presented by Malco Automotive
Team Sahlen, presented by honeybeeBase.com, continues to extend their marker of OVERALL Victories across multiple Sportsman Endurance Sports Car Series. The most recent series that Team Sahlen achieved OVERALL Victory was the NASA Team Racing Endurance Challenge event at Pitt Race. In this 4 hour event, Team Sahlen’s #943 “Mustard” Porsche Boxster sealed the victory leading the last 3 hours of the race. This was the team’s 1st time running in the series, and was able to accomplish this victory in this initial outing.
With this win, the team now has OVERALL Victories in the Tire Rack – ChampCar Endurance Series, Summit Racing – American Endurance Racing, World Racing League presented by Hagerty and the Lucky Dog Racing League powered by Hankook Tires, Grand-Am Cup and the NASA Team Racing Endurance Challenge. The grand total of OVERALL Victories in these series tallies 63. Reflecting on Team Sahlen’s 137 total victories, this places the rate of then securing an OVERALL Victory at 46% of the time.
Founded in 1984, Team Sahlen initially entered the world of Endurance Sports Car Racing in 1984, competing in the SCCA Escort Endurance Challenge Series racing a VW Rabbit GTI. The team continued through the year, then competing within the IMSA Firestone Firehawk Endurance Series. The team had many successes in those years, but never competing in the top class that would contend for an OVERALL Victory. This all changed in 2000, when the team stepped up to race a Chevrolet Corvette. Then in 2001, the team had their break through OVERALL Victory at the Grand-Am Cup Endurance Event at Phoenix International Raceway. Over the next several years the team would add 7 more OVERALL Victories in the Grand-Am Cup, racing Porsche 911 racers.
The team stepped up to the Grand-American ROLEX series, contesting the GT class, then moving up to the Prototype class in 2013. A very near OVERALL Victory occurred at the 2013 season at Road America. Pole Position, Fastest Race Lap and leading the race until a minor drivetrain issue denied the team at the very elusive OVERALL Victory in the top level of Endurance Sports Car Racing.
The team entered several additional Endurance Sports Car Series in the following years. And in But 2016 the team secured their 1st OVERALL Victory in the Tire Rack – ChampCar Endurance Series at Gingerman Raceway. In that event the team raced their Mazda RX7 to victory. Since that time, the team has switched from their trio of Rotary Rockets to a trio of Porsche Boxsters. Last season the team became the all time leader in OVERALL Victories in the series. And at the recent event at Watkins Glen, the team extended that marker to 29 wins.
Joe Nonnamaker remembers that 1st victory – “Racing our Mazda RX7 was super fun back then. The competition at Gingerman was just as tough as it is today. We had worked for so many years to win in the series, to finally get that OVERALL Victory was really great.”
Within the Summit Racing – American Endurance Racing, the team made their 1st foray into the series at the 2015 season finale at Mid-Ohio. In that event the team was able to secure Overall Victory with their Porsche Cayman. Over the next several years the team would campaign a total of 4 Porsche Caymans and an Audi R8 GT3 Ultra in the series. At present, the team is the all time leader in OVERALL Victories in the series with 21.
Joe Sahlen shared his thoughts on racing the Audi – “That R8 was so amazing to drive. It was almost like getting back behind the wheel of a Daytona Prototype. I have some very fond memories with that car. But the most memorable was when I was behind the wheel at Watkins Glen in damp conditions when we were successful in 4 lap shoutout for the OVERALL Victory.”
The team’s foray into the World Racing League has been brief but successful. In 3 weekends of competing, the team has secured 3 OVERALL Victories. Amazingly, the OVERALL Victories have been accomplished competing in 3 different classes in the series – GTO, GP1 and GP2. The team is singular in this achievement.
Will Nonnamaker remembers competing in the World Racing League – “Both times we won at Mid-Ohio in our Porsche Cayman, we had to race against the very fast Elan Mazda Prototype. Through consistent pace, quick pit stops and excellent strategy, we persevered both times for the OVERALL Victory.”
Last season the team made their debut in the Lucky Dog Racing League powered by Hankook Tires. In this event at Pitt Race, the team was able to secure the OVERALL Victory in the 8 hour enduro.
Beyond achieving the marker of OVERALL Victories in 6 series, has also been able to continue to secure series championships, having won last year’s Tire Rack – ChampCar Midwest Championship. This result saw the team’ championship tally reach 12 Driver, 8 Team and 12 Manufacturer crowns.
And since being established in 1984, the team has tallied 1145 entries, raced 64 cars from 8 different manufacturers with 161 drivers. And the team has been able to achieve 137 total wins, 346 podiums, 56 Pole Positions and 109 Fastest Race Laps.
2025 Team Sahlen Campaign Partners:
honeybeeBase.com, Malco Products, Porsche Beachwood, Discovery Parts, ECS Tuning, Tarett Engineering, Guard Transmission, HubstandsPRO, Maxima Racing Oil, Pagid Brakes, NGK Spark Plugs, CM Racing Products, Grassroots Motorsports Magazine, Design Engineering Inc., OMP Racing, Bell Racing, Forgeline Wheels, Optima Batteries, All-Fit Automotive, Capri Tools, Fabspeed Motorsport, Eibach & Valco Cincinnati with Big Wrench Racing
