palomar racing

Race Report: E1 Class Win in NASA Utah 6 Hour for Million & Palomar Racing

Race Report: E1 Class Win in NASA Utah 6 Hour for Million & Palomar Racing

Tooele, UT | July 29-31st, 2022

Round 4 of 6 for NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship took Palomar Racing to Utah Motorsports Campus in late July. The NASA Utah 6 Hour has become a traditional race in this endurance championship; the longest event this team has faced to date.

Palomar Racing took on the challenge to run their #25 BMW E36 in the E1 class while running the #24 BMW E36 in the E2 class marking the first two-car operation for the team. The team would also enter Matt Million and Nik Romano into the regional ST4 and ST5 sprint races as well to gain further data on the cars.

Even as a first-time entrant in the E1 class, Palomar Racing took a closely contested victory from 8 competitors in the class whilst finishing 6th of 34 overall. Nik Romano started the race fast and clean, followed similarly by Ryan Bittner, Ryan Keeley, and Matt Million to finish. The car ran within the top three for much of the race, even with an apparent fuel mileage deficit. A penalty issued by the stewards for a small fuel spill in the final stop gave #25 a substantial setback. This was eventually overturned before the end of the race as Million charged to make up time.

This marks the second consecutive NASA Utah 6 Hour win for Million after his E2 victory last year for GOneppo Racing. Bittner, Keeley, Romano and Palomar Racing all became first-time winners of the event.

In the E2 class, Million qualified the #24 on pole with a class record. The race started with Million and ran in contention during the opening stints as he handed off to Lucas Weisenberg. An unfortunate shifter failure combined with a power loss issue meant the car required service behind-the-wall. After multiple attempts to get the car back into the race, third driver Sonny Watanasirisuk was able to finish 4th from 7 in the class.

Million’s next event with the team will be September 9-11th at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for the US Touring Car Championship. The team will use this event as the warm-up for their main focus; NASA Nationals in ST4 and ST5 from September 15-18th. Million will contest the ST5 championship in the #24. Monday, September 19th will be the fifth round of NASA WERC as the team will again enter #24 in E2 and #25 in E1.

The ‘Palomar Racing E2/ST5 Challenge’ would not be possible without the following partners; Palomar Solar, Swift Springs, Motion Control Suspension, Toyo Tires, BimmerWorld, ApexRaceParts.com, FastSideways, AGA Tools, Hawk Performance, Frozen Rotors, and others.

Look for Matt Million’s ‘August Update’ to be published soon. Visit ‘Photos’ to view more pictures from the event.

Race Report: Two-Car Development at NASA Sonoma with Palomar Racing

Race Report: Two-Car Development at Sonoma NASA NorCal with Palomar Racing

Sonoma, CA | June 25-26th, 2022

The key word to describe the team’s first NASA NorCal event at Sonoma Raceway: learning!

Two weeks following their NASA WERC and NASA SoCal ST5 wins at Auto Club Speedway, Palomar Racing decided to enter this event as a data gathering exercise in multiple areas.

The first objective was completing the weekend with the freshly built #24 BMW E36 racing in Super Touring 4 (ST4). We succeeded by running the car in every session Friday through Sunday without issue. Chassis development was a key priority and we collectively made big strides toward a more consistent, stable, fast platform. Though, the car isn’t yet able to fight at the front in ST4 and will require more work.

The second objective was running the team’s established #25 BMW E36 in Super Touring 5 (ST5) in order to build the setup notebook and assess Northern California’s impressive competition. This was ultimately successful.

Million did the majority of driving and development in the #24 on Friday and raced it on Saturday in ST4. Outclassed by the strong ST4 cars in the region, Million was able to bring back a midpack result and plenty of notes on major changes. On Sunday, he and teammate Sonny Watanasirisuk swapped cars. Sunday saw Million set the weekend’s best ST5 lap and a qualifying race win while the main race resulted in a 3rd place.

