Countdown to SCCA’s Blytheville Pro-Solo (May 5-7, 2017) begins…
Round 4 of the SCCA’s ProSolo series shifts the action back towards middle America from its jaunt over on the west coast. Nestled in the northeast corner of Arkansas, just a stone’s throw from the Tennessee and Missouri borders, Blytheville, Arkansas has been hosting national solo events for almost a decade now. Local hospitality, homestyle barbecue, and acres and acres of level concrete are what keep autocrossers coming back to this site. Once known for its “disreputable saloon culture” during the height of its lumber boom in the 1880s-1890s, Blytheville is now more on the quiet, quaint, and charming end of the spectrum, even when a hoard of eager autocrossers takes to the town. The town was home to the Blytheville Air Force Base until 1991, and the expansive tarmac where B-52s once resided now makes a prime autocross venue well suited to the mirrored courses of the ProSolo format.
If you’re looking for a diversion from cone chasing, Arkansas touts itself as “The Natural State” and true to that billing, a variety of nearby golf courses, waterways, and wildlife refuges provide the opportunity to golf, fish, hike, and participate in watersports. Lake Mallard, Big Lake Refuge, and the mighty Mississippi River are all close by. Memphis, Tennessee is just 68 miles down Interstate 55 if Graceland beckons or you merely seek entertainment of a more urban nature.
A variety of affordable lodging options are available in the Blytheville area, with most racers electing to stay just off the interstate in Blytheville itself or in nearby Osceola, Arkansas. The hotels in Blytheville can fill up quickly, so don’t delay in submitting your entry and reserving your room. You won’t go hungry while you’re in town, either; dining offerings include both chain restaurants and local favorites featuring barbecue, Mexican food, and steak houses. You’ll likely see them filled with other hungry diners also clad in their autocross T-shirts and streaked on sunblock, so pull up a chair and get to know your fellow autocrossers from around the Midwest! Whether you’ve never tried a ProSolo before, or you’re a veteran in the thick of the ProSolo points chase, the Blytheville ProSolo is an experience you won’t want to miss!
