For decades, the Sports Car Club of America™ (SCCA®) and Grassroots Motorsports (GRM) have helped automotive enthusiasts turn an interest in cars into something they can experience behind the wheel. Now, the organizations are strengthening that relationship around a shared goal: making motorsports more accessible through DIY, approachable, budget-friendly competition.

The agreement names GRM the Official Media Partner of SCCA and builds on an established foundation of member subscription benefits, shared storytelling, and programs that connect enthusiasts with opportunities to participate.

Beginning in 2027, the partnership will bring a new identity to SCCA’s Race Experience program, welcome Grassroots Motorsports Challenge cars built for $5,000 into SCCA events, and the two organizations will begin working together to develop and cultivate collegiate sports car clubs.

“For decades we’ve been involved with the SCCA as participants, board members, and above all else, members,” says GRM Publisher Tom Suddard, “and our fellow enthusiast have been reading our magazine every step of the way. Together, we can grow the hobby and get more people having fun with cars. That’s what GRM and the SCCA are all about.”

“SCCA has built its partnership with GRM piece by piece over the last two decades,” says SCCA Vice President of Rally/Solo and Experiential Programs Heyward Wagner. “It started with including their magazine in Starting Line student packs, grew through the promotion of Track Night in America®, and most recently brought the Ultimate Track Car Challenge into the Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack National Championship. Welcoming GRM founder Tim Suddard into the SCCA Hall of Fame speaks to the impact Grassroots Motorsports has had on our Club. It’s great to build on that legacy by making this partnership official.”

Introducing the SCCA Grassroots Motorsports Cup

The SCCA Grassroots Motorsports Cup, or GRM Cup, will reinvent SCCA’s Race Experience program by bringing together SCCA’s experience delivering safe, fun motorsports events and GRM’s culture of DIY ingenuity and budget-minded participation.

Building on SCCA Race Experience, the GRM Cup will offer approachable wheel-to-wheel racing for drivers with properly prepared racecars and required safety equipment. Drivers can participate without an existing competition license, with instruction and coaching supporting a welcoming, lower-pressure racing environment.

GRM Cup events will take place alongside Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Challenge events and at participating SCCA Regional race weekends.

Through how-to articles, event previews, and coverage, SCCA and GRM will help enthusiasts understand what they need, how to prepare, and how to get on track.

Build a Challenge Car and Keep Having Fun

GRM is also reinventing one of its signature programs, moving from the traditional $2,000 budget to a new $5,000 limit for the Grassroots Motorsports Challenge Presented by Tire Rack. The higher budget supports a broader goal: helping owners and teams build cars that are fun and sustainable to use throughout the year.

The Challenge still rewards creativity and resourcefulness. Teams purchase and prepare a car within the $5,000 budget, then compete in autocross, drag racing, and concours-style judging. Safety equipment and one qualifying set of tires are excluded from the budget. The partnership will give those projects more places to play.

Beginning in 2027, GRM Challenge exhibition classes will be offered at Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour and Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Challenge events, along with the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships and Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack National Championship. These will initially be exhibition classes without National Championship status.

Those opportunities are intended for existing and future GRM Challenge teams, collegiate clubs, and DIY, budget-minded SCCA members.

“A car built for the Challenge represents a lot of creativity, effort, and teamwork,” Wagner says. “We want to give people more reasons to build one, and more opportunities to enjoy it. The vision is a car you can have fun with all season.”

Helping Collegiate Car Clubs Grow

Collegiate sports car clubs will be a central part of the effort.

SCCA and GRM will invite existing clubs to become more engaged through approachable competition, including SCCA events and the Grassroots Motorsports Challenge. Together, the organizations will also help cultivate new clubs, connecting students with information, local SCCA communities, and opportunities to build and compete.

For students, these programs offer a shared project with a practical destination: prepare a car together, learn together, and take it to an event.

The 2027 Grassroots Motorsports Challenge takes place April 17–18 at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, FL. Visit GRMChallenge.com for event information and rules.

SCCA’s 2027 Solo National Tour, Time Attack Challenge, and National Championship event schedules will be announced soon.

Photo by Jeff Loewe

First, mark “SCCA® National Convention” on your calendar for Jan. 15-20, 2027, then come back to this article.

Welcome back!

There are plenty of reasons to attend the SCCA National Convention, especially in 2027. For starters, the event is held online, so you can join in from nearly anywhere in the world. It’s also FREE(!) to attend, and all members of the Sports Car Club of America™ are welcome (and encouraged) to take part. Consider it an open invitation to spark something new.

Did we say spark? That was no accident, because this year’s National Convention theme is exactly that: Spark.

What is the SCCA National Convention? It’s where members come together to ignite fresh ideas, build valuable connections, celebrate well-earned recognition, and fuel their passion for the Club. With nearly 1,000 SCCA members, volunteers, leaders, officials, competitors, and staff in the mix, there’s no shortage of perspectives to share, inspiration to discover, or possibilities to unearth.

Whether you want to reignite energy in your Region, take your events up a notch, sharpen your leadership skills, meet your next motorsports friend, or help steer the Club toward an exciting future, this is the place to get things moving. One conversation can spark an idea. One new connection can fuel a collaboration. And one fresh perspective can set something bigger in motion.

See? Spark!

And what’s a spark without a little celebration? The Convention also shines a spotlight on the people who make SCCA special, with awards ranging from the SCCA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to some of the Club’s top honors in Solo®, Road Racing, RallyCross®, and RoadRally.

Drivers are welcome too! The National Convention features something for everyone, including information about future programs, licensing, event innovations, and more.

You Say “And More”

More, like what? Wondering about EVs in motorsports? The SCCA National Convention will have a session involving exactly that. Want to know what the future holds for Road Racing’s Regional programs? You’re welcome to attend that session. Curious about how Track Days, Time Attack, and Road Racing can work together to elevate a Region’s weekend? Yes, there is a session that’ll go into that topic, too.

While we know some of the “and more” that will take place at the 2027 National Convention, we’re still developing many of the details, with a full listing hitting the National Convention’s webpage in early December.

There’s also “more” in that numerous SCCA Divisions are hosting Divisional Conventions…like:

More info to come on those, too.

Get Ready

All of this sounds great, right? The only bad news is you can’t register yet – registration will open Dec. 1. Two weeks later, on Dec. 15, we’ll be back with the complete National Convention schedule.

For now, there’s nothing to do except for marking your calendar and getting ready to spark new ideas, fuel your passion, and help shape what’s next for SCCA.

You can also prep by downloading the Whova app on your iPhone or Android phone, since Whova is the central location for your SCCA National Convention experience. Whether you use the phone app or not, you can also use a web browser and Whova’s webpage to get in on the Convention fun.

Join us Jan. 15-20, 2027, and see what a little spark can set in motion.

SCCA National Convention

Photo by Adam Brooks