The 60th annual SCCA National Championship Runoffs delivered unforgettable racing moments at Road America. The iconic 4.048-mile circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, set the stage for thrilling battles, with weather conditions staying warm and sunny throughout the event, which ran from September 28th to October 5th. A full week of intense practice, qualifying, and race-day excitement culminated in a historic achievement as 15-year-old Ethan Goulart clinched the title of 2024 Spec Miata National Champion, becoming the youngest driver to win an SCCA National Championship.
After three days of practice began on Saturday, Ethan Goulart proved he was the one to beat after setting the quickest time in Monday’s first session. As the event transitioned to three days of qualifying on October 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, both Ethan and his father, multi-time Runoffs champion Elivan Goulart, reigned supreme. The father-son duo stunned fans by setting identical lap times in the first qualifying session on Tuesday with a time of 2:41.106, which would be good enough to lock out the front row for Friday’s championship race. Ethan’s second-fastest lap during the session ultimately awarded him the coveted Tire Rack pole position.
The Runoffs took a dramatic turn during Wednesday’s qualifying session with an accident in the Kink involving Spec Miata front-runners Danny Steyn, Jim Drago, Chuck Mactutus, and Ethan Jacobs. Steyn, Drago, and Mactutus sustained serious injuries that forced them to miss Friday’s race, though all are thankfully on the road to recovery. While Jacobs emerged uninjured, his car sustained enough damage to also prevent the young driver from entering Friday’s championship race.
Race day on October 4th saw Ethan and Elivan Goulart on the front row, with Ethan’s No. 72 Krugspeed Spec Miata leading the 45-car field. His father Elivan managed a unique double-duty schedule, flying in from Indianapolis, where he was also qualifying in the Pirelli GT4 America series, just in time to start the Runoffs race alongside his son. Behind the Goularts, the starting grid included Preston Pardus in third, followed by strong competitors Noah Harmon, Bob & Logan Stretch, creating a promising lineup for the National Championship race.
As the green flag dropped, the competition intensified immediately. A collision between Jonathan Davis and Tyler Brown just past the start/finish line brought early excitement and a full-course caution. Once the race resumed on lap three, Ethan Goulart maintained his lead, with his father in second, and Noah Harmon, Logan Stretch, and other front-runners close behind. The next few laps saw multiple position changes in the top 10, with Elivan Goulart dropping slightly in the order while Ethan created a breakaway pack with Noah and Logan Stretch.
By the halfway point, Ethan and Noah had pulled clear of the rest of the field, forming a two-car duel for the lead. Behind them, Elivan Goulart battled with Pardus, Bob & Logan Stretch, and Brett Kowalski for the final podium spots, with intense position swapping in every corner. In a pivotal moment on lap eight, Pardus slipped back, allowing Elivan to regain third place. On lap nine, Harmon briefly overtook Ethan, but the young driver soon retook the lead in a clean maneuver at Turn 5, setting himself up for a determined run to the checkered flag.
The last few laps saw relentless pressure in both the lead pack and the battle for third. Ethan Goulart showed remarkable composure, keeping Harmon at bay to eventually cross the finish line with a 0.7-second margin. Harmon settled for second, and in a final push for third place, Pardus edged out Elivan Goulart by a slim 0.046 seconds, with Barroso completing the top five just 0.067 seconds later.
Reflecting on his achievement, Ethan Goulart said, “I was pulling away a little bit in the beginning – I think [Dad] fell back, and then I just tried to get my head down. Then Noah pushed me along, and once we got that gap, I looked back and then a couple laps later, they started to catch us again. I didn’t know Noah was going to go by, and then they’re catching us even more. I was like, all right, I’ve got to the lead now – I put some flyers down and that’s what we did. And we came home with the win.” At just 15 years and 174 days, Ethan’s victory set a new record as the youngest-ever SCCA National Champion, eclipsing the previous mark by 68 days.
For Harmon, the race strategy involved a brief pass on Ethan in an attempt to pull further from the field. “I started to see the guys behind catch up, so it’s like, we need to try something different,” Harmon explained. “I went to lead, [but] I think it actually slowed us down a bit, but I wanted to try it. But yeah, it was a fantastic drive.”
The event was tinged with emotions as Pardus reflected on the absence of friends and teammates involved in Wednesday’s crash. “It’s been a rough week,” he said, visibly emotional. “I’ve got to thank Jim [Drago] and all the East Street guys – I mean, I wouldn’t be where I’m at in this class without Jim, and even Danny [Steyn]. I mean, he really helped me a lot.”
Despite being unable to compete in the championship race, Danny Steyn’s extraordinary season still earned him the 2024 SCCA Hoosier Super Tour title, managing to edge out Logan Stretch by a single point, giving Steyn his second-consecutive Spec Miata SCCA Hoosier Super Tour Championship. He would also clinch the STL Super Tour title, his remarkable fourth-consecutive STL SCCA Hoosier Super Tour Championship.
