Sonoma, Calif. – The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) has set the grids for Saturday and Sunday’s NASA Championships running at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this weekend.

The 400 participants competing for the title of NASA Champion have been practicing and running qualifying races at the 2.2-mile 13-turn undulating road course located 50-minutes north of Columbus, Ohio. The entry list is headed by 36 Spec Miata racers, 33 Honda Challenge competitors and 22 Spec E30 BMW cars, highlighting just three of the 36 classes that will take to the track this week.

The fastest lap of the weekend, so far, was turned by Team Arizona’s Tage Evanson in the No. 102 Radical SR8, a time of 1:22.399.

NASA Championship Friday Qualifying Race/Time Trial Winners:

Group A:
American Iron, Dean Martin, Westland, Mich., No. 50 Ford Mustang
American Iron Xtreme, Chris Griswold, Helenville, Wis., No. 71 Ford Mustang
STR One, Scott Wellham, Louisville, Ky., No. 61 Dodge Viper
STR Two, Geffrey Sawtelle, Neshkoro, Wis., No. 222 Chevrolet Corvette

Group B:
Honda Challenge One, Jason Kohler, Waterford, Mich., No. 848 Honda S2000
Honda Challenge Two, Jeremy Croiset, Tehachapi, Calif., No. 25 Honda CRX

Group C:
Factory Five Racing, Paul Arnold, Franklin, Tenn., No. 5 Factory Five Racing
Camaro Mustang Challenge, Cody Powell, Castle Rock, Colo., No. 22 Chevrolet Camaro
Nissan Z, David Dirks, Love Land, Colo., No. 76 Nissan 350Z

Group D:
944Spec, Eric Kuhns, Sterling, ILL, No. 80 Porsche 944
SpecE30, Jeremy Lucas, Delaware, OH, No. 53 BMW 325
Spec986, Thomas Jones, Frisco, Tex., No. 40 Porsche 986

Group E:
Spec Miata, Yiannis Tsiounis, New York, NY, No. 69 Mazda Miata

Group F Time Trial:
TTB, Dominic Cervi, Galloway, OH, No. 315 Nissan 350Z
TTC, Daniel Walters, Savannah, Ga.,No. 137 Honda S2000
TTD, Mark Domo, Broadview Heights, OH, No. 269 Mazda RX8
TTE, Mark Feemal, Silver Lake, OH, No. 091 Mazda Miata

Group G:
GTS1, Neal Agran, Chicago, ILL., No. 84X Porsche 944
GTS 2, Brad Waite, Columbus, OH, No. 73 Porsche 944
GTS 3, Joshua Smith, Allentown, Pa., No. 148 BMW M3
GTS 4, Randy Mueller, Miami, Fla., No. 0 BMW M3

Group H Time Trial:
TTA, Morris Morgan, Huntersville, NC., No. 03 Chevrolet Corvette
TTR, Tage Evanson, Scottsdale, Ariz., No. 102 Radical SR8
TTS, James Forbis, Mason, OH, No. 69 Chevrolet Corvette
TTU, Terry Free, Santa Ana, Calif., No. 548 Chevrolet Corvette

Group I:
PTA, Rory Alsberg, Fremont, Wis., No. 53, Chevrolet Camaro
Super Unlimited, Ralph Provitz, Macomb, Mich., No. 08 Stauda S08

Group J:
PTB, Kevin LeClair, Dublin, OH, No. 35 Acura TL
PTC, Emilio Cervantes, Lake Forest, Calif., No. 49 Mazda Miata
PTD, Joshua Allan, La Verne, Calif., No. 27X Mazda MX-5
PTE, Eric Waddell, Logan, OH, No. 13X Honda Civic
PTF, Walter Carlos, Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., No. 81 Mazda RX7

Winning the first qualifying race of the day was Chris Griswold (Helenville, Wis.). He drove his No. 71 Ford Mustang to an easy victory in the American Iron Xtreme Class. “My qualifying race went pretty smooth. I was using up some old tires, so it got a little slippery at the end. The car held together really well. I wasn’t sure I was going to get through the full AI field, but Dean (Martin) waved me bye. I will put a new set of tires on for tomorrow and a new set of brake pads and see what happens.”

Dean Martin (Westland, Mich.), No. 50 Ford Mustang was out breaking in tires in American Iron until the racer in him came out. “It was supposed to be a tire break in session, but in typical racer fashion I got carried away. The tires were good. They are brand new Toyos. I thought we would have to get a few heat cycles in them before they started working. I started to get after it and they came to me. They were nice and consistent. I backed it down at the end as these are my race tires for tomorrow. I picked up a slight vibration at the end, so we will get that fixed for tomorrow.”

In Super Touring 2, Geffrey Sawtelle (Neshkoro, Wis.) drove his No. 222 Chevrolet Corvette to the qualifying race win2. “My race was fantastic. The CSI Performance, Hoosier Tire, Font Racing Products Corvette performed to all expectations. The best race I have ever had in my life. Strategy for tomorrow is to get into the lead and keep it.”

In Spec Miata, Yiannis Tsiounis (New York, NY) drove his No. 69 Mazda Miata to the win in the biggest class of the day. “It was a great run today. I had a good race with Justin (Hille No. 48) we were swapping the lead all race. It is as good as it gets. My strategy for tomorrow is to start first, checkout, and don’t let them catch me.”

Honda Challenge 1 saw Jason Kohler, Waterford, Mich., drive his No. 848 Honda S2000 the qualifying race win today. “It went pretty well. We had to start in the back. I had fresh tires so that helped me to make my way to the front. John (Oldt, No. 75) and I had a great race. We’re ready for tomorrow.”

Jeremy Lucas, Delaware, OH, drove his No. 53 BMW 325 to the SpecE30 qualifier win. “I had a good and start and was able to lead. I had Anthony (Magagnoli, No. 007) and Cameron (Bullard, No. 131) my buds from the Great Lakes Region behind me so it was like another regional race. The three of us were fighting it out. My plan for tomorrow is to get another good start and stay upfront where I don’t have to worry about traffic or the mid incidents. Just try to run clean and consistent to the end.”

GTS4 started under yellow due to a heavy downpour. Twenty-minutes later the green dropped and Randy Mueller (Miami, Flor.) drove his BMW M3 to a rain win in his heat race. “The wait for the race to start was really anxious. We were wondering whether to go with a wet or dry set-up. This happened last year too. We went with a full wet set-up and it worked well. It is a gamble for tomorrow. The weather will be the major factor.”

Competitors and family members at home can keep up with all the NASA National Championship presented by Toyo Tires action from Mid-Ohio by going to the Nationals web page at http://www.nasaproracing.com/liveresults/champs.

The complete NASA Nationals schedule can be viewed at http://www.nasaproracing.com/nationals/ChampionshipSchedule_2012_V1.9.pdf.

Fans can watch all the action from their computer by logging onto the webcast located at www.speedcasttv.com/nasa.

For additional information, please contact NASA Championships Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468. More detail can be found at www.nasaproracing.com or www.nasachampionships.com.

To qualify for the NASA National Championships presented by Toyo Tires, NASA competitors must compete in and score points in five regional races around the country. The 2012 National Championship presented by Toyo Tires weekend will feature over 400 competitors racing for the NASA National Champion trophy in 33 racing classes and nine Time Trial divisions around the famed Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.