Ricca completes TC America sweep at Sebring amid last-lap drama

The final race of the TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing weekend at Sebring delivered exactly what fans came for: intense on-track battles, heartbreak, and a thrilling dash to the finish line. And through it all, Jeff Ricca once again stood tall, sweeping the weekend in dominant fashion behind the wheel of his No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO.

The action kicked off immediately with a chaotic start. PJ Groenke, starting strong in the No. 76 Ricca Autosport Hyundai, was quickly shuffled back as teammate Eric Kunz muscled his way through the field in the No. 77 machine. CJ Sepulveda also made an early charge in the No. 74 Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO but was caught in the relentless midfield battles and cycled back through the pack as the dust settled.

By Lap 3, Kunz was on a mission, attacking Mike Ogren for second place as the Skip Barber Racing driver tried to hold firm in his No. 07 Acura Integra Type S. Unfortunately for Ogren, his charge was cut short just one lap later when a puncture forced him to retire from the race, ending what had been a strong weekend for the Acura driver.

With Ogren out, the fight for the podium lit up. Sepulveda worked his way past Connor Attrell after the halfway mark to take over third place and set his sights on Kunz for second. In the closing stages, Sepulveda applied heavy pressure, forcing Kunz into small mistakes before eventually seizing second place.

But the drama wasn’t over yet. Attrell wasn’t finished, clawing back to overtake both Kunz and Sepulveda in a spectacular final-lap charge. The race to the finish line between Attrell and Sepulveda came down to mere inches in a photo-finish, with Attrell snatching second place in the final moments.

Meanwhile, Kunz, fighting to hold onto fourth, ran wide in the final corners, allowing PJ Groenke to slip by and claim the position just before the checkered flag.

Up front, none of the chaos fazed Jeff Ricca, who cruised to his third consecutive flag-to-flag victory of the weekend, completing a perfect sweep at Sebring International Raceway.

“I'm going to take as many points as I can,” said Jeff Ricca. “That's the key. And then just hang on for the rest of the season!”

“I knew I needed to give them some room later in the race,” explained Connor Attrell. “I just wanted to be ready when something happened, and something did happen! I’m not sure what went on with CJ at the end there, but I’m glad he still held on for third. It was a heated battle out there, so it’s nice to represent Hyundai. All the boys came together and put on a good show. I had a great time.”

With the Florida showdown behind them, the TC America field now looks ahead to the next rounds at VIRginia International Raceway in July, where rivalries will continue and the championship battle heats up.

Race 2: Ricca sweeps the day as Kunz scores first TC Americapodium in Race 2 thriller

The Florida sun wasn’t the only thing scorching at Sebring International Raceway, so was Jeff Ricca. Piloting the No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO, Ricca once again delivered a flawless performance, going flag-to-flag to sweep the weekend and solidify his dominance in TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing.

At the start, Ricca immediately took control of the race, just as he had in Race 1, never putting a wheel wrong despite increasing pressure late in the run. Behind him, Mike Ogren in the No. 07 Skip Barber Racing Acura Integra Type S came under early fire from PJ Groenke in the No. 76 Ricca Autosport Hyundai, but Ogren held his ground and soon pulled away to establish a comfortable second-place cushion.

Further back, JMF Motorsports’ Jonathan Neudorf was a man on a mission. Commanding the No. 4 Toyota GR Corolla TC, he made bold moves right from the drop of the green flag, climbing his way up to sixth and putting himself in the thick of the action.

Drama unfolded with 20 minutes remaining when CJ Sepulveda ran wide in his No. 74 Ricca Autosport Hyundai and went off track. Though he rejoined, the incident cost him a few positions and threw him into a fierce mid-pack fight for recovery.

At the same time, an intense battle was brewing for the final podium spot. Eric Kunz, aboard the No. 77 Ricca Autosport Hyundai, launched a relentless attack on teammate PJ Groenke. Under pressure, Groenke was forced to defend heavily, but Kunz found his way through, making the move stick and slotting into third.

The fight for fourth wasn’t settled either. Groenke had to contend with the hard-charging Connor Attrell in the No. 75 Hyundai Elantra. With just under 10 minutes remaining, Attrell found a gap and took over fourth place, pushing Groenke back to fifth. Meanwhile, after his earlier off, Sepulveda had clawed his way back into the mix, challenging Groenke for position in the closing laps.

Up front, the closing moments saw Ogren finding pace and cutting into Ricca’s lead, but there wasn’t enough time left to mount a serious challenge. Ricca crossed the line first, sealing a perfect weekend sweep. Ogren secured another strong second-place finish, and Eric Kunz claimed his first-ever TC America podium, bringing home third after a determined and well-fought drive, with Attrell, Sepulveda and Groenke rounding off the top 6.

 “I’ve been going over the data constantly,” said Jeff Ricca at the podium celebrations. “ Getting the intake temps down is really important, and being up front definitely helps with that. But getting clean air is absolutely crucial for these motors, any kind of tow just adds heat. So managing all of that while pushing at ten-tenths is key. I think things are only going to get better as the weekend progresses. Race 3 should be pretty exciting!” 

Talking about CJ Sepulveda, Jeff Ricca said “He’s a level-headed kid who really understands racing, not just the competition but also the business side of it and how to enjoy the off-track moments. It’s going to be awesome having him on the front row with me. He listens, takes in what I say, and actually applies it on track. That’s rare, and I’m really excited to see what he can do out there.” 

Race 1: Ricca wins as temperatures rise

The heat was relentless at Sebring International Raceway as Race 1 of the TC America powered by Skip Barber Racing got underway. With track temperatures soaring, drivers faced a punishing battle not only against each other but also against the brutal Florida conditions.

Unbothered by the rising temperatures, Jeff Ricca delivered a masterclass, converting his pole position into the win, commanding the No. 78 Ricca Autosport Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO. Ricca got a clean getaway at the start and never looked back, clicking off flying laps with precision to take a dominant victory.

Behind him, the fight for second was where the real fireworks ignited. Mike Ogren, representing Skip Barber Racing in the No. 07 Acura Integra Type S, held firm in second place despite relentless pressure from Ricca Autosport’s PJ Groenke in the No. 76 Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO. Groenke kept Ogren honest throughout the race and made one final push on the last lap, but the experienced Ogren held his ground to claim second at the line, with Groenke settling for third.

Further back, the battle among the Ricca Autosport teammates raged on. Canadian driver Connor Attrell fought hard to defend fourth place in his No. 75 Hyundai Elantra N1 TC EVO, fending off constant attacks from Eric Kunz in the No. 77 machine. In the final laps, it was CJ Sepulveda in the No. 74 Hyundai who made the decisive move, slipping past Kunz to secure fifth place behind Attrell. Kunz crossed the line in sixth after a gritty performance.

The action didn’t stop there, as JMF Motorsports teammates Antonio Costantino and Jonathan Neudorf put on a show of their own, engaging in a heated battle all race long in their No. 3 and No. 4 Toyota GR Corolla TC machines. Costantino narrowly edged out Neudorf at the finish to take seventh place.

Up Next

The TC America powered by Skip Barber field will return for the fifth, ninth, and tenth rounds of the season at VIRginia International Raceway from July 18-20.

SRO America races from Sebring stream live on the RACER+ app. CLICK HERE to sign up.