Team Sahlen, presented by honeybeeBase.com, achieved the milestone at the Mid-Ohio Grand Prix, presented by MoneyShiftRcing.com in securing their 24th OVERALL Victory in the Tire Rack – ChampCar Endurance Series. This milestone was significant as it moved the team out of a tie with RBank / 90Racing.com on the All-Time Winner list in the series. This achievement did not come swiftly for the team. Starting in 2011 in the series, Team Sahlen did not capture their 1st OVERALL Victory in the series until 2016. This 1st win came at Gingerman Raceway in their Mazda RX7. Over the next few years, the team continued to secure victories each season in their Rotary Rockets. The team then evolved into the Porsche Boxster in 2019, and picked up their 1st victory in the series with the Stuttgart marque at the historical Nelson Ledges 24 Hours.
Joe Nonnamaker shared his memory of this victory – “I raced in the 1st every Longest Day of Nelson way back in 1980. I drove a VW Rabbit to 4th Overall and 1st in the Showroom Stock C class. To be able to win that day at Nelson in the 24 hours all those years later with my 2 sons was something I will never forget.”
Team Sahlen also holds the distinction of also being the All Time OVERALL Winner in the Summit Racing – American Endurance Racing League. The team has 20 OVERALL Victories in this series. Team Sahlen originally started running in this series in 2015, and was able to Overall wins in the series for 9 straight seasons. The team utilized 5 different race cars (2 Porsche Caymans, 2 Porsche Cayman GT4 PDKs and 1 Audi R8 GT3 Ultra) to secure these Victories.
Beyond their victories in the Tire Rack – ChampCar Endurance Series and Summit Racing – American Endurance Racing Series, Team Sahlen has also secured OVERALL Victory 3 times in the World Racing League, presented by Hagerty.
Wayne Nonnamaker shared his thoughts on winning in 3 different series – “These 3 series are in the top echelon of Sportsman Endurance Racing in America. And for our team to have secured an OVERALL Victory in these three series three years in a row is an accomplishment that will be hard to reach again. Each series has slightly different rules that require attention to prep and strategy. For any team to have success in all three in the same years means you have quite a dedicated crew. And one thing I can say about Team Sahlen, is that we have a great dedicated crew.”
Team Sahlen’s remaining 2024 race schedule includes several more Tire Rack – ChampCar Endurance Series events. Although there is never a guarantee that more victories will follow, it is for certain that the team will do their best to add to their tally of 24 OVERALL Victories the series and continue to enjoy the great competition on the track and camaraderie off the track.
Will Nonnamaker shared his thoughts – “I remember our 1st race in ChampCar back in 2011. Back then it was called ChumpCar, and the event we choose was the 25 Hours and 25 Minutes of Nelson Ledges. We didn’t have much of a car. It was an old drift car we bought from a kid on Craigslist. Somehow we turned it into a Chump racer, and away we went to the track. We didn’t have much of a chance of winning, but we did finish, securing 11th out of 71 racers on track. And from there we worked to get better and better each time out. This is a great series where all can come and race. Even if you are a beginner, you can get out there and have fun.”
Team Sahlen – Tire Rack – ChampCar Endurance Series Stats
157 Race Entries
24 OVERALL Victories
43 Class Victories
87 Class Podiums
40 Class Fastest Race Laps
2024 Team Sahlen Campaign Partners
honeybeeBase.com, Malco Products, Porsche Beachwood, ECS Tuning, Tarett Engineering, Guard Transmission, HubstandsPRO, Maxima Racing Oil, Pagid Brakes, NGK Spark Plugs, CM Racing Products, Grassroots Motorsports Magazine, Design Engineering Inc., Forgeline Wheels, Optima Batteries, All-Fit Automotive, & Capri Tools
