SCCA RUNOFFS (TOPEKA) - Feller Captures Fourth-Consecutive H Production National Championship

Feller Captures Fourth-Consecutive H Production National Championship Tom Feller, of Atlanta, Ga., took his fourth-consecutive H Production National Championship at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by AT&T after a race-long battle with Brian Linn, of Hermosa Beach, Calif. Ron Bartell, of Madubry, N.H., finished third.

A light sprinkle began to fall on the H Production field as the cars made their way onto the course. When the green flag few, it was the No. 28 MG Midget of Don Barrack, of Waterloo, S.C., who zipped into the lead down the front stretch. By the exit of Turn Two, however, polesitter Feller was back in the lead, followed by Bartell and Linn.

After making quick work of Bartell's No. 4 MG Midget, Linn set to work on Feller's No. 71 Triumph Spitfire. On Lap three, the pair began an epic battle of side-by-side racing, exchanging the lead numerous times throughout the 18-lap race.

"Really, I think I only knocked off his tail light in Turn 12 once and that was unintentional," Feller said. "From my perspective, that's one of the best Production races I've ever seen between two people. It was just tooth and nail the whole time. It was great."

"On the last lap, going through eight, there was lapped traffic right on the line and [Linn] had to jig to the right. I could draft, surprisingly, and pulled to the inside. He was in the middle of the track and I drove him in deep enough into 10 and figured 'something's got to happen'"

And something did happen. As Linn led Feller into Turn Ten on the final lap, Linn got too distracted by the yellow Spitfire filling his mirrors and spun into the grass.

"I just ran out of talent," Linn said. "Tom looked inside and distracted me a little bit. I got offline a little bit and it was pretty greasy. I just looped it off and did some doughnuts in the grass before I got it going again."

Feller breezed by and continued to the checkered flag for his fourth-consecutive H Production National Championship.

"It feels really spectacular to win four in a row and to have good luck that many times," Feller said. "Every year, something's gone my way. It feels really good to be in that group of six."

Bartell finished third, followed by Loren Moore, of Springfield, Ohio, and Matthew Brannon, Columbus, Ohio. Andrew Aldred, of East Troy, Wis., was the Sunoco Hard Charger, advancing eight positions during the race.