Eddie Nakato Takes Third Place in T3 - Henrichot Fifth

SONOMA, Calif. (Oct. 21, 2018) -- Race drivers are trained to keep their eyes “up,” always looking ahead down the track. But Marshall Mast, of Narvon, Pennsylvania, admittedly spent nearly 75 percent of the Touring 3 (T3) race focused on rearview mirrors as he made his way to victory and his first Sports Car Club of America® National Championship during the 2018 Runoffs at Sonoma Raceway in California.

Mast, who is also a semi-truck driver for the Phoenix Performance race team, qualified on pole and moved to the lead Sunday morning in his No. 31 Phoenix/Hoosier/Hawk/Ford Ford Mustang GT.  Mark Drennan, in the No. 10 TFB Performance/WRR BMW SpecE46, fell in behind Mast, and the No. 1 Fiesta Auto Group/Hoosier/G-Loc Nissan 350Z of Derek Kulach secured third.

“I just gave it my all,” Mast said bout his 20-lap race on the 12-turn, 2.52-mile circuit.  “That was awesome.  That was crazy. It’s surreal right now.”

Drennan, who won the Runoffs Spec Miata race Saturday, claimed the runner-up T3 spot.

While Mast and Drennan were sorting out first and second, a great battle for the final T3 podium spot developed behind them. Kulach had been caught by Olivier Henrichot in the No. 77 Rhom Innovations/Hard Motorsports BMW SpecE46. But Henrichot faded and was passed by Eddie Nakato in the No. 28 AR Auto Service/Adrenaline Racing BMW SpecE46 racecar. He then got by Kulach as the two worked through traffic in the waning laps to earn his first-ever Runoffs podium appearance.

“It was a bit of a longshot for us. We knew we didn’t have the outright pace to be out front,” Nakato said. “The key was to stay clean and stay in the race, and it did pay off.”

Kulach was able to bring his car home in fourth, and Henrichot was fifth.

The Sunoco Hard Charger award went to William Hendrix, in the No. 101 Aponte Rios Racing Nissan 350Z, who started 14th and finished in the 10th position.

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