It may only be July, but it’s time to start planning for — and getting amped about — the 2023 Tire Rack SCCA® Time Trials Nationals Powered by Hagerty (TTN) taking place Oct. 12-15 in Bowling Green, KY, at NCM Motorsports Park. New for this year is a later date on the calendar for TTN — plus, the Grassroots Motorsports Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge will take place onsite alongside TTN. How awesome is that?
To be part of the fun, excitement, and competition, you first have to register for this annual event. Be sure to mark your calendars for 3 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, July 12, because that’s when registration kicks into gear.
The entry fee is $550 per driver, with a cap of 225 entries — in other words, don’t wait to get registered because this blast of a weekend is bound to fill up quickly.
An Awesome Weekend Made Awesomer
If you’ve been to a TTN before and loved it, you’ll love it again this year — in fact, you’ll love it more. If you’ve never attended, correct that mistake!
The format remains similar to previous years with drivers tackling various configurations of NCM Motorsports Park over four days. And with the event taking place in the fall this year, temperatures should prove to be advantageous for speed, which could lead to setting blazingly fast track records — which not only gets you an awesome Track Record plaque, but a coveted spot on the Records and Best for NCM on the SCCA Time Trials page!
Here’s how the days break down:
- Thursday, Oct. 12, will feature three 20-minute practice sessions on NCM’s 3.15-mile Grand Full Course. Those laps are timed, but not scored.
- Friday, Oct. 13, more run groups are added to decrease the number of cars on track at any one time, and each driver gets three TrackAttack sessions on the Grand Full Course to post their best time of the day — which counts toward the final scores.
- Saturday, Oct. 15, will see two TrackSprint sessions utilizing different, shorter versions of NCM’s circuit in a standing-start-to-flying-finish challenge, not unlike HillClimbs or SCCA Autocross. These sessions add two more elements to the final scores.
- Sunday, Oct. 15, contains another two TrackAttack sessions on the Grand Full Course, with a driver’s single best time counting toward a final score. Those four weekend times then determine finishing orders within a driver’s class and overall KONI Podium trophies.
Of course, while the competition on track will be fun and furious, the paddock parties — whether it be the official Hagerty Social Dinner Party BBQ on Saturday or any one of many impromptu parties that happen throughout the event — all but guarantee you’re gonna have a blast.
Something Different This Way Comes
An exciting wrinkle this year comes with the inclusion of the Grassroots Motorsports Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge (UTCC) joining TTN at NCM.
The UTCC is an epic challenge most have only read about in Grassroots Motorsports magazine or online. For those unfamiliar, UTCC has attracted the fastest time attack cars in the country for more than a decade. In 2023, TTN entrants will have a front-row seat to scope out the action and machinery.
For more information about UTCC, check out their website. If you’re feeling spicy, apply to be entered in the UTCC — if your UTCC application is accepted, you can compete in both events!
The Registration Countdown Begins
TTN is open to all drivers with a valid state driver’s license and a full membership to the Sports Car Club of America. If you don’t have an SCCA membership, you can join the Club when registering for the event (or do it ahead of time).
Those who are 16- and 17-years old with a state-issued driver’s license can compete, but there’s some extra paperwork to be filled out. Contact TTN officials beforehand and get approval from the Event Lead.
For more information on rules and car classes, visit the Time Trials website, and while you’re there, click on the TTN event webpage for more info about what lies in store for this awesome weekend.