Rookie Dylan Olsen Takes Surprise American Sedan Victory

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Dylan Olsen, of Kelso, Washington, won his first SCCA National Championship Runoffs title in his first attempt, taking advantage when several American Sedan favorites who hit trouble during the 20-lap shootout at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. 
After defending American Sedan Champion John Heinricy, of Clarkston, Michigan, blew an engine early in the race, promoting Olsen to third, it appeared his No. 13 Shock Shop/Correct Car SUV/Nutter Ford Mustang would be fighting for second with Aaron Bailey, of Shasta Lake, California, for the duration of the race. After all, Tire Rack polesitter Andy McDermid had already amassed a lead of nearly 10 seconds.
 
“Aaron’s car had a better setup,” Olsen said. “He had better speed through the corner and was able to get away from me. I had a lot for him under braking. He knew it and he was doing basic maneuvers to stop me from passing him. I tried the best I could to avoid it, but there was nothing I could do about it.”
 
Olsen and Bailey were in for quite a surprise, however, when McDermid showed signs of trouble. A fractured brake rotor on his No. 24 WeatherTech/Felice Perf Eng/T&A Shocks Ford Mustang was slowing McDermid more and more as the race wore on. Running second, Bailey immediately tried to take advantage of McDermid’s ailing car and made a move in Turn Two. He slid wide, which allowed Olsen to sneak through into second.
 
“Both Aaron and I were trying to make up ground and get where we needed to be,” Olsen recalled. “It was probably four laps before the end when that incident happened. That left me to run down Andy. I noticed there was something wrong with Andy’s car. He was doing a very good job driving it, but it still gave me the opportunity to get by and that’s what I did.”
 
The white flag came out and Olsen knew it was go time. He looked inside of McDermid in Turn Two, held his line and pulled away with the lead. In his rookie Runoff appearance, the 23-year-old took the American Sedan victory by 2.029 seconds, averaging 78.842 mph.
 
Try as he might to hold onto second, McDermid could not stop a last corner attack from Bill Baten’s No. 8 Van Winkle Baten/Marks ADR/Hoosier Chevrolet Camaro. Baten stuck his car inside of McDermid and claimed the runner-up spot. The move earned Baten the Go Pro Hero Move of the Race. Baten’s run from sixth to second also earned him the Sunoco Hard Charger Award.
 
“I was trying to track down Dylan first off for position,” Baten said. “I was keeping my nose to the grindstone and gaining some ground. Then my crew chief came on and said Andy was having some trouble and the pack was catching him, so I bore down even more. I was able get close enough on the last turn of the last lap which was incredible.
 
“This means so much to me. I’ve had so much bad luck at the Runoffs. I’ve totaled cars. I’ve broke on the last lap when I’m second or third. So, I really appreciate what it takes to get to the podium. There are so many great drivers and especially in my first year with American Sedan I’m very proud to be here.
 
After leading for 19 of 20 laps, finishing third was a bitter disappointment for McDermid, who was one lap away from his seventh American Sedan championship.
 
“We had a left front brake rotor fracture on lap four of the race, so I ran the rest of the race with three-wheel brakes,” McDermid said. “I knew they were going to track me down, but my car handles so well it’s crazy.
 
“The game plan when someone is catching you is to be as wide as possible without getting thrown out. When you’ve got a wounded car, you’ve got to get going as hard as you can and hope they don’t get to you, because when they do it’s easy pickings.
 
“It’s a testament to Felice Performance Engines, T&A Shocks and all the help from WeatherTech to how great the car was, that I was able to drive the thing. If it was one less lap, we would have been golden.”
 
Bailey, of Shasta Lake, California, recovered from his misstep in Turn Two to finish fourth. Amy Aquilante, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, completed the top five.
 
The 51st SCCA National Championship Runoffs®, The Pinnacle of American Motorsports, will crown Sports Car Club of America’s Club Racing National Champions at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Friday, October 10 through Sunday, October 12.
 
The live broadcast of all 27 National Championship races is available live at SCCA.com, along with live timing and notes. Each race will be on demand at a later date on SpeedcastTV.com.
Adam Sinclair
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