Million’s next event with Palomar Racing will be Round 4 of the NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship at Utah Motorsports Campus from July 29th to August 1st. The team’s #25 will continue its hunt for an E2 class championship with the #24 contending for the E1 class win. The ‘NASA Utah 6 Hour’ will be the priority with both #24 ST4 and #25 ST5 E36’s expected for the sprint races as well.

The ‘Palomar Racing E2/ST5 Challenge’ would not be possible without the following partners; Palomar Solar, Swift Springs, Motion Control Suspension, Toyo Tires, BimmerWorld, ApexRaceParts.com, FastSideways, Hawk Performance, Frozen Rotors, Enphase, and others.

Look for Matt Million’s ‘June Update’ to be published soon. Visit ‘Photos’ to view more pictures from the event.

Double NASA ST5 Wins & NASA WERC Victory for Million at Fontana

Double NASA ST5 Wins & NASA WERC Victory for Palomar Racing’s Matt Million at Fontana in June

Fontana, CA | June 11-12th, 2022

Matt Million swept the weekend in Super Touring 5 (ST5) during the Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2022 NASA SoCal ST5 Championship at Auto Club Speedway. Million piloted the Palomar Racing #25 BMW E36 during both the Saturday and Sunday races in the 6-car ST5 field. This was the 7th and 8th win of the season between Million and teammate Romano in 12 rounds. Million and Palomar Racing now hold the ST5 track record at a 1:54:22.

On Saturday evening, the Palomar Racing squad also won the 6-car E2 class in Round 3 of NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship. Nik Romano took the opening stint of the 4-hour race in the #25 BMW E36 with Sonny Watanasirisuk taking the middle stint. Million closed the final stint to bring the team their third consecutive E2 win of the season. Million also set the best E2 lap of the race at a 1:54:9. The team finished approximately one lap ahead of second place HQ Autosport’s #28 BMW 128i. Palomar Racing finished 5th of 28 overall.

Million’s next event with the team will be June 25-26th at Sonoma Raceway for a NASA NorCal debut in Super Touring 4 (ST4) with the team’s new #24 BMW E36.

The ‘Palomar Racing E2/ST5 Challenge’ would not be possible without the following partners; Palomar Solar, Swift Springs, Motion Control Suspension, Toyo Tires, BimmerWorld, ApexRaceParts.com, FastSideways, Hawk Performance, Frozen Rotors, Enphase, and others.

Look for Matt Million’s ‘June Update’ to be published soon. Visit ‘Photos’ to view more pictures from the event.

Million Wins NASA SoCal ST5 Rd.10 at Willow Springs

Million, Palomar Racing Win NASA SoCal ST5 Rd.10 at Willow Springs

Rosamond, CA | May 22nd, 2022

Palomar Racing driver Matt Million took the qualifying race and main race win in the Super Touring 5 (ST5) category during the Round 10 of the 2022 NASA SoCal ST5 Championship at Willow Springs. The 30-minute race ran on Sunday, May 22nd while a 20-minute qualifying race preceded in the morning. Million’s teammate Nik Romano took a commanding ST5 win as well in the #25 BMW E36 during the Saturday race one day prior. This was the 6th win of the season between Million and Romano in 10 rounds.

Million started the Sunday qualifying race on ST5 pole from six entries courtesy of Romano’s Saturday win. The 20-minute race was frantic as the ST5 class started directly behind the large ST4 field, with Million and others battling through the ST4 competitors. Million quickly regained his lead after a brief stint in second and built up a gap. A full-course yellow was deployed for a stalled car and a busy restart ensued. Million maintained the lead and would start pole for the main race

The 30-minute main race took place at 4:00pm local with high winds. Million took an early lead and rapidly passed 4-5 ST4 class cars ahead. Soon, a small electrical malfunction with the ABS unit caused the pace to temporary drop and Million fell to second. After remedying the issue, Million regained ABS performance and quickly regained the ST5 lead. Swift moves in passing two more ST4 cars built the gap Million needed to bring home the win.

Million’s next event with the team will be June 11-12th at Auto Club Speedway for the next rounds of NASA SoCal ST5 as well as the 3rd round of NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship. The 4-hour endurance race is scheduled for the evening of June 11th.

