Sunday Group Blog: A week in the life of Diane Swintal

Boggy Creek, New Cars, and New Events…all in 7 days

One of the hallmarks of working with Sunday Group Management is the variety of clients we each have – and with that, a fascinating mix of personalities and experiences.

I’m blessed this year with three outstanding race teams – one in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (Sean Creech Motorsport) and two in the Porsche Deluxe Carrera Cup North America (PT Autosport with JDX Racing and Racing to End Alzheimer’s with MDK Motorsports). This trip encompassed all three clients.

This story actually starts back in January, at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, when a Camp Boggy Creek executive brought each team a little wooden car, painted by a camper in the team’s colors. Camp Boggy Creek is a camp for kids suffering from a myriad of childhood illnesses, founded in 1996 by Paul Newman and Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf with one simple premise in mind: that every child, no matter their illness, could experience the transformational spirit and friendships that go hand in hand with camp.

SCM team principal Sean Creech and driver Lance Willsey immediately came up with the plan to bring our Ligier JS P320 race car to the camp and entertain the kids, handing out hats and providing a few smiles.

I flew from Southern California to Florida for the camp visit but by a very favorable set of circumstances, the shop visit coincided with the Monday morning arrival of the Ligier JS P217 LMP2 that we’ll race in IMSA in 2024. It was very cool to be there to help unload the car from the container it traveled across the Atlantic in, along with wings, side pods, tires and other miscellaneous bits, and to help remove the old livery.

On Tuesday morning, 12 of us headed to the camp and unloaded the two Ligiers. We spent the morning explaining the car (“How do you get out?” “How fast can you go?” And of course, “Can I drive it?”), firing up the engine so they could hear what it sounds like, helping Lance and João Barbosa show the kids how they get in and out of the car during pit stops, showing them the intricate steering wheel – and of course, hearing their stories. We left goodie bags for each of the kids in their cabin, along with an SCM hat. (https://www.boggycreek.org/).

The next day, I headed for Road America for the PCCNA doubleheader, part of the NASCAR Xfinity weekend. It was an outstanding weekend – until it wasn’t.

For the Racing to End Alzheimer’s team, it was a chance to meet a new set of fans and talk about their message: educating people about Alzheimer’s and to raise funds. For $250, you can add the name of your loved one who has suffered from dementia or Alzheimer’s to the Porsche race car (https://www.r2endalz.org/). One of those names is my mom’s, which makes me happy ever time I see the car. Driver Mark Kvamme took two podium finishes to add to his Am class points lead.

Aside – I was also with the team in Toronto in mid-July, with driver Nick Galante partnering with local team VPX Motorsport to run the Sports Car Canada tripleheader. He won two of three races but more importantly, the team added 24 new names to the car.

PT Autosport is a new team that also has a great story. The team is dedicated to helping kids achieve their racing dreams, hosting its second annual Aspiring Driver Shootout this week to decide who will join 2022 winner Henry Drury on the team’s junior racing program.

The team’s PCCNA driver, Alex Sedgwick, is an amazing success story. The young Brit has, in just one year, gone from giving up on his racing career to sitting fourth in PCCNA points – while also serving as the junior team’s driver development director and coordinating the Shootout program. Sedgwick earned his best qualifying position of the season, starting outside of the front row. He finished second in race one but on the pace lap he was hit by the pole sitter and spun. Not the way you want your race weekend to end, but an educational experience.

Now I’m returning to Road America for the IMSA SportsCar Weekend, with SCM back in action. Lance has other commitments and can’t make the weekend, so our endurance driver, young Chilean Nico Pino, will suit up alongside João for the two hour and 40-minute “sprint” race. We started on pole last year, with a new track record, but we’ll see how the newly repaved racing surface reacts!