The 2023 SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® is no ordinary Runoffs. This year’s event – taking place Sept. 23-Oct. 1 at VIRginia International Raceway – is, in fact, the culmination of 60 years of road racing’s best winner-take-all amateur championships. Through the decades, the Runoffs has seen such racers as Bobby and Graham Rahal, Bob Bondurant, Scott Sharp, Randy Pobst, and many more set a motorsports career in motion with a win at the Runoffs. But while that is impressive, the Runoffs is really a place for competitors from across the nation to gather at one location each year to battle on track for one week, while building friendships that last a lifetime.
Just like in 2019 and 2022, those memories will be made this year in Alton VA, as hundreds of racers take to the challenging 3.27-mile, 18-turn circuit.
But before we get there, there are important dates competitors, crew, and volunteers need to mark on their calendars.
Dates to Know
June 26
Prep shop paddock requests can be made, starting at 9 a.m. CT. The process for 2023 will follow the updated process used in 2022. This request process is only available to eligible prep shops that meet certain criteria such as being a commercial business that provides event race services and employs crew members. Details of this change, along with the criteria, can be found in the Registration and Paddock Parking Information document.
Information required during the Runoffs paddock request process includes the prep shop business information, as well as the name, SCCA member number, and car class for each driver competing through a prep shop. Also required is the trailer/rig type, width, and length of the trailer/rig with awning, and total compound footprint. These drivers need not have fulfilled Runoffs qualification criteria at this time, and prep shops have until July 26 to submit requests. Prep shops will indicate their preferred paddock location during the request process. Prep shop paddock assignments will begin July 27.
Also opening on June 26 is the Garage Lottery. There are 18 garages available at VIR, so garage assignments will be handled using a lottery system, as was used in 2022. Anyone interested in reserving a garage for the 2023 Runoffs is invited to purchase a garage lottery entry.
For more information on the paddock spaces and garages, please review the Registration and Paddock Parking Information document, which is also available via the Runoffs event page.
July 12
Worker and Driver registration opens at 10 a.m. CT on MotorsportReg.com. Drivers need not have fulfilled Runoffs qualification criteria in order to register for the event. Prior to registration opening, competitors should log into their MotorsportReg account to ensure their SCCA member number, license expiration date, and vehicle profile information are correct. This will save time and reduce frustration during registration.
Drivers who participated in the 2022 Runoffs may select their 2023 car number in the same class for this year’s event. Eligible competitors must register no later than 9 a.m. CT on July 19 to secure their previous year’s number – afterward, unclaimed 2022 numbers will become available to other competitors. In the case of groups with combined qualifying sessions, if two competitors request the same number, the requested number will be assigned to the competitor who completed registration first. The number “1” is reserved for the defending National Champion in each class.
Again in 2023, there will be a separate registration for prep shops and their employees. Instructions for how prep shops can register are available on the Runoffs event page.
Test Day reservations can also be made during driver registration starting July 12. The Test Day schedule is available from the Runoffs event page menu.
There will be dry RV/camping spots available in the South Paddock that can be reserved during online registration. A handful of electrical spots are available. Additional dry/primitive camping is available in designated camping areas around VIR. Workers and drivers can request a general camping pass (for an unreserved spot) by simply checking a box during the general registration process. Participants may sleep in their marked paddock area at no charge. The Premium RV sites located in the North Paddock will be used as driver paddock space and will not be included in the RV reservation site inventory.
August 23
The single-car paddock reservation process opens at 12 p.m. CT on MotorsportReg.com. Watch the event page for more details and a link to the form on MotorsportReg.com.
Party in the Paddock
From track walk sessions on Sunday, Sept. 24, and Monday, Sept. 25, to dinners, Tire Rack Pole Awards, Worker of the Year Presented by Mazda celebrations, and more, the Runoffs is so much more than race cars on track.
Details for these activities – and more – will be announced at a later date.
About the Runoffs
The National Championship Runoffs, which caps the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program each year, has evolved into what is now commonly agreed to be the pinnacle of amateur road racing in the United States. Since 1964, SCCA has crowned champions through the winner-take-all, single race Runoffs format conducted over three days. This year, the 60th annual SCCA Runoffs will see winners crowned across 25 different car classes.
Photo by Jon Krolewicz / staff
