(Words by by Jim McIlvaine, Photos by Kaleb Kelley) OPTIMA’s 2023 Search for the Ultimate Street Car, presented by Advance Auto Parts, began on the West coast at Thunderhill Raceway, back in early-March. Six states and seven months later, the regular season wrapped up in early-October at VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. A few class championships had been clinched prior to this event, but several others needed to sort out some math in Virginia.
While it’s not unusual for these season-long battles to come down to a single point or two, which translates into one position on the track, no class has ever ended the regular season in a tie for the championship…until this year. The Downforce Motorsports GTR class for factory-licensed replicas saw two competitors in Dan Long and Bob Spencer, running a GT40 and Cobra from Superformance.
Spencer notched a 500-point weekend early in the season at Laguna Seca and when the two squared off at Daytona, Long held a two-point edge on the weekend. With Spencer sitting at 996 points, Long would need a 499 at VIRginia to get around Spencer. While he posted that number, Long grabbed a 497, which increased his season point total to 997, resulting in the tie. The two will face off again in Las Vegas to compete for the Downforce Motorsports Class Cup at the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI), but the higher finisher between the two will also be crowned regular season champion.
If they tie again, the higher score in the Lingenfelter Design & Engineering Challenge will serve as the tie-breaker, but there’s another factor that could come into play in Las Vegas. Doug Campbell will be running a ’68 Superformance GT40, which could grab points from the other two and impact the outcome.
The other class championships were settled relatively-easily, topped by Bob Sobey’s Nissan GT-R in the GTS class, which also took home the most points on the season and grabbing the National Champion title for the regular season. The question now is if Sobey can defend his OUSCI title and repeat as the the overall champion in Las Vegas?
There are several strong contenders, including regular season class champions Ryan Mathews from GTL, Dave Schotz from Viking Performance GT, Stephen Dorrick from No-Limit Engineering GTT and Chris Smith from Classic Car Liquidators GTV, as well as competition from within the GTS class from Jordan Priestley. Although he wasn’t at VIR, expect the Geaux Moto GTC Class champion, Dayton de la Houssaye, to be a factor in Las Vegas as well.
The full field is now set for Las Vegas and while class cups will be up for grabs in Las Vegas, the big prize only goes to one car and that is the title of Ultimate Street Car. If you’re in Las Vegas in early-November for SEMA or any other reason, be sure to check it out! The livestream will also be available for those who want to watch remotely. Just add the OPTIMA Network for free on Roku.
Top Ten Overall
1. Bob Sobey 2013 Nissan GT-R GTS 495 points
2. Ryan Mathews 2002 Chevrolet Corvette GTL 490 points
3. Dave Schotz 2022 Chevrolet Camaro GT 483 points
4. Larry Woo 1968 Chevrolet Camaro GTV 481 points
5. Ron Scott 1963 Chevrolet Corvette GTV 480 points
6. Garry Walsh 2004 Chevrolet Corvette GTS 473 points
7. Pat Duncan 2003 Chevrolet Corvette GTL 468 points
8. Wayne Atkins 1985 Chevrolet Camaro GTV 464 points
9. Stephen Dorrick 2005 Nissan Frontier GTT 462 points
10. Matthew Hamson 1989 Ford Mustang GTL 443 points
Class Winners
Viking Performance GT Class (post-1989, 3,200+ pounds, 2wd sedans, 4-seater coupes, etc…)
Dave Schotz, 2022 Chevrolet Camaro
Classic Car Liquidators GTV Class (pre-1990, 3200+ pounds)
Larry Woo, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
GTS Class (post-1989, 3200+ pounds, two-seaters & awd vehicles)
Bob Sobey, 2013 Nissan GT-R
Downforce Motorsports GTV Class (factory-licensed replicas)
Dan Long 1966 Superformance GT40
GTL Class (non-compacts under 3200 pounds)
Ryan Mathews, 2002 Chevrolet Corvette
No Limit Engineering GTT Class (Trucks & SUVs over 3200 pounds)
Stephen Dorrick, 2005 Nissan Frontier
GeauxMoto GTC Class (two-wheel drive compacts, 107-inch wheelbase or less)
Ian Brown, 2005 Mini Cooper
Arrington Performance Lucky 7 Outlaw Class (relaxed aero rules, pro drivers allowed)
Justin Peachey, 2007 Chevrolet Corvette
Summit Racing Spirit of the Event Award:
David Yadon, 1984 Chevrolet Camaro
2023 OPTIMA Search for the Ultimate Street Car Schedule
Thunderhill Raceway March 3-5
NOLA Motorsports Park March 10-12
Laguna Seca May 5-7
Portland International Raceway July 21-23
Road America July 28-30
Daytona International Speedway August 11-13
VIRginia International Raceway October 6-8
OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational Las Vegas October 31- November 6
