RACE: National Runoffs: Fergus - Sports 2000 champion

Fergus Wins Sixth Sports 2000 National Title

TOPEKA, Kan. (Oct. 11, 2008) - Polesitter John Fergus II, of Powell, Ohio, led flag-to-flag to capture his sixth Sports 2000 National Championship at the 45th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Heartland Park Topeka. Bart Wolf, of Elkhart Lake, Wis., and Fergus' son Corey Fergus, of Powell, Ohio, finished second and third, respectively.

Piloting the No. 00 Hoosier Tires/Fergus Companies Carbir CS2, John Fergus made winning his sixth national title look easy. The only time he was seriously challenged was when Wolf briefly led heading into Turn Alpha at the start of the race. However, Wolf's lead was short-lived, as Fergus overtook Wolf in Turn One and never looked back. Fergus won by 7.996-seconds.

"Corey and I had a little more downforce this weekend and we silently thought we needed to get up there in Turn One, at least head-to-head," Fergus said. "We went down in Turn One so deep, both of us [Fergus and Bart Wolf], because I knew he was thinking about going around the outside. My car really planted well in one, which gave me a good launch through two. I just concentrated on hitting my marks in the first lap. Like these two [Wolf and Corey Fergus], I just went about trying to nail every lap. About four laps in, [Wolf] put a charge on and really got into a groove. It actually cut into my lead a bit, which my crew conveyed to me, and I had to crank it up myself a bit. The car was flawless."

Wolf, who drove the No. 28 Goodyear/My Visa/Arms up/TCP Carbir CS2.8, spent most of his race trying to catch John Fergus. Unfortunately, Fergus proved to be too much and Wolf finished second.

Corey Fergus started third in the No. 07 Fergus Companies Carbir CS2 and ran a consistent race in his first-ever runoffs.

Tony Sleath, of Dearborn, Mich., drove his No. 13 St. Clair Motorsports/Goodyear Carbir CS2 to a fourth place finish, while Rob Sherwood, of St. Louis, Mo., was fifth in the No. 05 Pace Properties Carbir CS2. Sleath was also the Sunoco Hard Charger for advancing two positions throughout the race. The Sports 2000 race will air at 1 p.m. (EST) Wednesday, Jan. 14 on SPEED.

The SCCA National Championship Runoffs® The Pinnacle of American Motorsports, will crown Sports Car Club of America's Club Racing National Champions for the 45th-consecutive year in 2008. The best amateur drivers from across North America will compete on Heartland Park Topeka's 2.5-mile road course in what is considered the "Olympics" of motorsports. This year's event began with four days of qualifying, Oct. 6-9, and has now commenced three days of National Championship racing, Oct. 10-12. Live timing, lap notes, results and photos are all available at www.scca.com/runoffs <https://mail.scca.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.scca.com/runoffs> .

-credit: scca