Posted (10/04/2013) -
Wayne Nonnamaker started the 2013 season by leading the Jim Trueman Sportsman Award at the ROLEX 24 Hours at Daytona. And he capped off the season by leading the standings at the conclusion to the season at Lime Rock Park. Along the way there were many ups and downs.
Wayne shared his thoughts on the year - “At one point it appeared that Alex Popow driving for Starworks, was going to run away with the Award. They had just won at Indy, and were in contention to win the Driver’s Championship. But our 2nd half of the year was very strong and Alex unfortunately ran into a bit of bad luck. In the end, I am very humbled to win this award, as there is a lot that goes into getting to the track, with lots of effort by all the crew.”
2013 marked Wayne’s 1st year in Prototype competition. Not only was Wayne a rookie to prototypes, but to the aspect of driving with downforce as well. All of Wayne’s prior racing experience came in Touring and GT Sedans. As the season progressed though, Wayne made great progress, evidenced by leading 21 laps at the Road America event.
Wayne received his Jim Trueman Sportsman Award at the Grand American ROLEX Banquet held at Gotham Hall in New York City. Wayne wore a Team Sahlen tie as he accepted the award. This was the same exact tie that his brother Will had worn when he accepted his Bob Akin Sportsman Award for the GT class in 2005. Ironically, Wayne is also a past winner of the Bob Akin Sportsman Award, receiving the accolade in 2011. This mark gives Wayne the distinction of being the only dual class winner (DP & GT) in the 9 year history of the Sportsman Award being handed out.
Interestingly, for Wayne Nonnamaker being a lifelong Ohioan, there is extra special poignancy to winning the Prototype Sportsman Award. This is due to the Award being named after fellow Ohioan Jim Trueman. Jim was a lifelong racer and enthusiast for the sport. Jim raced many types of sports cars, including Prototype racers such as the Can-Am Series, and IMSA GTP racers. He enjoyed quite a bit of success, winning the Can-Am Series under 2 liter class and winning several GTP events. Beyond being a racer, Jim also was the owner of the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, that he purchased in 1981. Additionally Jim owned the Ohio based Indycar Team – TrueSports. Days before Jim’s passing from Cancer, Bobby Rahal won the Indianapolis 500 for Trueman and Truesports. Jim Trueman though was more than just a racer, he was a businessman. Jim founded and built the Red Roof Inns Motels to a 155 unit chain before his passing. Even to this day, the connection to Red Roof Inns is still apparent at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with the Garages all having red roofs!
The similarities between Jim Trueman and Wayne Nonnamaker don’t just stop at them being Ohioans at heart. Wayne too is a lifelong racer and enthusiast of the sport. Having started out racing Amateur level racing in SCCA like Trueman, Wayne competed at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course during the Fall National Championships. As Wayne progressed up the ranks, he rose up to secure race wins and championships in Professional Racing. These championships were spread across Touring (Acuras & Mazdas) and Sports Cars (Porsches). As well, Wayne has a passion for the sport as well, indicative by his creation of TheRaceSite.com - created in 1999 to providing Sports Car Racing news to the fans. Like Jim Trueman, Wayne’s full time job is not racing cars. Instead Wayne’s full time life revolves around owning and managing Subway restaurants located in Canton, Ohio.
For 2014, Wayne will be returning to the seat of the Team Sahlen #42 BMW Powered Prototype in hopes of continuing his progress in the ranks of the elite against seasoned professionals.
Team Sahlen’s Campaign in the
GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series is supported by:
BMW Motorsports, Dinan Engineering, Design Engineering Inc, Penske Shocks, EMCO Gears, Racing Print Media, Mothers Polish, TheRaceSite.com, PFC Brakes, Classic Motorsports Magazine, Grassroots Motorsports Magazine, BBS Wheels, and Hella Lights
