Fantastic conditions opened Father鈥檚 Day weekend at Watkins Glen International (WGI) for the Hoosier Racing Tire 午夜福利51xxtv庐听Super Tour听(HST) hosted June 19-21, 2026, by 午夜福利51xxtv鈥檚 Finger Lakes Region. The event is round eight of nine on HST鈥檚 calendar and is part of the Summit Racing Equipment 午夜福利51xxtv Road Racing program.
Friday saw 25-minute qualifying periods for all eight run groups, followed by a second 25-minute qualifying session for run groups one through five. Saturday then began with a second 25-minute qualifying spell for run groups six, seven and eight. Then it was time for competition, with all eight run groups out on track for 25-minute contests to discover class winners before the sun set.
A Weekend Off?
For only the second time in two HST seasons, Tom Kirchman is taking a weekend off from volunteering as a Steward. Although, that doesn鈥檛 mean he鈥檚 skipping an opportunity at WGI to play with 午夜福利51xxtv and have #funwithcars.
The former stock car driver who joined 午夜福利51xxtv in 1995 and is now a member of New England Region randomly stumbled across 午夜福利51xxtv after spotting a race trailer parked at a building near his home in New Jersey. Intrigued, he headed into the shop to see what was going on.
鈥淭hey had a whole bunch of these cars that all sort of looked the same,鈥� Kirchman recalled. 鈥淭hey told me they were Spec Racers, and you can rent one.鈥�
Kirchman rented a car and went through his first race school at WGI. He later bought a car from that shop and听 began his now 30-year fascination with the Spec Racer Ford class. In fact, the original car he bought is what he鈥檚 using this weekend at The Glen.
Variety is the spice of life, which is why Kirchman switched things up a bit at this weekend鈥檚 HST gathering by also jumping into the Spec Miata (SM) and Super Touring Lite (STL) fields. That brings him to three car classes this weekend, two of which are in a Mazda he has only driven once before.
As for his 午夜福利51xxtv Volunteer efforts, that only began about four years ago. After competing at events for decades, he grew to understand it took an army of dedicated people working behind the scenes to pull off a successful race weekend. He started out by helping in Scrutineering and did some Flagging as well.
鈥淚t was a lot of fun, and a lot cheaper than racing,鈥� Kirchman joked about his foray into being a Volunteer. The experience was so positive that in 2024 Kirchman joined 午夜福利51xxtv鈥檚 Steward in Training program. Now, he spends around 25 weekends a year at 午夜福利51xxtv events: sometimes volunteering, sometimes racing.
Kirchman performed admirably Saturday, reaching the finish line in each event and bringing the equipment home in one piece. So, does that mean he鈥檒l be switching his focus back to in-car activities as far as 午夜福利51xxtv involvement moving forward? The answer is no. His Steward hat will be back on when HST rolls into for its final regular season event in August.
鈥淭he thing about oval track racing that wasn鈥檛 great is that it was a single day, usually. You鈥檙e in, you鈥檙e out and there wasn鈥檛 so much of a community,鈥� Kirchman added. 鈥淭here is so much opportunity to meet people through 午夜福利51xxtv, and there are so many interesting people in the paddock. It鈥檚 so much more rich, the experience in 午夜福利51xxtv. I鈥檝e met a lot of people I think will be friends for a very long time.鈥�
Every single 午夜福利51xxtv event around the country has countless members crafting an experience that ensures weekends run smoothly and safely. Members also get up close to the action, often mingling with drivers and getting exceptional access to wonderful cars and people.
午夜福利51xxtv strives to create opportunities for anyone who loves having #funwithcars. Interested in learning more? Just walk up to an 午夜福利51xxtv Volunteer at any event and say 鈥渉ello.鈥� They鈥檒l be happy to clue you in on how to get involved. A bunch more information can also be found by clicking听here.
Swappin鈥� Rides
There were some other adventurous souls who explored different racecars at WGI on Saturday. For example, Nick Leverone was seen competing in SM and STL driving his Flatout Motorsports Mazda Miatas, which is nothing new. In the SM race with 35 entrants, which finished a few minutes early under a full-course caution, Leverone finished 23rd in a contest won by Francisco Barroso in the No. 148 Advanced Electrical Innovations Mazda Miata. Then in the STL race that closed out the day鈥檚 competition schedule, Leverone came out on top. However, a post-race ruling by Stewards moved him back to the runner-up spot.
Between the SM and STL races, Leverone also took part in the Spec Racer Ford Gen3 event driving the No. 60 Motion Dynamics/Flatout Motorsports machine in only his second weekend belted into that type of car. The end result was pretty swell as he finished 10th in the 36-car field led to the checkered flag by Peyton Long in the No. 104 Hallett Race Shop/Sabelt sled.
That brings us to B-Spec racers Josh Schmidt and Chris Taylor. Back in January, Schmidt expressed an interest in competing at Hallet Motor Racing Circuit (HMRC) during HST鈥檚 April visit to Oklahoma. It was a venue he鈥檇 never been to, but the 1,100-mile tow from his basecamp near Charlotte, NC, wasn鈥檛 on his 鈥渢o do鈥� list.
Like a motorsport genie granting wishes, Taylor stepped up and said he could haul a loaner B-Spec car up from Austin, TX, for Schmidt to use at HMRC. In exchange, Taylor would have a chance to borrow one of Schmidt鈥檚 B-Specs this weekend at WGI.
