The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will once again host the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Championships presented by Toyo Tires. The event will take place this weekend, September 20-22. A cool tidbit: 59 of the more than 325 registered racers call Ohio their home.
Read the full press release below, and let us know if you're planning to either race or attend.
LEXINGTON, Ohio (September 18, 2019) - National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Championships presented by Toyo Tires returns to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend, September 20-22, for the first time since 2012. The racing slate features 26 classes plus seven Time Trial categories during an action-packed weekend culminating with Sunday’s championship finals.
NASA also hosted its inaugural championship event at 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course in Lexington, Ohio, in 2006. This year marks the sixth time for it to be held in North Central Ohio, the most of any location. The starting grids will be filled with American Iron muscle cars like Mustangs and Corvettes, Porsche 944s, BMWs, and the popular Japanese brands of Honda, Mazda and Nissan to note a few of the more popular makes raced by the competitors.
Comprised of over 325 racers from across the country converging on Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, 59 of those entrants are from Ohio with the opportunity to compete for national titles in their home state. One of those notable drivers is Tara Brewster from Columbus, Ohio, who alongside her father, Steve Brewster from Pickerington, will race against each other in the 944 Spec class. She took her first win in the class back in April at Mid-Ohio during a qualifying event leading up to this weekend’s NASA Championships.
“It's a lot of motivation to race here in Ohio, especially after last year's Championships. I'd been having trouble with the car getting into gear in the days leading up to the championship race, but I thought it was just me struggling at a new track,” said Brewster. “Turns out my trans harness had failed, and it eventually caused the driveshaft to snap – at Turn 14 on the first lap of the race. I can't begin to tell you what a huge (and expensive) bummer that was.
“This year with Mid-Ohio being my home track, I'm hoping I'll have the home team advantage that will put me a little closer to the podium. Obviously, I'd be over the moon to win it, but there are a lot of extraordinarily talented drivers running this weekend in 944,” she continued. “I'm hoping to have a clean race and finish in the top five.
“Plus, racing with my dad has been an amazing experience, and I'm really honored to have had the opportunity; I couldn't have done this without his support,” Tara explained. “We've always been super competitive, but at the end of the day, I think he's honestly more excited when I do well than when he does. I think, at this point, I have beaten him more. The first few years I really struggled and he just whopped me, but in 2017, things started to come together for me and I made some big leaps and started beating him. This is the first time ever that we'll be facing off against each other at nationals, so that will be really exciting.”
The 944 Spec class race is scheduled for 2:40 p.m. ET on Sunday (September 22) along with all the remaining national championship races throughout the day. Qualifying for all groups is on Friday (September 20), and additional warm-ups and qualifying races on Saturday (September 21).
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course offers an exceptional value. General admission is $40 for the weekend or $30 for daily passes. Tickets purchased at the gate are $5 each additional. Children 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult, plus there is free parking on site. The garage paddock is also open free during the event to get up close to the cars and driers. Reserved trackside motorhome spaces and tent camping are available on site. Visit midohio.com or call 419-884-4000, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. ET, to purchase tickets in advance.
The complete NASA Championships presented by Toyo Tires weekend schedule is available on midohio.com. Follow the event on social media with #DRIVENASA or online at nasachampionships.com.
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