Gruszka Wins Final Rally of 2026 ARA Season with Victory at Show-Me
(Potosi, Mo., November 10, 2026) — Patrick Gruszka and John Hall claimed a dominant victory at the final event of the 2026 American Rally Association (ARA) championship season, winning all 10 stages at Show-Me Rally in Potosi, Missouri, November 7, in their Green APU-backed Hyundai i20 N Rally2.
Gruszka initially led over the Open Four-Wheel-Drive (O4WD) 1986 Volkswagen Golf of Micah Nickelson and Tyler Ptacek, before a retirement for the local crew promoted Paul Rowley and M-Sport Ford World Rally Team driver Josh McErlean into second overall in their 2011 Ford Fiesta R5. Michael Myers and Lauren Schmitt completed the podium, claiming their first overall podium and Open Two-Wheel-Drive (O2WD) class victory in a Peugeot 208 Rally4.
A total of 30 crews entered Show-Me for one last bout before the winter break, with the event also providing a final opportunity for competitors to score points and settle the 2026 ARA Central Regional Championships. The single-day rally featured a 10-stage, 61.04-mile itinerary through the fast, flowing gravel roads of the Mark Twain National Forest, sharing many of the same roads as the famously quick Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, round two of the 2026 ARA National Championship.
Though absent from Show-Me, Tom Mayer retained his lead in the Central Regional Overall Drivers' Championship, securing the title alongside Co-Drivers' Champion Dillon McKenna. The result completed a sweep of both the East and Central Regional Overall Championships for the pair in 2026.
Despite its compact one-day format, Show-Me brought together a field featuring a World Rally Championship competitor, international up-and-comers, ARA National champions, and a wide array of local favorites for the final rally of the 2026 season.
Gruszka Controls Show-Me as Nickelson's Early Challenge Ends
The favorites to win at the start of Show-Me were the Green APU crew of two-time ARA National RC2 Champion Pat Gruszka and veteran co-driver John Hall in their Hyundai i20 N Rally2. The pair entered the event looking to test repairs made after October's Lake Superior Performance Rally (LSPR) and continue developing their pace notes ahead of the 2027 season.
Despite Show-Me's Regional status, they weren't entirely alone in bringing high-performance machinery to the single-day event. Irish World Rally Championship driver Josh McErlean returned to the ARA stages for the fourth time in his career, this time as co-driver for countryman Paul Rowley in his 2011 Ford Fiesta R5, entered in O4WD rather than RC2. Meanwhile, local favorites Micah Nickelson and Tyler Ptacek brought their custom O4WD 1986 Volkswagen Golf after years of success in two-wheel-drive competition on similar Missouri roads.
On SS1, Gruszka took the lead by 7.7 seconds over Nickelson and Ptacek, extending that advantage to 25.6 seconds by the end of the first three-stage loop. Rowley and McErlean followed in third, already more than a minute and a half behind the leaders.
Unfortunately, the Golf retired at the first service with a head gasket issue, ending the local crew's promising start and promoting Rowley and McErlean to second, with Michael Myers and Lauren Schmitt moving into third in their O2WD Peugeot 208 Rally4.
For the remainder of the rally, Gruszka and Hall continued to extend their lead, eventually taking the overall victory by 3:52.9 over Rowley and McErlean. Myers and Schmitt completed the podium in third, earning their first overall podium in just their third rally together.
For Gruszka, the victory was also a welcome return to form following a difficult stretch earlier in the season, including his diagnosis with multiple sclerosis.
“Great to be back in the car and try to find my pace again!” Gruszka said. “Still lots to work on, but the notes are getting better and better. It feels like time stopped around [Southern Ohio Forest Rally] when I started getting my bad news and diagnoses, but things feel right again.”
Myers Takes First O2WD Win as McShea Charges Back Through Field
With nine entries, the Open Two-Wheel-Drive (O2WD) field accounted for nearly a third of the entry list at the 2026 Show-Me Rally. Experienced competitors like Mike Hurst in his 1974 Ford Capri and Ryan George in his 1995 BMW M3 faced off against a trio of Argonaut-prepared Peugeot 208 Rally4s, plus entries from Emmons Hathaway, Adam VanDamme, Doug Leibman, and more.
