.
Crossing T's and dotting I's for P.J. Groenke is very important, and he is not taking anything for granted, going for another championship and his first since a TCB title in 2017. Groenke is a movie buff and needs to watch a ton of them to get inspired to race. Neto runs wide and so does Walsh. In this replay, we can see Neto sliding the tires all over the shop, pushing hard and ran out of road trying to get the exit speed. Turn one is so high speed, there is not enough deceleration and it flows well but the minimum apex speed is very high.
Cristian Perocarpi leading in the TC class over Alex Garcia and Karl Hertel. The Mini went into ICE mode and made the antilock brakes go bananas. There was no reaction, and the electronics went numb, and he wrecked the car. The team spent time into the wee hours of the morning fixing the car. At the front, Chris Walsh just maintaining the gap over Walsh, by 5/10ths of a second. Alex Garcia's Honda has a bit of a flared rear fender, but it isn't from contact and is not affecting the car. Almost to the halfway mark. Garcia won four of five races beating P.J. Groenke. Karl Hertel is a lapped car and the leaders coming up on him. Hertel works in the Honda manufacturing plant here in Alabama.
They work on their cars in their spare time. Mario Biundo from L.A. Honda World helped them source a chassis to race with. Cooper Broll giving Aaron Kaplan all kinds of heat for the final step on the TCX podium. Broll learning from a real veteran in Kaplan and makes his move through turn two, plunging downhill and climbing back up again. Walsh and Neto side by side nto Museum corner, which is a miniature version of the Laguna Seca corkscrew.
Neto throws the Acura into the turn, and he needs to beat Chris Walsh today to keep the championship fight alive. He is trailing by 63 points and if he finishes second the deficit increases to 70. Keep going. You just can't throw in the towel. You need to keep up hope and keep pushing. They are working on P.J. Groenke. Groenke has watched such movies as "The Attack of The Killer Tomatoes" and "Big Trouble in Little China" in addition to car racing movies. Scott Thomson is pressuring Sally McNulty for third in the TC class. Walsh's BMW has greas in the front grille opening and Celso Neto makes the pass.
I traffic, they split Groenke and Neto tags Walsh who goes off the road, big style! Poor old Walsh was out in the Tooley's there! The incident is under review by the stewards. Cooper Broll in third place. Pending review, Neto would claw back seven points. What will Race Control say? 16 minutes left on the board. Does the BMW M2 CS (Cup) have any damage? What will Race Director John Fergus say? P.J. Groenke has effectively clinched a championship in TCA! Congratulations, P.J.! He is 89 points ahead and can score 15 more and there are only 75 points left on offer with tomorrow's race and the final two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Neto and Walsh running 1-2 but there is a sword of Damocles hanging over Walsh currently. Walsh is going to push hard. Team boss Tony Callas says that Walsh has been mum on the radio. Callas is obviously disappointed with the racing tactics. Car #22, incident responsibility penalty, for Neto. A drive through penalty will demote Neto down to the tail of the TCX field in fourth spot. Neto continues to push. This could be the end of his 2024 championship chase effort. Remember, he went off in the dust and Neto was not on the curb.
I think Walsh thought he'd have room and Neto understeered straight into the BMW. This is desperation for Neto. You have to send it and not regret it even though he was way off the mark. Neto again, has flown Plummet Airways to fourth. Neto executing his drive through penalty. Skip Barber Racing School's team argued it was a racing incident and the stewards didn't buy it. Cooper Broll passes, and Aaron Kaplan has dropped behind. Walsh is back at the front now it looks like with ten minutes to go. Jeff Ricca was on fire less than 24 hours ago with the car and Ricca was fortunate to be driving another car, loaned by teammate Ron Zaras.
Meanwhile, Sally McNulty is being harried by Scott Thomson. Hyundai vs. Mini. Thomson is also racing in Mustang Challenge and did so at Circuit of the Americas last weekend. Mustang Challenge of course, a one-make championship sanctioned by IMSA. Barber Motorsports Park has stood the test of time. It is a great racetrack, a great facility. The grounds are incredibly well manicured, and it is called "The Augusta National of racecourses." The grounds are immaculate. Celso Neto has moved back up to second past Cooper Broll in the sister car. A big slide, look, for Aaron Kaplan! Yikes! Five minutes remaining.
Celso Neto will not be a happy bunny. But he is really determined and has been pressing hard in this race through also having a great middle point of the season as Sally McNulty and Scott Thomson are working through traffic. McNulty's lines look great, and she is carrying her momentum well. Racing is a passion project for her. This makes her are great fit for Ricca Autosport as well. P.J. Groenke should be the champion elect in TCA and could win his seventh race of 2024. P.J. Groenke was elated to win at Road America last month at his favorite track.
The Mini working the tires through the Museum corner, and Sally McNulty gets stymied by the Honda Civic of Alex Garcia. Time running out. Two and a half minutes to go. Scott Thomson has come close to a podium but hasn't finished one yet. He can see it right out the windscreen. White flag for Chris Walsh with less than 90 seconds to go. White flag. One lap to go. Half a lap. The gap in the points standings is 70 between Walsh and Neto and Walsh can win the title by getting past halfway in race two tomorrow.
Neto still in the conversation. P.J. Groenke earns the title. Now, Sally McNulty has Scott Thomson right on her six. Chris Walsh is the winner! He is closer now to the 2024 TCX class championship. Jeff Ricca is going to win the TC class after the primary car caught fire and is not challenged from the pole position. Wow.
Overall/TCX: #104 Chris Walsh Carrus Callas Raceteam BMW M2 CS (Cup)
TC: #76 Jeff Ricca Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC
TCA: #62 P.J. Groenke MINI JCW Team MINI JCW
Chris Walsh greeted by his family, his wife and his daughters. P.J. Groenke too, is ecstatic! Same with Jeff Ricca, very thankful to Ron Zaras and Hyundai wins the manufacturers' cup in TC! He knew he had a job to do and he did it. He is so thankful to the people, to the sponsors of his team. He has won his second championship and is overjoyed. He had a childhood dream of being a race car driver and is one and now a two-time champion! Congratulations! Cue the dance music for the results. 12 seconds the margin of victory in TCX and overall. We look ahead to the second and final race of the weekend tomorrow. Excited to bring it to you. Plenty more racing today here in Alabama, still to come.
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