Level 5 Motorsports owner and driver Scott Tucker made history this past weekend when he won his third consecutive title at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. Only a select few other drivers have ever accomplished the same. In only his third year competing in the race, having as many wins merits an entire page in the history books for Tucker. Here's the second part of a look back at the rides that made Scott Tucker an historic name at the SCCA Runoffs.
In 2009, Tucker faced an ebb-and-flow race situation, with him in the front, then overtaken by Scott Buttermore from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., then Tucker in front again. In 2010, Tucker redeemed his minimal mistakes from the year before by holding off most of second-place challenger Buttermore's passing attempts for the duration of the race at Road America. Tucker was the polesitter, which ended up being integral to a good race, as he was able to avoid a major, multiple-car incident on the front straightaway just after the start. Second-place starter John Heinricy, of Holly, Mich., ran into transmission issues immediately following the green flag, and the cars around him had to maneuver around him on cold tires. In the mess, the No. 98 Dodge Viper of Jim Lynch and the No. 99 Chevrolet Corvette of Tom Sloe collided, bringing several other cars into the crash as well. The clean-up took a long time, and SCCA race officials later decided the race would restart with a 15-minute time limit.
Despite the delay, Tucker and his car were in tact. Tucker was driving the Level 5 Motorsports No. 55 Microsoft Office-sponsored Ferrari 430 Challenge, a car that he is comfortable in as a three-time national driving champion. Tucker maintained his first-place start right off the flag, but Buttermore in his Dodge Viper overtook Tucker on lap two. Tucker pulled ahead once again in turn five on the following lap, but Buttermore quickly inched ahead again in turn six. A lap later, Tucker made the same pass again on turn five, and after settling back into first place, he didn't let the position go.
After the initial alternation between Tucker and Buttermore, Tucker kept the lead, with Buttermore's reflection in the Ferrari's rearviews the closest he came again to Tucker, the T1 National Champion from the year before, despite a last-ditch effort to pass Tucker again in the final lap. Tucker's Hawk Performance T1 National Championship was his second consecutive victory at the Runoffs. He won by more than half a second and averaged approximately 93 mph. He also recorded the fastest lap of the race at 2:20.080, which works out to be nearly 103 mph.
"It was a good day," Tucker said of the race. "Buttermore and I had some back-and-forth again, but I was able to find a good passing opportunity and close off his other attempts. Road America is a great track, a fast race, and I'm happy to have been a part of it again."
The T1 race finished at 17 laps and 28 miles. Altogether, the three-day SCCA Runoffs comprised 604 competitors and crowned 27 National Champions. Tucker then entered the final stages of the 2010 driving season before opening the 2011 season, the most successful he and his Level 5 Motorsports team have seen yet.
In 2009, Tucker faced an ebb-and-flow race situation, with him in the front, then overtaken by Scott Buttermore from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., then Tucker in front again. In 2010, Tucker redeemed his minimal mistakes from the year before by holding off most of second-place challenger Buttermore's passing attempts for the duration of the race at Road America. Tucker was the polesitter, which ended up being integral to a good race, as he was able to avoid a major, multiple-car incident on the front straightaway just after the start. Second-place starter John Heinricy, of Holly, Mich., ran into transmission issues immediately following the green flag, and the cars around him had to maneuver around him on cold tires. In the mess, the No. 98 Dodge Viper of Jim Lynch and the No. 99 Chevrolet Corvette of Tom Sloe collided, bringing several other cars into the crash as well. The clean-up took a long time, and SCCA race officials later decided the race would restart with a 15-minute time limit.
Despite the delay, Tucker and his car were in tact. Tucker was driving the Level 5 Motorsports No. 55 Microsoft Office-sponsored Ferrari 430 Challenge, a car that he is comfortable in as a three-time national driving champion. Tucker maintained his first-place start right off the flag, but Buttermore in his Dodge Viper overtook Tucker on lap two. Tucker pulled ahead once again in turn five on the following lap, but Buttermore quickly inched ahead again in turn six. A lap later, Tucker made the same pass again on turn five, and after settling back into first place, he didn't let the position go.
After the initial alternation between Tucker and Buttermore, Tucker kept the lead, with Buttermore's reflection in the Ferrari's rearviews the closest he came again to Tucker, the T1 National Champion from the year before, despite a last-ditch effort to pass Tucker again in the final lap. Tucker's Hawk Performance T1 National Championship was his second consecutive victory at the Runoffs. He won by more than half a second and averaged approximately 93 mph. He also recorded the fastest lap of the race at 2:20.080, which works out to be nearly 103 mph.
"It was a good day," Tucker said of the race. "Buttermore and I had some back-and-forth again, but I was able to find a good passing opportunity and close off his other attempts. Road America is a great track, a fast race, and I'm happy to have been a part of it again."
The T1 race finished at 17 laps and 28 miles. Altogether, the three-day SCCA Runoffs comprised 604 competitors and crowned 27 National Champions. Tucker then entered the final stages of the 2010 driving season before opening the 2011 season, the most successful he and his Level 5 Motorsports team have seen yet.
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