The ‘Palomar Racing E2/ST5 Challenge’ would not be possible without the following partners; Palomar Solar, Swift Springs, Motion Control Suspension, Toyo Tires, BimmerWorld, ApexRaceParts.com, FastSideways, Hawk Performance, Frozen Rotors, Enphase, and others.

Look for Matt Million’s ‘June Update’ to be published soon.

Million Wins NASA SoCal ST5 Rd.7 at Buttonwillow, New Track Record

Million, Palomar Racing Win NASA ST5 at Buttonwillow

BUTTONWILLOW, CA | 16 April 2022

Palomar Racing driver Matt Million took a commanding win in the Super Touring 5 (ST5) category during the Round 7 of the 2022 NASA SoCal ST5 Championship at Buttonwillow Raceway. The 25-minute race ran on Saturday, April 16th. This was the 4th win of the season between Million and teammate Romano in 7 rounds.

Million qualified on pole in the class of six entries. Setting a time of 1:57:5, Million felt this was about where the pace was. “There was four tenths left had I hit my mark better over Bus Stop and gotten a better run onto the main straight to start the lap. Still a new benchmark for this class and car!”

Million led from flag-to-flag in the race ultimately opening up a gap of over ten seconds. In the process, a new ST5 track record was set at a 1:58:1. “I’m pleased with how consistent the #25 felt compared to qualifying. Usually when the sun comes out here, you loose over a second in lap time. Straightforward race. When I saw the #88 Bittneracing entry line up alongside with brand-new tires, I knew I had to put on a show and end any chance he thought was possible! I love Buttonwillow and every lap was flowing. The ‘oops’ moment came when the team told me to back down the pace slightly around halfway. I lost my flow for a moment and hooked a kerb wrong, ultimately bending the left-rear rim. So happy it was good until the finish but a heart-stopping moment! Small lesson to learn from the weekend in pace management. Thank you Palomar Racing crew in Andy, Mike, Blair, David, Nik, and others who make this 2022 E2/ST5 Challenge possible!”

“Excellent day today! Each time we come together as a team, it’s massive leaps forward. Hard to believe we’ve been together for only a few months and seeing the progress we’re making. We have to show up and perform at the highest level possible in order to locate the weak points in the program. Everything needs to be clinical if the Palomar Racing wants to win the NASA Nationals in September. Today was a forward step for the small things; communication, trust, routine. The car was fantastic and I could usually make it do what I wanted, when I wanted. It’s very front biased currently and we’re working to shift it rearward slightly. The Motion Control Suspension package combined with our Swift Springs gave me the confidence over kerbs I needed to push a high pace around here. It’s a pleasure to be racing for Palomar Racing, our ceiling can be pushed far higher!

Look for Matt Million’s ‘April Update’ to be published soon.

Million, Palomar Racing Win NASA WERC Rd.2 at Auto Club Speedway

Million, Palomar Racing Win NASA WERC Rd.2 at Auto Club Speedway

FONTANA, CA | 27 March 2022

Palomar Racing, with drivers Matt Million and Nik Romano, win the E2 category during the second round of 2022 NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship at Auto Club Speedway. The three hour race ran from 4:00PM to 7:00PM on Saturday, March 27th. The #25 Palomar Racing BMW E36 finished 1st of 6 in E2 and 13th of 39 overall. The team also won the NASA SoCal ST5 sprint race on Saturday with Million and finished second on Sunday with Romano.

Drivers Million and Romano delivered the second consecutive endurance win for the group’s #25 BMW E36 ST5/E2 car after winning the season opener at Willow Springs last month. Romano started the race from pole position in the E2 class and led for a majority of his fuel-stretching stint. Million took over past half distance during the only scheduled fuel stop and brought the car to the finish in 1st saving fuel during the stint to guarantee a one-stop strategy. The race ended 20 minutes early under full-course yellow conditions due to the event’s ambulance needing to deliver a spectator to a local hospital.