After SS1, the battle was already tight for the lead, as the Peugeot of two-time Irish junior rally champion James McShea and Liam Callaghan led by just 3.1 seconds over the similar 208 of Michael Myers and Lauren Schmitt.
McShea, making his American rally debut, showed promising pace for a class victory and potentially an overall podium, but a brake-line failure on SS2 cost him nearly two minutes before repairs allowed him to continue.
The time loss dropped McShea to eighth in class and allowed Myers to take the lead, promoting George and co-driver Heather Stieber into second, while Hathaway and co-driver Zane Jackson moved into third in their 1993 Honda Civic.
Undeterred, McShea set about making up lost ground, winning the final seven O2WD stages to climb back through the field. He moved into third on SS7 before overtaking George on SS8, ultimately finishing second in class, just one minute and three seconds behind Myers and Schmitt, who earned their first class victory in just their third rally together.
McShea and Callaghan also finished fourth overall, even outpacing second-place overall finishers Rowley and McErlean on SS8 and SS10. George and Stieber completed the O2WD podium and finished fifth overall in their first rally since Show-Me in 2025.
For Myers, Show-Me marked his first rally in the Argonaut-prepared Peugeot, with pre-event testing alongside Sean Johnston helping him adapt to the new machinery.
“Stepping into the 208 with Argonaut has been an amazing experience. I never fully understood how capable these cars are until I drove one. I put in some testing time with Sean Johnston ahead of the weekend to get comfortable, and that work paid off with the best result we could have asked for in our first event in the car, a class win and third overall,” Myers said.
For co-driver and girlfriend Lauren Schmitt, the result was equally significant, with the pair already looking forward to continuing their rally careers together.
“Only three rallies into my career, it's amazing to see our hard work pay off and know we're learning and growing together as a team,” Schmitt said. “Michael has put in so much work, and seeing him succeed means everything. We obviously couldn't do any of this without the amazing Argonaut crew. The coaches and crew have been incredibly supportive. I can't wait to be back in the car with Michael next season and chase more great results!”
The pair already have their sights set on an even bigger challenge in 2027.
“Next season, our target is the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup North America!” Myers said.
Elsewhere, Hurst and co-driver Dylan Stevens took fourth in class, while Hathaway and Jackson finished fifth.
Though absent from the event, Josh Nykanen secured the Central Regional O2WD Drivers' Championship, while Sara Nonack claimed the Co-Drivers' title following a successful season alongside driver Chris Nonack.
Crouches Secure L4WD Titles as Matalas and Sharkozy Complete NA4WD Sweep
In Limited Four-Wheel-Drive (L4WD), Scott and Elizabeth Crouch entered Show-Me as favorites for both the class victory and the championship. Scott had already secured the Central Regional Drivers' Championship, but Elizabeth needed a fourth-place finish or better to secure the Co-Drivers' Championship and complete the sweep.
Right from the start, the Crouches' 2002 Subaru WRX took the lead by 6.2 seconds over the 2006 Subaru WRX STI of Peter Farrow and Cole Clements, who responded by taking the lead by 3.0 seconds on SS2.
SS3 saw Farrow drop to third as the Mitsubishi Evo IX of Lucas Mozes and Ben Zapsky moved into second behind the Crouches, only for Mozes to take the lead by 1.7 seconds on SS4.
The battle continued into the second loop, with the Crouches reclaiming the lead on SS6 by 11.0 seconds. Though Mozes and Zapsky continued to challenge throughout the remaining stages, trading stage wins with the Crouches, Scott and Elizabeth held on to take the class victory by just 12.4 seconds, securing both Central Regional L4WD Championships for the pair.
For the Crouches, the victory was particularly rewarding after a last-minute decision to compete following their retirement at LSPR.
