Roller coaster of emotions for Racing to End Alzheimer’s at Road America

Elkhart Lake, Wis. (August 5, 2025) – The Racing to End Alzheimer’s with Stephen Cameron Racing team appeared headed toward its second straight IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge podium in Sunday’s Road America 120, but the effort fell victim to a late-race incident that ended the day early following extensive damage to the No. 19 Ford Mustang GT4.

But the weekend also saw an enhanced partnership with the No. 31 RVA Graphics Motorsports by Speed Syndicate TCR entry. The team deployed a Racing to End Alzheimer’s livery at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca which will continue through the remainder of this season, and took that livery to the podium at the end of the two-hour race that was marred by five caution flags.

“We’re grateful to RVA Graphics’ Farran Davis and Speed Syndicate’s Chris Vallee, who have adopted Racing to End Alzheimer’s,” said founder Phil Frengs. “They had a terrific race, challenging for the win. So it was definitely two sides of the racing coin on Saturday, with despair in one paddock and jubilation in the other, the two of them side by side. We saw all the emotions of racing – and that’s what our weekends at the racetrack really epitomize. We’re touching fans with this program, fans are touching us with their stories, and we’re getting a chance to compete.”

The No. 19 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Ford Mustang, driven by Sean Quinlan and Greg Liefooghe, had earned its first podium of the season at the prior race in Canada, so much was expected as the pair took to the track for the first of two practice sessions on Friday. They ended morning practice P4, and P3 in the afternoon over Road America’s demanding 14-turn, 4.048-mile natural terrain road course, and in qualifying at the end of the day, Quinlan put the No. 19 Ford Mustang onto the fourth row for the race start.

Quinlan wisely held driver’s right through the tricky opening corners, and that move kept him from a turn three incident that put three cars out of the race – and brought out the first of three cautions in the first 45 minutes of the race. At the halfway mark, with Quinlan in P5, another yellow flag tightened the field and eventually opened pit lane, with the Racing to End Alzheimer’s Ford Mustang ducking quickly into pit lane for four Michelin tires, fuel and a change to Liefooghe.

Taking the restart P12, Liefooghe immediately started making moves forward, capturing seventh position. But with 40 minutes remaining and running three wide through turn four, the car on the inside drove onto the grass and bounced back on track, sending the middle car into Liefooghe on the outside – and pitching Liefooghe hard into the wall. With extensive front damage, the No. 19 Mustang’s day was done, but with Liefooghe thankfully uninjured.

Meanwhile, the No. 31 Racing to End Alzheimer’s TCR car was having its best weekend of the year. Driven by Luke Rumburg and Jaden Conwright – both age 26 – the team posted the quickest time in practice one and qualified fifth for the race. Rumburg took the green flag and moved up through the early chaos, taking P3 with just over an hour remaining. He pitted for fuel, tires and a change to Conwright with 55 minutes remaining. As the final laps counted down, Conwright – having gained a position – was able to hold off a late charge to bring home a very hard fought second place.

Frengs began Racing to End Alzheimer’s after his late wife Mimi was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, and he now spends every race weekend speaking with fans – especially fans who come by to see their loved one’s name on the car – and helping to spread the word about how the organization works to “fund the care and find the cure.” He especially looks forward to the Road America weekend.

“Road America has always been good to us and it’s great to see some of the same supporters every year,” said Frengs. “Some have been with us since we started, and they come by to take a picture with their loved one’s name on the car. They want to honor and love and respect somebody who’s in their family, and that’s what we do. We had one young woman come by to talk to us whose mother has had a trajectory similar to what Mimi went through, diagnosed at age 60. She’s 72 now. While Mimi just passed away also at 72, her mom is still going through this very difficult journey. She wanted to put her mom’s name on the car, and we were able to print it right at the track so she could add it before the race. It meant the world to both of us.”

The No. 19 Racing to End Alzheimer’s Mustang gives families the chance to honor loved ones who have suffered from Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia. For a $250 donation, the family member’s name and hometown is placed on the car, and their photo can be posted on the Racing to End Alzheimer’s website’s tribute page. All donations are matched by Frengs’s company Legistics, with 100% going to the program’s two beneficiaries – the Nantz National Alzheimer Center at Houston Methodist, and the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care Program.

To date, Racing to End Alzheimer’s has donated over $1 million to those two programs.