The third of four competition days has ended in Lincoln, NE, at the 52nd Tire Rack SCCA® Solo® National Championships, jamming Sept. 1-5, 2025, at Lincoln Airpark. As such, The Time Has Come Today for competitors to take a break from on-course action around the two main stages laid out at this year’s rock ‘n’ roll themed motorsport festival being held on 100 acres of concrete.
Weather conditions Thursday were simply fabulous. It was dry, the winds were fairly reasonable for this part of Nebraska, and temperatures peaked in the mid-70s under skies that vacillated between overcast and hazy.
What did those conditions produce as far as Thursday’s competition goes, where roughly 700 drivers boogied around either the West or East Course on Thursday, with them slated to tackle the other course on Friday? Check out the liner notes below for some insight.
West Course Thursday Recap
Heat 1 on the West Course saw a very big not-surprise when Meredith Bunsawat found herself leading H Street Ladies by the end of third runs — this is Bunsawat’s second Solo Nationals, and if she pulls off the win on Friday, she’ll be two-for-two when it comes to winning her class at Nats.
Given his experience at the event and in the class, Sam Henry wrapping Heat 1, day one leading F Prepared (FP) on the West Course wasn’t a complete surprise, but it undoubtedly was a welcome one for Henry considering the drivers he was facing. As you would expect, with three-time FP champ Wes Hughson sitting just 0.170sec back in second, Henry most definitely does not have this one in the bag.
In Heat 2, Evan LeBlanc concluded his three runs in D Street Touring® with a 0.183sec advantage over Riley Heaton. While LeBlanc hasn’t won at the Solo National Championships before and Heaton has four Nationals wins, LeBlanc has shown serious speed in his previous Nats appearances, so it’s only a matter of time before he earns his first jacket.
Heat 3 saw intense C Street Touring action, with day one wrapping with a 0.116sec gap between perennial Solo Nats podium finisher Garrett Cogburn and six-time National Champion Jonathan Lugod. With this much talent — and the knowledge that in Cogburn’s previous four Solo Nats appearances his worst finish has been fourth — this top-step battle was bound to happen.
Arguably the biggest not-a-surprise day-one result in Heat 4 came in A Street, where newly-minted 2025 Solo Driver of Eminence winner Billy Davis leads the 38-car field into Friday. Can his 0.426sec advantage hold up?
And finally, in just as big of a not-a-shocker as the aforementioned A Street battle came Solo Spec Coupe (SSC) competition in Heat 5 (the final heat of the day). Here, 40 drivers took a turn at the West Course, and as you’d expect, you’d be hard pressed to fit a freshly shaved piece of OPR between the times of most of these drivers. Here, though, there was a big surprise: The day-one lead, held by Joey Green, was 1.098sec! Now keep in mind that last year’s two-day margin of victory in the class was less than half a second. Will this year’s SSC competition be a runaway?
East Course Thursday Recap
Thursday’s East Course launched into action with several surprises. One of those came in E Street Ladies, with Solo Nats rookie Katherine Clark leading the five-car field, which includes the likes of 20-time Solo Nats winner Karen Babb. In another Heat 1 East Course class, Katja Seltmann leads the field into day two in B Street Touring Ladies — her previous best finishing position at Nats so far has been fourth, so she is undoubtedly loving this surprise.
Many probably expected multi-time Solo National Champs Laura Harbour or Ginette Jordan to be leading F Street Prepared Ladies during Heat 2, but instead it was Sara Odioso up front in only her third time at Nats. Will her 0.264sec lead over Harbour hold through Friday’s competition? Odioso undoubtedly hopes so.
Looking for another shocker? E Street is being led by Trevor Renson. Admittedly, Renson has been working his way to the top of the Solo Nats results sheet through the years — now consider that his 0.288sec day-one lead is over none other than 11-time Solo National Champ Bartek Borrowski and you’ll see why Renson’s lead caught our attention.
The biggest surprise of them all on the East Course came in E Modified during Heat 3, where…Jeff Kiesel led the field. OK, not a shock. But his day-one advantage over son Zak is only 0.775sec, both driving the KFR Turbo Sprite, with Jason Minehart a scant 0.4sec further back in his Stalker AXR. Last year’s overall E Mod margin of victory was well over two seconds — this could turn into a day-two nailbiter like we had in 2023.
Heat 4 saw two Tsangs topping the charts, with Mack leading Justin. Mack advantage wasn’t a tale of domination in B Street Touring, with only a 0.221sec gap splitting the two — in this competitive class, that’s no surprise. The interesting part is that with Justin’s position, he could be on his way to earning his first Nationals jacket, which would stop Mack from adding a third to his closet.