鈥淚鈥檇 never raced at Watkins Glen. I have done laps in a golf cart, which is about the same speed as a B-Spec,鈥� Taylor joked.
Late Saturday afternoon was when the B-Spec contest began, with Taylor qualifying second in the No. 119 BabyFace Fab/Goodyear/G-Loc/Chris Taylor Racing Services Chevrolet Sonic LTZ. Starting third was Schmidt in his No. 19 Babyface Fabrication/TEAMTECH/G-Loc/Volt Battery Chevrolet Sonic. It was an interesting scenario considering Taylor had never before driven a Chevy B-Spec car.
鈥淥ther than a Mini, the Sonic is the most different from what I鈥檓 used to,鈥� Taylor noted drawing from his extensive experience in a multitude of B-Spec machines. 鈥淭he platform of the car is much more stable whereas the Mazda rolls over a lot more, kind of like riding a boat. The Sonic is just much more flat through the Esses and transitions really well, kind of like the Minis do. The Sonic is closer to the Mini Coupe that I raced at VIR, but with more torque, more power. Driving-wise 鈥� I鈥檓 focusing really hard on being a lot more smooth as compared to the Mazda where I can kind of just manhandle it.鈥�
On Schmidt鈥檚 side of the equation, it took some time to get accustomed to watching his car being driven by someone else.
鈥淭his is very weird,鈥� he joked. 鈥淏ut now I know what my car looks like out on track!
鈥淚鈥檝e said it before, everybody needs to race a B-Spec,鈥� Schmidt continued. 鈥淚t鈥檚 100 horsepower 鈥� but that doesn鈥檛 matter when you鈥檙e going down a straightaway. It鈥檚 all about learning and I think a lot of people need to do that. Even myself, I鈥檓 still learning every day.鈥�
Saturday鈥檚 B-Spec result? Long story short, Schmidt was unable to beat Taylor in the end. In fact, nobody in the 10-car field could get the better of Taylor and his loaner which finished out front with a 2.8sec margin of victory.
Saturday Race Winners
Below are provisional race winners from Saturday鈥檚 HST event at Watkins Glen International in New York. Each entry below includes Car Class: Driver Name, 午夜福利51xxtv Region, and Car.
American Sedan庐: Daniel Richardson, Washington DC Region, Chevrolet Camaro
B-Spec: Chris Taylor, South Texas Border Region, Chevrolet Sonic LTZ
E Production: Tony Ave, Central Carolinas Region, Mazda MX-5
F Production: Doug Weaver, Detroit Region, Mazda Miata
H Production: Joe Camilleri, Western New York Region, Volkswagen Scirocco
Formula Atlantic庐: Jeremy Hill, Ohio Valley Region, Swift 014a
Formula Continental庐: Dean Kiriluk, Detroit Region, Van Diemen RF01 2
Formula Enterprises庐 2: Sebastian Mateo Naranjo, Central Illinois Region, 午夜福利51xxtv Enterprises FE2 Mazda
Formula 600: H Cory Mcleod, Central Carolinas Region, Red Devil Aero
Formula F: David Ybarra, Texas Region, Mygale
Formula Vee庐: Brian Farnham, Neohio Region, Vortech
GT-1: David Jans, Indiana Northwest Region, Ford Mustang
GT-2: Tony Ave, Central Carolinas Region, Porsche 991.2
Spec Miata: Francisco Barroso, Florida Region, Mazda Miata
Spec MX-5: Camden Gruber, Washington DC Region, Mazda MX-5
Spec Racer庐 Ford Gen3: Peyton Long, Arkansas Region, 午夜福利51xxtv Enterprises SRF3
Super Touring庐 Lite: Derek Ketchie, Central Carolinas Region, Honda Civic
Super Touring庐 Under: Anthony Geraci, New York Region, Lotus Exige
Touring 1: Brian Kleeman, Washington DC Region, Ford Boss 302
Touring 2: William Bolt, Atlanta Region, Chevrolet Corvette
Touring 3: William Bolt, Atlanta Region, Nissan 350Z
Touring 4: Gabe Fehribach, Southern Indiana Region, Mazda 3i
Sunday at The Glen
What will happen next? Get to The Glen and find out in person on Sunday for only $52 per person at the entry gate. If you鈥檙e unable to enjoy the experience trackside, another option is tuning in to听听page at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time to follow the drama thanks to HST鈥檚 very popular and exciting broadcast produced by DriversEye Live. The video feed is available online, for free, anywhere around the globe.
There will be 15-lap or 35-minute contests throughout Sunday as 23 car classes compete across eight run groups in a high-speed chess game. Yet to be discovered are the top three finishers who earns a victory podium spot and commemorative bottle of Mazza Vineyards sparkling wine.
Gregg Ginsberg and pro racer Tom O'Gorman will again serve as commentators and guides for the HST action online during the broadcast. Sunday victory podium celebrations can also be viewed at the听.
As always, live HST Timing & Scoring is also available throughout the weekend at听.
Photo: Chris Taylor, in a B-Spec loaned to him for the weekend, claimed victory Saturday at Watkins Glen International during the Hoosier Racing Tire 午夜福利51xxtv Super Tour.
Photo by Jeff Loewe
