NOS Energy TrackBattle Results from GRIDLIFE Chicagoland

Joliet, IL - GRIDLIFE’s NOS Energy TrackBattle Championship wrapped up competition on Sunday evening at Autobahn Country Club, with records falling and miniscule margins of victory in one of the most competitive rounds of the season. 

The Falken Sundae Cup class featured 14 cars at GRIDLIFE Chicagoland. The #528 Mazda MX-5 of Richard Sawicki set a new benchmark for the rear-wheel drive division of the class on Saturday, but one-upped it on Sunday with a 1:42.552. Sawicki earned 25 points and the winning trophy, but because there was not already a standing record to be broken, will have to forgo the extra point for breaking a record. It was his third win and fourth podium in four starts this year. Sam Deuling scored second with a time of 1:43.839, which was a record for the class - but he was one of seven drivers who lapped faster than the prior record set by James Smith last season. Lennon Radcliffe in his Toyota Corolla finished third with a 1:43.990.

In Falken ClubTR, Peter Granberg obliterated the previous record by over half a second, running a time of 1:32.078, just 0.09 seconds ahead of Stan Fayngold, who was chasing Granberg for the majority of the weekend. Both drivers compete with Honda K24 powered Scion FR-S or Subaru BRZ base chassis, but it was an EG-generation Honda Civic that rounded out the podium, with the #531 of Evan Weider. Christopher Heideman and Fez Babar rounded out the top 5.

Joe Mielke, who reset the Street class all-wheel drive record last season at Autobahn Country Club, eclipsed his own record by just a few hundredths of a second, with a laptime of 1:31.419. Sam Bosnian’s #625 Nissan 350Z was just three tenths behind with a 1:31.799. Brad Moore, Aaron Rekkedahl, and Ross Ligibel finished third, fourth, and fifth.

Street GT has been heavily attacked this season by drivers in V8-powered Chevrolets. With the championship already clinched and out of reach for the #84 Chevrolet Corvette of Ido Waksman, the goal shifts to collecting trophies and track records, which Waksman did at Autobahn Country Club. His time of 1:29.261 smashed the prior record set last season at a 1:30.709. Nicholas Hendrix finished 2nd in his Corvette with a 1:30.628, and Keenan Prusank finished third in his #187 Chevrolet Camaro. The #734 BMW M2 of Austin Hertel finished fourth, as he continues to scratch the competition itch while his GLTC-spec 370Z is out of commission for repairs. Mike Janssen, in a 2024 Tesla Model 3, finished 5th in class.

The Street Mod and Track Mod classes have been Kyle McKiou’s playground this year, as McKiou swapped to class-legal tires and split his time between heats to earn points in both categories. McKiou won in both classes, with a time of 1:25.816 (a new track record) leading Alex Moss (1:28.391) and Jaime Santos (1:29.918) in Street Modified. In Track Mod trim, McKiou managed a blistering 1:25.119 in his Toyota GR Supra, outpacing the #89 Supra of Brandon Hodge (1:26.854), and Jackie Ding (1:27.087). McKiou’s time was good enough for a record in that class, too, earning 26 points (the most possible) in two separate classes. In the current points format, this is the first time such a feat has ever been accomplished.

Though the Unlimited field entries were slimmer than the other classes, the competition was incredibly tight all weekend between the #500 Ford Mustang of Steve Luca and the #338 of Ernestas Puzelis in his Chevrolet Corvette. Luca tripped the timing loop at 1:24.265, under three tenths quicker than Puzelis. Andrius Bertulis, the current points leader, finished third.

While the slightly cooler weather may have assisted the record-breaking for an event typically run mid-summer, drivers and cars in the NOS Energy TrackBattle Championship continue to optimize and push the bar even further within the limits of the class rules. Just three rounds remain in the 2024 season, with WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Pittsburgh International Race Complex, and Thunderhill Raceway Park left to contest. 

The NOS Energy TrackBattle series next competes in California, at GRIDLIFE Laguna. With benchmarks set at the event last season, drivers take aim at breaking them in the event’s second year. GRIDLIFE Laguna tickets are on sale now, and for those who cannot attend, the event will be broadcast live on the GRIDLIFE YouTube and Twitch pages. 

NOS Energy TrackBattle Results - Autobahn Country Club

*Note that track record points have not yet been added to points totals.