Club Spec Mustang Ladies was part of closing down the day’s action in Heat 5. There, six-time winner Crissy Hedderick leads the field into the final day of competition. The surprise here? Her advantage is a miniscule 0.023sec. Who’s in second? Last year’s C Street Modified Ladies winner Carla Russo. This one’s going to be a Friday throwdown for sure.
Final Chords to be Played Friday
There’s only Friday on My Mind as tomorrow is the day a second set of Solo Nats rockstars will be named at Lincoln Airpark. Get that day rock ‘n’ rolling about an hour before cars head on course with the Solo Nationals Morning Show seen at the SCCA Official Facebook page. That’s where knowledgeable hosts interview special guests that bring everyone up to speed on the experience going down in Nebraska.
The motorsport concert on concrete can then be followed all day at sololive.scca.com. Live timing/scoring is featured on that page, as well as current results and audio coverage for each Heat. More insight can also be drummed up at the Tire Rack SCCA National Solo Facebook page, as well as SCCA.com.
Not enough Solo tunes yet for you? 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: Sara Odioso, in a Mazda 3, led the F Street Prepared Ladies class after the first of two competition days at Solo Nats.
Photo by Will Huxtable
So You Want to Be a Rock ‘N’ Roll Star at Solo® Nats? That takes practice, which is what the three Wendi Allen Scholarship Fund (WASF) recipients have been doing the entirety of 2025 in preparation for the rock ‘n’ roll themed Tire Rack SCCA® Solo National Championships going on Sept. 1-5 in Nebraska’s capital city at Lincoln Airpark. And while the trio was honing their skills, they also had a wonderful time expanding their social circles having #funwithcars.
With a goal of encouraging women everywhere to become more successful drivers and contributing SCCA members, the WASF offers financial assistance to women who have the drive to improve on the Regional, Divisional, and National level. Managed by SCCA Women on Track, the scholarship is funded courtesy of the SCCA Foundation and Mazda Motorsports. The annual opportunity presents three women with $1,500 each in support of their travel to Tire Rack National Solo events and the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships.
In addition to the funding, SCCA waives entry fees for scholarship recipients to all Tire Rack National Solo events attended during the year. The Club also collaborates with the Solo community and commercial partners to seek out other forms of support for the recipients, such as driver training, mentoring, products, and logistical assistance.
Those interested in future WASF opportunities, the process starts with submission of applications early each year. Keep an eye on SCCA.com for information on when the 2026 submission window opens.
Scholarship Winners’ Year in Review
Meredith Bunsawat, Utah Region — It was 2021 when Bunsawat’s autocross foray began in a Honda Civic LX with an automatic transmission. Little did she know that was the start of an incredible new experience. And the WASF opportunity this year cranked the adventure up a notch.
Bunsawat’s year opened with visits to both Tire Rack SCCA Las Vegas ProSolo® weekends at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and she actually won Ladies Class 3 (L3) on the second weekend. She followed that up with a visit to Nebraska for both the ProSolo and Solo National Tour parties at Spring Nationals. Lastly, she doubled up again with back-to-back weekends in Packwood, WA, where she again won L3 during the ProSolo.
“It was so beneficial,” she said of the scholarship. “Last year was my first dabble into National events, and my first realization into how much it costs to get to those places. The scholarship kept the dream alive and then some.
“I stretched myself, and my finances, to make one final push on my own last season to attend the [Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships] in Lincoln and ultimately won my first championship in the small HSL class,” she said. “I was ecstatic with the results of last season, being that I don’t have the ‘perfect’ car for my class, nor was it prepped besides wheels and tires.”
H Street Ladies (HSL) is where Bunsawat will be playing on Thursday/Friday again this year at Lincoln Airpark. But before then, she came to Nebraska to partake in her first ProSolo Finale, where she competed in L3 and claimed a trophy after finishing third. As for her performance at Solo Nats, HSL, go to sololive.scca.com for current timing/scoring to see how she is coming along.
“I want to say thank you to all the ladies that volunteer with SCCA Women on track,” noted Bunsawat. “They really make it a lot easier for women trying to get into this sport on the National level. Thanks to them, and I hope I can pay it forward.”
Emily “Em” Huneycutt, North Carolina Region — It was only 2022 when Huneycutt got into autocross, but that doesn’t mean she’s a motorsport newbie. “Both my mother and father autocrossed when they were younger,” she said. “After attending an autocross with my father, I quickly signed up for a novice school with a local club so I could confidently attend and participate in autocross regardless of if my father was there to guide me or not.”
