From Solo Nats to Road Racing Champion, and now more Solo Nats … Take the Long Way Home sort of sums up Jeff Altenburg’s appearance at the rock ‘n’ roll themed Tire Rack SCCA® Solo® National Championships taking place Sept. 1-5, 2025, at Lincoln Airpark in Nebraska.
A member of the Sports Car Club of America since 1988, Altenburg cut his teeth in Solo. Turned out he was pretty good behind the wheel, claiming six ProSolo® Championships and four Solo Nats Championships between 1989 and 1997. Those, however, aren’t his only SCCA Championships as he also earned a Runoffs® victory in 1997, and a second one in 1999.
Furthermore, Altenburg’s credits include two Neon Challenge Championships and a SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship as a factory driver for Mazda. Add to that a Dominican Touring Car Championship and it’s easy to understand why he’s considered a rockstar amongst SCCA’s ranks.
After more than two decades, Altenburg popped up again at Solo Nats last year. He’s back again in 2025 driving a Toyota Supra in B Street’s Tuesday/Wednesday competition. After 15 years as a professional sports car driver in a pressure-filled position, he said it’s nice to be out and just having #funwithcars once again.
“I was pretty rabid about my autocrossing for the 10 years or so that I did it,” Altenburg said. “I thought I’d jump back in and do some autocrossing on a casual, just-for-fun basis now.”
What were Altenburg’s impressions of Solo Nats after being away for so long? First off, the event’s immensity has certainly changed. There are more RVs and trailers, and a lot more people. Yet, some things have remained very much the same.
“The event is huge, very impressive, very well organized, and a lot of fun,” Altenburg said. “Shockingly, having been out of autocross for so long, I saw a lot of people that I knew who are still doing this. In that huge of a crowd, to be walking around and run into people I knew 27 years earlier is really nice.”
Make no mistake, Altenburg is still a focused competitor. While he’s not expecting to win B Street this year, he admits a solid finish would be nice. Nonetheless, being back with friends and enjoying the camaraderie makes a visit to Solo Nats worth the trip.
Follow All of this Year’s Competitors
Right around 1,300 people will likely be part of this 52nd running of the Tire Rack SCCA® Solo® National Championships at Lincoln Airpark. Family, friends and fans can track their favorite performers online at sololive.scca.com. That’s where you’ll find live timing/scoring, as well as audio coverage each day.
Be sure to monitor the Tire Rack SCCA National Solo and SCCA Official Facebook pages, too, for updates and photos over the next couple days of #funwithcars. For more of the Solo Nats rock ‘n’ roll experience, be sure to catch the Solo Nationals Morning Show, a daily video broadcast at the SCCA Official Facebook page that starts about an hour before cars head out on course.
Need more Solo tunes to get you through the week? Journalist Brian Bielanski has that covered thanks to special Inside the SCCA segments that unveil slice-of-life stories out of Solo Nats’ paddock. Those presentations can be found at the The Racing Network YouTube page.
Photo: Jeff Altenburg out playing at Solo Nats in B Street driving a Toyota Supra
Photo by Philip Royle
