The SRO Motorsports America prize-giving ceremony took place at the JW Marriot in downtown Indianapolis following the fourth running of the Indianapolis 8-Hour presented by AWS, which marked the end of the 2023 race season.
The event conjoined all five SRO America race series in celebration, including the Fanatec GT World Challenge America, GT America powered by AWS, Pirelli GT4 America, TC America powered by AWS and Toyota GR Cup North America. The room lit up in red and surrounded guests with championship-winning race cars from various series while the familiar voices of Ryan Myrhen and Amanda Busik hosted the evening festivities. Champagne toasts cascaded table to table while team and drivers were crowned.
Garrett Powers Through to Championship Win
Colin Garrett ended the season with two podium finishes for a total of seven podium finishes, but most impressive was the string of four wins he put together in the latter half of the season to power past runner-up Lucas Catania. Catania had kept Garrett honest, sharing nearly every podium appearance. The Rookie of the Year Maddie Aust was also a valiant challenger with her five podium appearances. Garret and his No. 21 Rooster Hall Racing BMW M2 CS Cup brought Rooster Hall Racing its title of TCX Team Champion. His mastery of Touring Car racing also gave BMW the TCX Manufacturer Champion.
TCX DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP
- Champion: Colin Garrett
- Runner-Up: Lucas Catania
- Vice Runner-Up: Maddie Aust
TCX TEAM CHAMPION
- Rooster Hall Racing
TCX MANUFACTURER CHAMPION
- BMW
Williams, MINI JCW Take Team and Driver Honors, Hyundai Celebrates Manufacturer Win
Clay Williams in the No. 60 MINIJCW Mini JCW Pro TC was crowned champion, surviving rough racing in the final round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Williams had equal wins and podium finishes with five apiece, respectively. Williams' toughest competition of the season, Jeff Ricca, won the penultimate race of the year, but the points grab wasn’t enough to surpass Williams. However, Ricca did aid his team GenRacer/Ricca Autosport to become the TC Team Champions as well as boost Hyundai to become the TC Manufacturer Champion. Celso Neto rose to third in the points standings by the end of the season, taking top honors in Race Two at Indianapolis he finished the year with nine podium appearances.
TC DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP
- Champion: Clay Williams
- Runner-Up: Jeff Ricca
- Vice Runner-Up: Celso Neto
TC TEAM CHAMPION
- GenRacer/ Ricca Autosport
TC MANUFACTURER CHAMPION
- Hyundai
Bucknum Bests Anderson for Driver Title, TechSport Top Team as Honda Secures Manufacturer Win
Spencer Bucknum in the No. 5 LA Honda World Honda Civic Si is the 2023 TCA Driver Champion. He walked into the Indianapolis 8-Hour weekend a mere three points ahead of Runner-Up Devin Anderson. Fancy footwork kept Anderson just far enough behind on track to give Bucknum the title. William Lambros would finish the season third in the championship fight. Anderson and teammate Shaoyi Che, who finished fourth in the championship, brought TechSport one of its Team Championship titles for the night. The other being in the Toyota GR Cup Championship. Bucknum’s consistent podium appearances gave Honda the TCA Manufacturer Championship.
TCA DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP
- Champion: Spencer Bucknum
- Runner-Up: Devin Anderson
- Vice Runner-Up: William Lambros
TCA TEAM CHAMPION
- TechSport
TCA MANUFACTURER CHAMPION
- Honda
In addition to the night’s festivities, Rookie of the Year, CrowdStrike Fast Lap Champions, Crew of the Year and non-competition awards were bestowed to individuals in the SRO America paddock with exemplary performance. The winners showcased the true spirit of racing and innovation of SRO Motorsports champions.
Special Award Mentions
CREW OF THE YEAR
- TCA Class: Skip Barber
- TC Class: Mini JCW
- TCX Class: Fast Track Racing
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
- Maddie Aust
CROWDSTRIKE FAST LAP CHAMPIONS
- Dai Yoshihara
JEROME ZIMMERMAN AWARD
- Kevin Conway
JIM COOK AWARD
- Ash Vandelay
MIKE PASQUALE AWARD
- Jim and Priscilla Ohanesian
OPERATION MOTORSPORT’S T.I.P AWARD
- SRO Race Control
With the season officially checkered flagged for 2023, all eyes are on 2024 where SRO America will kick off the season at Sonoma Raceway on April 5th – 7th and make trips to best circuits in North America including a return to Barber Motorsports Park.