The SCCA National Championship Runoffs hit Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the first time.
The amateur National Championship event with the Sports Car Club of America will take place from September 25 through October 1 on the IMS road course. Nearly 1,000 SCCA racers will take to the historic track, with four days of qualifying kicking things off. There will be three days of racing after that, featuring a winner-take-all National Championship Runoff that will be 19-laps, or 40 minutes in length.
The Runoffs were named by Car and Driver magazine as one of the Top 10 racing events in the world. The organization is celebrating their 54th Runoffs this year, as drivers will be competing for medals in 28 different classes of racing. The Sports Car Club of America, founded in 1944, is a 67,500-member motorsports organization that incorporates all facets of autocross, rally, and road racing at both club and professional levels. With their headquarters located in Topeka, Kansas, the SCCA annually sanctions over 2,000 events.
“Many Indianapolis 500 veterans have their racing roots in SCCA competition, so hosting the SCCA national championships at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a natural fit,” said IMS President Doug Boles. “The Runoffs will provide drivers who have dreamed of competing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway an opportunity to do so and will hopefully motivate some participants to continue on the path to compete in the Indianapolis 500 someday. It is going to be a tremendous event showcasing the talent and passion that makes SCCA racing so exciting.”
Mike Cobb, SCCA President/CEO, noted that SCCA Club racers have been working all year to meet Runoffs qualification requirements. “There has been tremendous buzz about this year’s Runoffs since the SCCA announced back in 2015 that the event was going to make its first-ever visit to Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” Cobb stated. “The SCCA firmly believes the Runoffs offers up the absolute best three days of amateur racing in the United States, if not the world. The first day of registration (763 drivers) was quite a milestone in what promises to be a historic event in Indianapolis.”
There are plenty of things to do during the week, which kicks off with a party on Main Street on Monday night. The event runs from 6-10 PM, on Main Street in Speedway. There will be live music from the Max Allen Band, food, and drinks. There are Kids Club Activities in the Pagoda Plaza Thursday through Sunday, and a special offer from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. They will have buy one, get one free admission for every credentialed participant and ticket buyer at the event. The Museum is open from 9-5 every day.
There is Live Timing and Live Streaming of the activities available online, courtesy of SCCA.
Tickets for the event can be purchased here, at the IMS website. Four-day admission passes, providing access Thursday through Sunday, can be purchased for $60 per person. Single-day admission for Thursday is $15, and single-day passes are $25 for Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Additionally, Tower Terrace Suite Club passes are available for the event, which provide entry to a suite in Tower Terrace with views of the Main Straightaway. General admission offers access to spectator mounds around the 15-turn, 2.592-mile road course.
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