In 2024, Huneycutt upped her game by attending an Evolution Performance Driving School, as well as her first Solo National Tour. This year, thanks to help from the WASF program, her dance card was filled by Tire Rack National Tour stops in Moultrie, GA; Bristol, TN; and Concord, NC, where she earned her first trophy. She also explored ProSolo events in Georgia and Tennessee.
“The year has been awesome,” she said of the competition season. “The main thing the scholarship has done is push me to go to Tour events by helping me with traveling. Having entry fees covered is a monumental weight off and helps get me out there.”
Huneycutt is making her first visit to Lincoln Airpark this year, and she’s making it a full-blown jam session, saying, “I’m nervous and excited. This is the furthest I’ve ever been from my home.
“I’m just super grateful and incredibly thankful to be doing this,” she added. “It has been really rewarding. What a year!”
H Street is the competition class for Huneycutt this year. Follow her progress, and efforts of all the participants, at sololive.scca.com where you’ll find current timing/scoring, as well as a live audio broadcast of the action.
Juliana Brava, San Francisco Region — An SCCA member since only 2023, Brava is slowly recognizing just how strong her passion is for performance driving.
“After recognizing I’d never paid enough attention to this, I dove into it headfirst,” she said. “I jumped in and tried my first SCCA Solo event at Crow’s Landing with the San Francisco Region. I had a blast! Not only was it an incredible driving experience, but I also met a group of wonderful people that welcomed me with open arms. It didn’t take long to realize I’d found the perfect place to grow as a driver and connect with an amazing community.
“The financial help from the scholarship has been huge,” Brava said about this year’s ongoing exploration. “The two events I managed to attend on the National level, those being a ProSolo and National Tour at Crows Landing, were only possible because of the scholarship.”
Along with driving at those events, Brava has also gotten more involved with her Region. She stepped into a role as social media manager and co-chaired some events.
“The scholarship has connected me to other women in the program, both fellow drivers and mentors who have so much to pass on,” she said. “There’s something special about being tutored by other women in the program. The relationships I got to build was one of the most beneficial parts of this opportunity.”
Unfortunately, Brava isn’t able to be at this year’s Solo Nats, but there’s always next year — and hopefully many years to come after that.
More About the Wendi Allen Scholarship Fund
WASF, jointly supported by SCCA Foundation and Mazda Motorsports, was named and established by the family of Allen to honor the multi-time National Solo Champion. Wendi loved the SCCA Solo Community and wished to give back to the sport by helping young women become more successful drivers and contributing SCCA members. Learn more about the 2025 WASF award recipients here.
SCCA Foundation is always accepting donations earmarked for the WASF, as well as other initiatives advancing opportunities for women’s involvement in the Club. Go to SCCA Foundation’s website to discover more about the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization. That is also the portal where online donations can be made and earmarked for the WASF initiative.
Photo: Wendi Allen Scholarship Fund winner Meredith Bunsawat attacked the course in Lincoln, NE, this year during the ProSolo Finale
Photo by Chris Yoder
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has a yearly ceremony to honor the best in its biz. Wednesday evening, Sept. 3, 2025, in Lincoln, NE, SCCA’s Solo® program did the same, further keeping with the rock ‘n’ roll theme of this year’s 52nd Tire Rack SCCA® Solo National Championships.
The Tire Rack Event Center (TREC) VIP Backstage Tent at Lincoln Airpark hummed with excitement during the annual Tire Rack Solo Awards Celebration. The party opened with free beverages and a dinner featuring an amazing variety of eats. There were grilled burgers, pork loin, pizza, lasagna, baked beans, mac ‘n’ cheese, rice, potato salad, and a green salad.
After dinner it was time to laud the newly minted Solo Nats winners from the Tuesday/Wednesday run groups. The gathering then learned who was selected to receive some of the Solo program’s highest honors.
And the Winners are…
The Heart of Solo Award was given out last night for only the second time. It recognizes those from the Solo community who have had a profound impact on their class, Region, and Solo community. They will have created a welcoming environment for all and lived SCCA’s core values of excellence, service, passion, team, experience, and stewardship. The recipient for 2025 was Brad Smith of SCCA’s Kansas City Region.
Smith is known for being friendly, supportive, super helpful, and just plain fun to be around. As a car owner, he is obsessed with making the car better for himself and teammates. Active within the Solo community at every level, Smith has served on advisory committees and Solo Events Board (SEB). He’s happy to lend a hand to anyone in need, and sometimes even gets upset if he can’t help a fellow competitor. Added all together, the facets noted above make him the absolute correct person to receive the Heart of Solo Award.
