BRASELTON, Georgia (April 29, 2025) – The 47th Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) The Mitty Presented by Hagerty came to a competitive conclusion Sunday after four full days of on-track action and off-track camaraderie at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Thursday’s test day paved the way for three-straight days of official HSR competition that included a full slate of HSR Feature Races, WeatherTech Sprints and a pair of B.R.M Endurance Challenge rounds and much more.
Filling the Featured Marque spotlight at the 47th The Mitty was the golden era of Street-Stock road racing in North America that began over 50 years ago and has evolved into such top series today as the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and others. The celebration peaked with Saturday’s Street Stock feature race that saw champion HSR competitor Mike Banz first to the checkered flag in his Vintage Racing Company (VRC) prepared 2004 No. 96 BMW E46 M3 that still carries its original Turner Motorsport yellow and blue livery.
Another weekend highlight was the Fourth Annual Gene Felton Memorial Challenge that celebrates the late IMSA driving star and 2019 HSR The Mitty Grand Marshal Gene Felton. Former NASCAR star “Front Row” Joe Nemechek won the first three runnings of the Felton tribute race and went a perfect four-for-four last weekend to keep his personal lock on the Lanier Technical College Gene Felton Trophy as the only driver to win the honor in the Pro category. Nemechek won both the Saturday and Sunday HSR NASCAR Classic rounds to seal this year’s victory in his NEMCO Motorsports 2006 No. 47 Toyota Camry.
“A good weekend,” Nemechek said. “We had a lot of cars here and a lot of good drivers. I mean, we’re all here to have fun, but we’re still competitive. Overall, a great weekend for myself, our class and HSR. Jack Finch is in his 70s and finished third in this race, that’s awesome! I hope I can still go like him when I’m his age!”
Saturday’s opening race was the HSR Global GT sprint that was won for the second year in a row at The Mitty by Cory Friedman in the Autometrics 2016 No. 515 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. Friedman turned in a strong flag-to-flag performance with only David Richardson – Global GT winner at last September’s HSR Fall Historics at MRRA – able to keep in touch in his FlatSix Motorsports 2017 No. 06 Porsche 991.2 GT3 Cup car. Third went to Mark Mercurio in his TA2 specification 2015 No. 14 Chevrolet Camaro.
Saturday also featured the first of the weekend’s two one-hour B.R.M Endurance Challenge races. The overall and Prototype Modern (PM) win was secured by Phil Stratford in his 2006 No. 95 Elan DP02. Fourth overall and first in GT Modern (GTM) went to the 2000 No. 03 Mercedes-AMG GT4 of Kevin Clayton while the Historic victory was taken by Mitch Eitel in his pristine 1975 No. 62 Chevron B31.
In Sunday morning’s B.R.M. GT Classic (GTC) and Vintage B.R.M race, Jamie Busby took the overall and Vintage class honors in his KMW Motorsports 1970 No. 188 Porsche 914/6. Busby topped a 28-car field while Damon DeSantis and David Hinton won GTC in the Heritage Motorsports 1974 No. 82 Porsche 911 RSR while finishing fourth overall.
Following Friday’s weekend-opening Sasco Sports International/American Challenge race for smaller cars, Saturday’s featured Sasco Sports race showcased big bore machinery. Appropriately, the big-block LMI Landscapes 1969 No. 46 Corvette of perennial Mitty contender Jody O’Donnell took the overall and American division win, topping a total field of 33 entries.
Fritz Seidel finished third overall and first in the Porsche class in his Ecurie Engineering 1973 No. 21 Porsche 911 RSR while Banz backed up Saturday’s Street Stock feature race win with an International division Sasco Sports win in the ex Turner Motorsport No. 96 BMW M3. Banz crossed the finish line fourth overall in his Vintage Racing Company prepared BMW.
The Featured Marque for next year’s 48th HSR The Mitty is scheduled to be announced this summer.
Next up on the 2025 HSR calendar is the HSR Watkins Glen Classic 6 Hour presented by Mission Foods at Watkins Glen International, June 11 – 14. Please visit www.HSRRace.com for more information.
About Hagerty (NYSE: HGTY): Hagerty is an automotive enthusiast brand committed to saving driving and to fueling car culture for future generations. The company is a leading provider of specialty vehicle insurance, expert car valuation data and insights, live and digital car auction services, immersive events and automotive entertainment custom made for the 67 million Americans who self-describe as car enthusiasts. Hagerty also operates in Canada and the U.K. and is home to Hagerty Drivers Club, a community of over 865,000 who can’t get enough of cars. For more information, please visit www.hagerty.com or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
About HSR: Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) is the premier vintage and historic racing series in North America. It was formed in the mid-1970s with an inaugural event at Road Atlanta and became a part of International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) in 2022. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate and enjoy the racing cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Daytona International Speedway, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Watkins Glen International and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/, on Twitter X @HSR_race and on Instagram @HistoricSportscarRacing.
