The NJMP Drivers Club Challenge Exhibition Race Initiates Competition-Style Program for the Exclusive Membership
MILLVILLE, NJ (October 28, 2025) – New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) hosted the first NJMP Drivers Club Challenge Exhibition Race on Saturday, October 25, 2025, on Thunderbolt Raceway. This inaugural exhibition race was offered exclusively to NJMP members who have a passion for competition-style events.
The Exhibition Challenge Race began with a qualifying round, where the fastest lap determined position on the grid for the official 20-minute race. Drivers Club member, Anthony Russo, #52, clinched the best time during qualifying with a time of 1:23.968 in his Chevy Corvette. Following closely behind was Gregory Wager, #150, in the Porsche Cayman with a 1:24.780, and Artemus Tsang, #228, with a 1:25.105, also in a Porsche Cayman.
Morning Qualifying Results:
1. #52 Anthony Russo (1:23.968) – Chevy Corvette
2. #150 Gregory Wager (1:24.780) – Porsche Cayman
3. #228 Artemus Tsang (1:25.105) – Porsche Cayman
4. #46 Alan Phillips (1:27.174) – Ford Mustang
5. #562 Jake Katznelson (1:28.213) – BMW M3
6. #562 Steve Katznelson (1:30.548) – BMW M3
7. # 48 Vinnie Gautieri (1:34.154) – Ford Mustang
8. #1111 Eric Liu (2:11.253) – Chevy Corvette
After the qualifying round completed incident-free, the racers gridded up for the start of the race at 3pm. The drivers made off with a clean start under the green flag, waved by NJMP’s very own President, COO and honorary grand marshal, Brad Scott.
It was a battle between the top three racers (#52 Russo, #150 Wager, and #228 Tsang) for most of the race until both Wager and Tsang went slightly off track in isolated incidents, which were the only incidents to occur during the entire race. Although they were quick to return to the track, this gave #1111 Liu, last in qualifying, the advantage of climbing up to third overall. However, it was Russo who took first place in the first-ever NJMP Drivers Club Challenge Exhibition Race with a best lap time of 1:25.567.
Final Results:
- #52 Anthony Russo – Chevy Corvette
- #150 Gregory Wager – Porsche Cayman
- #1111 Eric Liu – Chevy Corvette
- #228 Artemus Tsang – Porsche Cayman
- #46 Alan Phillips – Ford Mustang
- #562 Jake Katznelson – BMW M3
- #562 Steve Katznelson – BMW M3
- # 48 Vinnie Gautieri – Ford Mustang
While NJMP hosts many third-party club racing and professional racing events throughout the season, this was the first time the track has tested operating a race event for its Drivers Club members.
This inaugural Drivers Club Challenge Exhibition Race featured only one race class, Gran Touring (GT). However, in future events, NJMP Drivers Club plans to offer three competing classes: Gran Touring (GT), Touring Car (TC), and Prototype/Open Wheel (P).
“The main purpose of the Drivers Club membership is to fuel the individual’s passion for driving by blending community, instruction, and a safe and controlled environment into one program,” states Drivers Club Director, Joe Mills, “The desire for a racing element to be incorporated into the Drivers Club has been expressed to us by our members many times. So, to continue the growth of the membership value, we decided to test the possibility with the Drivers Club Challenge Exhibition Race.”
After the success and overwhelming response from the event, NJMP looks forward to planning for 2026. Stay tuned for things to come!