Also named last night was the 2025 Driver of Eminence. That honor goes to Solo competitors who consistently demonstrated excellence behind the wheel, and an exemplary degree of sportsmanship, dedication, and unselfishness. The winner is selected by the SEB from nominations submitted by the membership at large. The award last night went to Billy Davis of SCCA’s New England Region.
Prior to this year’s event, Davis had attended Solo Nats 15 times and left without a trophy only once, which was his rookie year. He has eight National Championships, six overall wins in ProSolo®, and earned a Solo Triad Award. He’s viewed as a valued friend, coach, and is active on an advisory committee. All this and more is why he was named the Driver of Eminence.
“Thank you,” was about all Davis could muster for his acceptance speech. “It’s just amazing to be recognized for this and to get this chance.”
That brings us to the Solo Cup Award. Presented annually since 1978, this honor goes to SCCA members who have made an outstanding contribution to the Solo events program. Winners are selected by the SEB from nominations submitted by the membership at large. The 2025 recipient is Jeff Cox of SCCA’s Eastern Tennessee Region.
As an event organizer, it is well established that he is the first man on site and the last man out. He has chaired several Solo Nats over the years, and runs one of the best Solo programs out of the Southeast. He shows up early, stays late, and works on every detail of an event. His effort often astounds others, which is why he was awarded the Solo Cup Award.
Earlier in the week, during Monday night’s Welcome Party, two additional special awards were presented. One was the Johnson Spirit of the Sport Award recognizing members of the Solo community who bring the spirit of fun to their fellow participants, as symbolized by the message engraved on the perpetual award that states, “Johnson Spirit of the Sport Award, presented annually by the Royal Order of the Sheep to a member of the flock that upholds the spirited virtues of Fun, Camaraderie and Tomfoolery.”
This award, selected annually by the previous three winners, is named in honor of the inaugural recipient: Exalted Grand Shepherd, Roger E. Johnson. The winner in 2025 was the F Bomb Troop consisting of SCCA North Carolina Region members Jennifer Bedell, David Spratte, Chris Peterson. A fixture in SCCA’s Solo community for 15 years, the trio often conducts game nights at Solo events, and is known for spraying others with water or champagne during celebratory moments. They also work hard to find seats for others wanting to participate at Solo events.
Bedell spoke on behalf of F Bomb Troop and said, “We’re just out here trying to have the best time we can, and trying to make sure everyone else has an enjoyable time. Racing is supposed to be fun, and autocross is silly. There’s no reason we should be taking this seriously. You’re standing in a parking lot. If you’re not having a great time cracking jokes and laughing, then you’re doing it wrong.”
The other annual honor announced Monday was the Dick Berger Perseverance Award recognizing someone who is undaunted by limited success over many National Championship events, but keeps coming back to enjoy the camaraderie, community, and hopes for a trophy in competition. Mark Valera, of SCCA’s Philadelphia Region, won the award this year during his 18th trip to Solo Nats. An invaluable Solo Nats Chief Steward, Valera had never finished better than seventh. Unfortunately, his trophy-less streak on course continued this year, but at least he walks away with some hardware in the form of the Dick Berger Perseverance Award.
Second Verse…
While the opening set of 2025 Solo Nats winners has been feted, a second set of competitors are all tuned up and already dancing across the two main stages (aka: the East Course and West Course) at Lincoln Airpark. Those Soloists are looking to Break On Through to the Other Side as far as locking down a trophy from the next set to be handed out late Friday afternoon.
You don’t want to miss a moment of this show, so tune in online to sololive.scca.com. That’s where you can jam out with live timing/scoring, as well as audio coverage each day. Don’t forget to monitor the Tire Rack SCCA National Solo and SCCA Official Facebook pages, too, for updates and photos over the next two days of #funwithcars.
For more ‘notes’ from Solo Nats, check out the Solo Nationals Morning Show. It’s a daily video broadcast at the SCCA Official Facebook page that starts about an hour before cars head out on course. That’s where you’ll find knowledgeable hosts interviewing special guests that bring everyone up to speed on the experience.
Need even more Solo tunes? Brian Bielanski has that covered with special Inside the SCCA segments posting to The Racing Network YouTube page. He’s talking with participants and offers slice-of-life stories from the paddock.
Photo: Clockwise from left – Solo Cup winner Jeff Cox; Spirit of the Sport winners Jennifer Bedell, Chris Peterson, David Spratte (not pictured); Heart of Solo winner Brad Smith; Driver of Eminence Billy Davis; and Dick Berger Perseverance Award winner Mark Valera.
Photos by Philip Royle
