2022 NASA Championships

Race Report: Palomar Racing Wins E2 in NASA WERC Seaside Cup 6.5h, Podium in E1

Race Report: Palomar Racing Wins E2 in NASA WERC Seaside Cup 6.5h, Podium in E1

Monterey, CA | September 19th, 2022

After the 2022 NASA Championships, the turnaround time was less than 24 hours before Palomar Racing’s next race.

On the Monday following NASA Championships, it was Round 5 of 6 for NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship; the 6.5 hour Seaside Cup at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Palomar Racing would enter the #24 BMW E36 into E2 with the #25 BMW E36 entered in E1. They entered the event as E2 points leaders with the E1 entry aimed at its own class victory.

The #24 driver team was Sonny Watanasirisuk, Lucas Weisenberg, and Matt Million to finish. The #25 team would be run as Matt Million, Ryan Keeley, and Sonny Watanasirisuk to finish. A late alteration in driver lineups meant Matt and Sonny would be pulling ‘double duty’.

Million qualified the #24 on class pole in E2 from 6 entries, while Keeley qualified the #25 in 5th from 8 entries in E1. Million swapped over to start the #25 for the opening two stints while Watanasirisuk started in the #24.

Million would remain in the car for three hours as numerous factors helped increase the stint lengths. The #25 was forced to pit at the green flag for a tire pressure issue and rejoined a lap down. In the midst of regaining the lap, a mechanical black was called on #25 for an apparent hood issue. Again, as Million was tasked to regain his laps by driving a strong pace, he was mechanical black flagged for a noise-related issue. The team worked swiftly to retrofit a quieter exhaust suppressant during the first fuel stop, but Million had already lost about 4 laps to the leader. Thankfully, the string of bad luck ended for #25 and the second fuel stint saw Million run a strong pace gaining one lap back on the leader. In the process, Million set the best race lap of E1 with a 1:38:5.

Ryan Keeley entered the car near the halfway mark and delivered two consistent stints thereafter. Sonny Watanasirisuk took the car to the finish for the final hour. While the #61 EVOQ Motorsport E36 entry remained three laps ahead, the #25 entered a battle with the #712 Jirafa E36 entry for the podium position. A late incident for #37 EDGE E36 entry meant that the #25 would settle into 3rd and eventually take the checkered flag.

For the #24, the race was a much smoother story. Watanasirisuk ran within the top three for his opening two stints which remained drama-free. Mechanical issues with both the #72 Moorewood E46 and #615 Mashore E46 entries in the opening three hours helped the #24 ensure a healthy lead over its nearest competition in E2. Palomar Racing performed stellar pit stops throughout the race as well as clean driver swaps between Watanasirisuk, Weisenberg, and Million. This eventually opened their lead to over three laps ahead of the #80 SRC and #28 HQ Autosport entries. Weisenberg performed another clean two stints and handed off to Million for the final hour.

Spotting the #25 ahead with thirty minutes remaining, Million and team decided to stage a side-by-side photo finish with both cars. They remained together until 5pm when they crossed the line to win the E2 class and finished 3rd in the E1 class.

The E2 victory keeps Palomar Racing well ahead in the championship finale at Buttonwillow in October. While Million and Watanasirisuk have won previously for the team, it is Weisenberg’s first endurance win for Palomar Racing. As for the E1 entry, it is unclear if the team will continue with the car in this class or move the entry to a second E2 car in preparation for the 25 Hours of Thunderhill in December.

Million’s next race will be at Buttonwillow Raceway for NASA SoCal ST5 and NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship on October 8-9th. Priority will be on Round 6 of 6 in the NASA WERC season, a 4.5 hour race into the darkness. Palomar Racing enters the event with a healthy lead in E2 and hopes to secure their first title there.

Look for Matt Million’s ‘September Update’ to be published by the end of this month. Visit ‘Photos’ to view more pictures from the event.

Race Report: Million Becomes 2022 NASA ST5 National Champion

Race Report: Million Becomes 2022 NASA ST5 National Champion

Monterey, CA | September 15-18th, 2022

In his third straight race weekend of September, Million was ready for the first of two major events on his 2022 calendar; the NASA Championships at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Palomar Racing prepared for their first national championship weekend in a big way. After a successful weekend in the US Touring Car Championship, the team stayed at the circuit and prepared the #24 BMW E36 for Matt Million to contest ST5 (Super Touring 5) and the #25 BMW E36 for Nik Romano to compete for ST4 honors.

