Sold-Out GRIDLIFE Midwest Festival Delivers Championship Drama at GingerMan Raceway
South Haven, MI – GRIDLIFE's biggest event of the season lived up to its billing, as a sold-out crowd packed GingerMan Raceway for a weekend of road racing, drifting, live music, and festival atmosphere. The largest spectator turnout ever for a full GRIDLIFE weekend watched championship battles tighten across nearly every category, while changing conditions - including gusty winds and a wet Sunday morning - kept competitors on their toes throughout the weekend.
Dewey Continues Historic TrackBattle Run
GRIDLIFE TrackBattle once again belonged to Dewey DeWitt, who came within fractions of his long-sought sub-1:30 lap while posting a blistering 1:30.226 aboard the "Boogeyman" 1995 Subaru Impreza L. With several Unlimited contenders withdrawing before the event, DeWitt capitalized on both pace and consistency, claiming the Street Mod victory while also setting the one of the fastest overall times of the weekend.
Sunday's Podium Sprint produced an all-Subaru overall podium, with DeWitt leading Graham Gaylord and Dai Yoshihara to the checkered flag. His winning run also reset the GingerMan Raceway TrackBattle record, extending an astonishing streak to eight consecutive event victories and track records, an unprecedented run in GRIDLIFE competition.
Track Mod produced perhaps the weekend's most dramatic Podium Sprint. Championship leader Adam Slowinski looked poised to add another victory after an impressive opening lap before sliding into the Turn 3 sand trap on his second attempt. Moments later, Tom O'Gorman appeared ready to capitalize in his C8 Corvette ZR1 before also leaving the racing surface at Turn 10B, invalidating his quickest lap.
That opened the door for Chris Smith, who stayed clean through the changing conditions to claim his first Podium Sprint victory of the season with a 1:32.531. Michael Puglisi finished just 0.036 seconds behind in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, while Andrew Brownfield completed the podium in his Toyota GR Supra. The victory vaults Smith to fourth in the championship with three rounds remaining.
Street class remained the domain of the #777 of Josh Halka, who defeated returning driver Brad Moore in his #193 Porsche Cayman. Willem Drees reset the FWD class record and earned a podium after issues prevented them from running most of the heats early in the weekend. Izak Ambrose and Mike Coons earned fourth and fifth in the Podium Sprint.
In Street GT, Luke McGrew continued his dominant season, lowering the class record with a 1:33.244 aboard his Corvette Z06. The victory and track record marked his third consecutive sweep of maximum points. Another win and record at Watkins Glen would secure a perfect season and lock up the championship early, as he did last year.
Unlimited featured only three drivers in Podium Sprint, but still delivered late drama when Jake Ertel slid off course at Turn 5 during the final session. The mistake promoted Andrius Bertulis to his first victory of the season with a 1:34.842 in his Lexus RC F, while Ernestas Puzelis finished second. Bertulis' consistency throughout the season now places him atop the championship standings at the halfway point.
Falken Club SC continued to showcase one of TrackBattle's closest title fights. Mike Janssen returned to the top step after an entertaining weekend-long duel with Lennon Radcliffe, the pair repeatedly exchanging the class lead and track record during the qualifying sessions. Janssen ultimately edged Radcliffe by just over a tenth of a second in Podium Sprint, while Sam Deuling collected his third consecutive podium finish. With the championship already deadlocked entering Midwest Festival, the battle remains one of the tightest in the paddock, with just five points between Janssen and Radcliffe.
The equally competitive Falken Club TR championship also arrived at GingerMan Raceway tied at the top, but the standings shifted after a chaotic Podium Sprint. Early problems sidelined several favorites, as Peter Granberg was forced off course with a mechanical issue, Mario Mirone spun while chasing the front-wheel-drive class record, and Evan McLaren was unable to complete a lap. Granberg recovered in time to post a 1:38.112, establishing a new rear-wheel-drive class record and securing the victory over Jerami Bailey by just three tenths of a second. Stan Fayngold rounded out the podium, while Granberg leaves Michigan with a slim five-point championship advantage.
GRIDLIFE RUSH Delivers Four Wild Sprint Races
The GRIDLIFE RUSH Series returned to GingerMan with another stacked field of more than 45 entries featuring sports car veterans, rising young talent, and several familiar GRIDLIFE names.