Palomar Racing completed 72 laps impressively only one lap behind the E1 class winner and ahead of the remaining nine E1 entries. The team faced E2 competition from HQ Autosport, Team SRC, and Technik Competition throughout the weekend. While many in E2 faced troubles, Palomar Racing ran mostly issue-free with no mechanical problems, no penalties, and a rapid pit stop under one minute.

“This was a team earned victory tonight! Nik carried out a beautiful first stint doing exactly what was needed to remain in P1 while not overly burning fuel and keeping the tires underneath him. We needed to push him as long as possible on fuel to make a one-stop strategy work. With the help of a couple early full-course yellows, we were easily able to hit our fuel targets and I took over with a little over one hour remaining. I decided to continue saving heaps of fuel, knowing we had a sizeable lead, to guarantee our strategy. In the end it worked! But I am left wanting more as my transition from fuel saving to maximum push at the end was cut short by the extended full-course yellow to finish.

But again, while Nik and I did our jobs, this was a Palomar Racing crew earned win. The car was running an entirely new suspension package with Motion Control Suspension dampers and Swift Springs to give us the mechanical grip we lacked. It made a tremendous drivability improvement combined the S52 powerplant and adjusted aerodynamics. We had no major mechanical hiccups the entire weekend, our strategy was top-notch in order to secure a win, and our pit stop was the cleanest and fastest ever performed at just under one minute for fuel and driver swap. Majors credits to Andy, Mike, Kevin, Blair, David, Dawson, and the rest of Palomar Racing whose practicality, positively, and work ethic to continue Palomar Racing’s competitive edge is absolutely awesome. We will be extremely well prepared for the rest of this season, the NASA Nationals, and NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill. I cannot wait. It is an honor to perform as a Palomar Racing core driver alongside Nik this year.

- Matt Million

Look for Matt Million’s ‘March Update’ to be published soon.

Million, Palomar Racing Win NASA WERC Season Opener in E2

Million, Palomar Racing Win NASA WERC Season Opener in E2 at Willow Springs with Double ST5 Wins

ROSAMOND, CA | 12 February 2022

Palomar Racing take 1st place in the E2 category during the season-opening 2022 NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship round at Willow Springs International Raceway. The 3.5 hour event ran from sunset to night on Saturday, February 12th. The team finished 1st of 6 in E2 and 6th of 25 overall. The team also won both NASA SoCal ST5 sprint races at the weekend.

Team drivers Matt Million and Nik Romano delivered the first endurance win for the group’s #25 BMW E36 ST5/E2 on debut. Romano started the race from pole position in the E2 class at 4:30 PM local time. Million took over at dusk during the first scheduled fuel stop just before halfway and took the finish.

While the challenge of making Palomar Racing’s NASA WERC debut was difficult enough, they faced a fierce battle from the veteran #72 MooreWood Creative BMW E46 squad during the race and ultimately finished on the same lap (118). An alternative tire change strategy put Palomar Racing a lap behind MooreWood Creative during part of the second half until a late unscheduled stop swung the race in favor of the #25 Palomar Racing entry.

“This is incredible. We showed up this weekend with almost a brand new car from the one we’ve been testing. Lots of new components had to get fitted in an extremely tight window to this race. If we ended the weekend within touching distance of the excellent MooreWood Creative team, it would’ve been mission accomplished for February. What actually happened was extraordinary. The combination of strong pace and fuel management between Nik (Romano) and I, a quicker and more reliable car than expected, well practiced pit stop procedures, crew excitement, and overall crew excitement for this debut put us in a position to capitalize on any faults from the competition. The stress of building this car/program from scratch in January has become raw potential. A serious and genuine thank you to Andy Anderson, Mike Anderson, Kevin Desirello, Blair Geil and the rest of Palomar Racing who saw the value of bringing me into their program. You should all be immensely proud and I’m eager to help push this program to new heights in NASA WERC, NASA ST5, NASA Championships, and the 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

- Matt Million

Look for Matt Million’s ‘February Update’ to be published before the end of this month.

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