Thirty or 40 years ago, few would’ve believed Sports Car Club of America would be holding its National Championship Runoffs at the hallowed grounds of Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS)—for the second time.
A venue responsible for igniting a passion for motorsports in so many SCCA members and racers, the hope of competing at The Brickyard was, frankly, much more a dream than even a possibility. Sure, a few SCCA greats have run at IMS over the years — like Mark Donohue, Chip Ganassi, Bobby and Graham Rahal, Jimmy Vasser, Michael Andretti, and Al Unser Jr. — but for most SCCA amateur sportscar racers it was a far-off fantasy.
Of course, that changed back in 2017 when SCCA held it’s first-ever Runoffs at IMS. And to nobody’s surprise, that first event drew 969 drivers from across the country — the largest Runoffs ever held — with Spec Miata (SM) and Spec Racer Ford Gen3 (SRF3) being the largest fields at 86 and 101 respectively.
Equally predictable, the 2021 Runoffs at IMS is very well attended with around 870 entries, making it the second largest SCCA National Championship in history. And just like four years ago, SM and SRF3 have the highest turnout with 89 and 82 drivers respectively.
Now, the Indy 500 traditionally fields 33 cars but, the Runoffs — thanks to SCCA rules — can field as many as 72 cars on track in each of its 26 class races. So, some simple math reveals that not all the SM and SRF3 drivers on site can participate in their National Championship races this year. So, how do we decide who makes the cut?
The solution — just like in 2017 — is to hold Last Chance Races (LCR) Thursday afternoon to finalize the fields. The process is as follows: Drivers outside the top 60 in their class after Wednesday qualifying will take part in their class’s LCR, which will be broadcast online at SCCA.com. In each class, the top 12 finishers will move on to their Runoffs main event, taking place Friday for SM and Sunday for SRF3.
Andrea King, 46, of SCCA’s Land O'Lakes Region, will be taking part in Thursday’s SRF3 LCR driving her No. 08 car. Competing in SCCA Road Racing since 2018, this is her second Runoffs appearance, but the first at IMS. In fact, this is her very first visit, ever, to the Speedway.
“The first time coming to this track, I entered this track as a driver, not a fan,” King said with amazement. “I was warned not to deify the facility, but it’s pretty hard not to because of the history.”
Of course, King will be doing her best to finish in the top 12 during the Last Chance Qualifying Race, but she recognizes that no matter the result, she got to race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And that’s a fact she’ll always cherish.
“Li’l ol’ Andrea King got to run at Indy. That is so cool!” she said with a giant smile and bubbly laugh. “I still get chills just thinking about it.”
Tom Podmore, 63, of SCCA’s Neohio Region, will be another LCR competitor Thursday, but he’ll be participating in the SM race driving his No. 8 car. Just like King, this is Podmore’s second Runoffs and first at IMS, but he has been to The Brickyard before, just as a spectator.
“This is awesome. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” Podmore said, choking up a bit just talking about having the opportunity to race at the legendary facility. “Getting to bring my family here, driving down that front straight; it’s indescribable.”
Just like every other LCR competitor tomorrow afternoon, Podmore will do his best to finish in the top 12 and make the cut to the SM main event. But like King, he knows that having a shot to race on the track was simply a dream come true, and he’ll be going home happy no matter what happens.
“I get to go out Thursday for one more chance,” Podmore said. “It’s just phenomenal. This is the bucket list of bucket things if you like to drive a racecar, and I got to do it.”
To see how all the SM and SRF3 drivers do in the Last Chance Races tomorrow, tune in to SCCA.com for the live broadcast coverage. Since qualifying days are run on a “followed by” schedule, an exact start time for those two races can’t be predicted, but they will happen in the late afternoon. Keep eyes on SCCA.com starting around 4:30 p.m. Central Time for a more precise time as we get closer to these exciting races.
Photo caption: Andrea King talks game plan prior to her second qualifying session at the 2021 SCCA Runoffs.
Photo by: Andy Howe