Race 1 barely reached full speed before multiple incidents triggered a race-ending caution after just one completed lap, handing pole sitter James French the victory over Blair Hosie and Aryton Grim.
Race 2 swung in Hosie's favor after a busy afternoon contest. Bryce Mersberger finished second, while Grim's race unraveled when rear bodywork came loose and was struck by Tony Barber's car, bringing out another caution.
Sunday morning's damp conditions created one of the drives of the weekend, as Aryton Grim charged from 44th on the grid to fifth in just 15 minutes of racing. Up front, Hosie edged James French for his second victory of the weekend, with Ryerson Whissel earning his first second of the season in third. Ellis Spiezia quietly continued one of the year's most consistent campaigns with seventh consecutive top-ten finish.
The final race belonged to championship leader Bryce Mersberger, who held off both Hosie and French to earn his fifth victory of the season and extend his points advantage to 26 before the next trip to Watkins Glen.
ASM Returns to the Top in GLTC
Eibach GRIDLIFE Touring Cup arrived with Eric Kutil holding only a two-point advantage over Eric Magnussen, but by the end of the weekend another familiar name had stolen the spotlight.
Returning after missing Road Atlanta, Andy Smedegard immediately showed race-winning pace in his FA24-powered Toyota 86 by claiming Friday pole position ahead of Magnussen and Lena Chin.
An early caution shortened Race 1, but Smedegard converted pole into victory ahead of Magnussen and Kutil. Race 2 produced another close fight between the championship contenders, with Magnussen narrowly defeating Kutil by less than half a second for his second victory of the season.
Saturday's Top 10 Shootout dramatically shuffled the field. Smedegard dominated qualifying by nearly two seconds, while Kutil's decision to mount fresh front tires only upset the balance of his car, dropping him to ninth on the grid. That set the stage for one of the weekend's strongest recovery drives as Kutil battled traffic during Race 3, while Smedegard drove away for his second victory. Salil Shukla continued his breakout weekend with fourth place, and Dana Basinski captured just the second podium finish of his GLTC career in third.
Smedegard scored another win in Race 4, defeating Kutil by more than six seconds. Kutil had charged from ninth to the runner-up position, salvaging valuable championship points after Magnussen suffered a mechanical issue while running in contention. Instead of leaving GingerMan with the points lead, Magnussen fell to 30th in the finale and now trails Kutil by just six points heading into Watkins Glen.
Historic Finish Headlines GRIDLIFE GT
With a season-high 19-car field, GRIDLIFE GT produced one of the defining moments of the 2025 season.
James Houghton returned with the K-Tuned Honda Civic Type R TCR and immediately challenged championship leader Matan Rosenberg, qualifying on pole before Rosenberg used the preferred lane on the race start to seize control of Race 1. Rosenberg's Vibrant Performance Corvette steadily built a one-second margin to defeat Houghton, Christian Aranha, Chris DeLucia, and Erik Meadows.
Race 2 delivered both the weekend's biggest scare and its most memorable finish. Chris DeLucia's BMW erupted in flames exiting Turn 10, forcing an immediate stop and demonstrating the importance of modern safety equipment, onboard fire suppression systems, and the ability to exit a racecar quickly. Fortunately, DeLucia was able to exit the car promptly and avoided injury.
Following cleanup, the race resumed for a one-lap shootout. Houghton pulled alongside Rosenberg on the back straight, and the pair raced door-to-door through the final corners before drag racing to the checkered flag. At the line, timing scored the margin at just 0.001 seconds in Houghton's favor - the closest finish in GRIDLIFE history.
Houghton backed up the victory by earning a Top 10 Shootout pole and another Race 3 win over Christian Aranha, Rosenberg, and newcomer Robert Weston. Rosenberg answered in Race 4, collecting his sixth victory of the season to extend his championship lead over Aranha entering the season's final stretch.
With just three events remaining, several classes remain neck and neck as GRIDLIFE heads east for GRIDLIFE Summer Apex at Watkins Glen International on July 24-26. Tickets are available now, and fans can relive all of the action from GingerMan Raceway by watching the full race broadcast and viewing complete weekend results before the championship battles continue in New York.
