Opening beats have been recorded at the 52nd Tire Rack SCCA® Solo® National Championships. Some Soloists played the hits while others missed a note or two. But the rock ‘n’ roll themed autocross festival – taking place Sept. 1-5, 2025, in Nebraska’s capital city at Lincoln Airpark – will Turn It On Again Wednesday morning with the first set of Solo Nats victors crowned by day’s end.
Below is a quick glimpse at action from the East Course and West Course after day one. Keep in mind this is just one half of the week’s headliners. If you missed Tuesday’s action, be sure not to miss the rest of the show over the next several days.
As always, hear the whole song online at sololive.scca.com where you’ll find live timing/scoring, current results, and audio coverage for each Heat every day.
East Course Tuesday Recap
Action began early Tuesday morning, and over on the East Course the D Modified field led the way. Jeremy Ellerby will sleep on a lead in his Sprinto RC 1.4T, but the Hoosier-shod Lotus Elan of Jeff Cashmore is just 0.354sec back.
If you’re looking for the closest battle of the day, look no further than E Street Touring. How close is it? So close that Adam Barber is fifth, and he’s only 0.335sec back. So close that Rich DiMarco is third, and he’s 0.007sec behind. So close that Eric Stolz and Kim Whitener are in a dead heat after the first day! Should Whitener hang on, she would be just the eighth driver eligible for Ladies Classes who took victory in an open class, and just the fifth titled National Champion (following three in supplemental classes).
By comparison, G Street is a runaway. Nicholas Mellenthin holds a 0.036sec lead over Lance Keeley and is just 0.047sec ahead of Duston Grubbs in third. For those scoring at home, that’s two Volkswagen GTIs and a Honda Civic Si leading the way.
Forty cars set times in C Street, but none were as quick as Julian Garfield. He is looking for his second consecutive win in the class and moved to the top with a clean run on his third and final look at the course. He holds a 0.332sec lead over Jack Crissey and a 0.349sec advantage over Andrew Pallotta.
West Course Tuesday Recap
Jeff Wong is an eight-time National Champion (so far), so there’s no surprise to see him up front in Super Street Prepared. Wong coned the first run in his Corvette, then moved past Doug Rowse and GJ Dixon on his second run to jump to the lead. The rest of the field will try to chase him down on Wednesday.
Likewise, Brian Peters will try to chase down James Yom in Super Street. He won’t have far to go – Peters led through his three runs in his Corvette, then watched as Yom jumped to the top of the sheets in his Porsche on the last run of the group. Yom will go to bed tonight with a 0.040sec lead.
No surprise to anyone who knows, but three strong drivers sit closely atop the D Street standings. Alex Piehl leads the way in a Toyota GR86 after a flying final run, with DJ Alessandrini and his GR86 just 0.137sec behind. Michael Yanase is 0.307sec back in his Honda Civic, with others in striking distance to set up a Wednesday showdown.
Solo Nats Show Continues Wednesday
We’re doing it live Wednesday morning about an hour before cars head on course with the Solo Nationals Morning Show seen at the SCCA Official Facebook page. That’s where you’ll find knowledgeable hosts interviewing special guests that bring everyone up to speed on the experience.
The show keeps going all day at sololive.scca.com where you’ll find live timing/scoring, current results, and audio coverage for each Heat. More insight can be discovered at the Tire Rack SCCA National Solo Facebook page, as well as SCCA.com.
Not enough Solo tunes to get you through the work week? Journalist Brian Bielanski got you covered with conversations around the paddock to uncover slice-of-life stories for special Inside the SCCA segments posting to The Racing Network YouTube page.
Photo: Dave Schotz leads CAM-C after the first day of competition at the 2025 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships in Nebraska.
Photo by Philip Royle