“We actually hadn’t planned on competing at Show-Me Rally this year,” Scott Crouch explained. “After our disappointing DNF at LSPR, we felt like we had some unfinished business and really wanted to end the season on a high note.”
Having accomplished their championship goals while taking a closely contested class victory, Crouch reflected on what the season meant to him and his daughter.
“Getting to share this championship season with my daughter has been incredibly special, and finishing the year with a class win and two championship titles is something I’ll never forget. We had an absolute blast and can’t wait to get back out there next year!”
Douglas and Jeni Voss completed the L4WD podium in third in their 1998 Subaru Impreza L.
Despite finishing fifth in class, Farrow also earned enough points to move ahead of Tom Mayer for second in the Central Regional L4WD Drivers' Championship, completing the final championship podium.
The Crouches also battled closely for overall position with the Naturally Aspirated Four-Wheel-Drive (NA4WD) 1995 Subaru Impreza LX of Tyler Matalas and Dustin Sharkozy.
While the three-car NA4WD field saw relatively little direct competition, Matalas and Sharkozy entered Show-Me looking to complete a sweep of the Central Regional NA4WD Championships, with Matalas already secure in the Drivers' Championship and Sharkozy needing only a points-scoring finish to claim the Co-Drivers' title.
Despite only needing to finish, the pair pushed to the end, taking the NA4WD victory over the 2009 Subaru Impreza of Blake Landre and Matthaeus Riegerix. Matalas and Sharkozy also erased an 8.3-second deficit to the Crouches on the final stage, taking eighth overall by just 7.8 seconds and securing both NA4WD championships for the pair.
For Matalas and Sharkozy, the close battle with the Crouches was an unexpected highlight of the event.
“We knew NA4WD was a small class at this event,” Matalas said. “We never thought we'd be competing with our own times against L4WD only to clinch that personal battle at the end. Awesomely run event and can't wait to come back in the future!”
Shinns Earn First Victory in L2WD
Finally, in Limited Two-Wheel-Drive (L2WD), the Honda of America Racing Team (HART) 2023 Acura Integra of 2022 National L4WD Champion Chris Sladek and co-driver Charlie Discoe entered as the favorites in the championship's most production-based class.
Already leading by more than two minutes after the first loop, and sitting fourth overall after the second, the Integra seemed unstoppable. Unfortunately, on SS7, a rare mistake saw the HART crew go off the road and tear a wheel off the car, ending their rally.
Ready to capitalize, the 2002 Ford Focus of Matthew and Richard Shinn moved into the class lead, having run second throughout the rally to that point. Despite a 40-second penalty and a suspension issue of their own, the pair held onto the lead, expanding their advantage over Greg Haley and Max Sutton's 1994 Volkswagen Golf to 1:26.0 by the end of the final stage to claim their first L2WD victory.
"It was nice to finally get to stretch our legs," Matthew Shinn said. "We've had little things all year knock us out of races, even today we had a suspension issue."
"Huge shoutout to Adam Rahn who came down from Ohio to crew for us. He got the car fixed and able to push in the night stages. Couldn't have done it without him."
Brie Lucio and Tim Kohlmann completed the L2WD podium in their 2017 Ford Fiesta, while Kelly Conroy and Michelle Miller made their debut with the all-women Like Other Girls Rally Team in their 2000 BMW 323i, taking fourth.
While Haley and Sutton finished second in class, their result secured both Central Regional L2WD Championships. Haley claimed the Drivers' Championship with 53 points, while Sutton finished tied with Jamie Beliveau on 41 points in the Co-Drivers' Championship, winning the title on the first tiebreaker thanks to his higher total of in-region points.
While Show-Me brought the 2026 ARA season to a close, the 2027 ARA Central Regional Championship begins on December 5 with Nemadji Trail Rally in Duquette, Minnesota.
Complete Show-Me Rally results: https://www.americanrallyassociation.org/event-results
To see images for Show-Me Rally - visit the 2026 Show-Me Rally gallery on Apexiel
~Mason Runkel for the ARA