The NASA Championships returned to the West Coast for the first time since 2017, the same event that Million competed in his last NASA Championships when he took 3rd in Spec Miata.

Starting on Thursday, Million and team started off on the right foot. Testing was successful, ultimately ending the day with minor setup changes and a reliable car.

Friday was qualifying day. Million put in the best lap of morning warm-up to set him 1st on the grid of 5 entries for qualifying session one. The series and competitors suffered paperwork complications resulting in 4 of the 5 entries being unable to set their official qualifying time in the first session. This forced Million to run the first session, set his spot for the second qualifier, and go for his best lap in that session. He succeeded; a lap of 1:39:7 put him on pole by multiple tenths over the #8 Honda S2000 of Tommy Lo and #72x BMW E46 of Larry Moore.

Saturday was the qualifying race for each race group in attendance. At around 1pm, the ST5 class was on track for their 35-minute race. They would be on track together with Spec Z, Legends, Honda Challenge 2 & 4, and Super Touring 6. Million delivered a strong jump on the 5-car class and fought off an early challenge from the #8 entry. The race ran entirely green and developed into a short endurance race with ST5 making their way through the numerous slower classes beginning at around lap four. Million closed the race with a 25-second lead over 2nd, a gap which expanded 20 seconds in traffic. “It really did feel like an endurance race at a sprint pace! Very cool to deliver the Saturday win for Palomar Racing and can’t say enough about the consistency we’ve shown. Pulling away and clicking off laps through traffic at a 90% pace was truly a lot of fun. Looking forward to the championship race tomorrow!” Million set the fastest class race lap of a 1:39:6.

On Sunday, rain was on the forecast throughout the day. The team prepared by sourcing a set of Hoosier rain tires however they would not get used. At the time of the ST5 championship race, the track was dry and only light sprinkles were expected. Million once again led the 5-car ST5 grid from pole, set a rapid pace to build about a 5-second gap, and found a rhythm. The 45-minute length of the race meant conservation of tires, the car, and energy was important. As the lead gradually extended and Million found himself passing traffic, a full-course yellow was displayed for a stricken car. The restart occurred with about 15 minutes remaining. With the tires now past their peak, Million could do little to defend against the Legends class vehicles and fell to 2nd overall with a few second gap ahead of the #72 BMW E46 of Moore. Eventually, the leading two Legends class cars passed both leading ST5 entries. Million was quicker in some parts of the track, but would become held up from the Corkscrew to start finish. This allowed Moore to maintain a very close gap and built an exciting finish. Though, Million remained disciplined and found a compromised pace to stay behind the quick out-of-class cars and stay ahead of the #72. Million crossed the line to become 2022 NASA ST5 National Champion, a first national championship for himself and Palomar Racing. Million set the fastest race lap of a 1:40:2.

It was an extraordinary occasion. Having set their sights on this goal since last December, Palomar Racing had achieved a major milestone with Million. The podium celebrations ensued with Million atop the podium in between both Magic Develop BMW E46 drivers of #72 Larry Moore and #73 Tony Domenici. The Magic Developed team had pushed Palomar Racing to be on their A-game for the recent months. A well admired team, Million and his crew share a lot of respect for Magic Developed and the competition they brought.

Matt Million wants to thank the entire Palomar Racing team and their partners for the utmost commitment to himself this season. He dedicates this championship to team personnel Andy, Nik, Blair, Kevin, Mike, David, Dawson, Manny, Sonny, Ryan, and others who have helped along the way. This achievement would not be possible without the backing of Palomar Solar and Roofing.

The ‘Palomar Racing 2022 Challenge’ is supported by BimmerWorld, Apex Race Parts, Red Line Synthetic Oil, PFC Brakes, Rugged Radios, AGA Tools, FastSideways, Swift Springs, Motion Control Suspension, KinematicSpeed, Enphase Energy, Toyo Tires, StopTech, Panasonic Solar US, and Frozen Rotors.

Million’s next race will be at Buttonwillow Raceway for NASA SoCal ST5 and NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship on October 8-9th. Priority will be on Round 6 of 6 in the NASA WERC season, a 4.5 hour race into the darkness. Palomar Racing enters the event with a healthy lead in E2 and hopes to secure their first title there.

Look for Matt Million’s ‘September Update’ to be published by the end of this month. Visit ‘Photos’ to view more pictures from the event.

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