The 2023 Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing season is nearly upon us – as in, it starts this weekend! The U.S. Majors Tour jumps into action at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, FL, Jan. 6-8 – 30-plus race weekends later, the SCCA National Championship Runoffs returns to VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, VA, on Sept. 23-Oct. 1. But there’s a lot to know between now and September – primarily, how racers qualify for the Runoffs and which classes will be invited.
The button below takes you straight to a Runoffs qualification criteria flowchart, but don’t breeze through the description that follows because while much of the Runoffs qualification details remain the same from last year, there are several key items that could be vital to your competition season – namely, the Runoffs is inviting one fewer class than in 2022.
Runoffs Qualification Flowchart
Invited Classes
For the 2023 SCCA National Championship Runoffs at VIR, 25 classes will be invited to compete: AS, B-Spec, F600, FA, FC, FE2, FF, FV, EP, FP, HP, GT1, GT2, GT3, GTL, P1, P2, SM, SRF3, STL, STU, T1, T2, T3, and T4.
Formula X (FX) will not be included in the class lineup at the 2023 Runoffs. FX will continue to be included at Hoosier Super Tour and U.S. Majors Tour events, just like GTX. And like GTX, event trophies will be awarded, but not season-long point championships in Hoosier Super Tour or U.S. Majors Tour Conferences.
“FX was created in 2020 for winged, open-wheel formula cars of modest power and performance,” said Deanna Flanagan, SCCA’s Director of Road Racing. “Formula Mazda cars were reclassed into FX along with Formula 4 and tube-frame USF2000 vehicles in a non-BoP [balance of performance] class. In the three years of its existence, FX has not seen the growth that was hoped for and has dropped below the 4.0 rule limit. The Club Racing Board [CRB] is looking into alternate classification opportunities for some FX cars.”
Paths to the Runoffs
This year’s paths to the Runoffs remain unchanged from 2022, offering consistency in the multiple qualifying paths for the National Championship event taking place this September at VIR.
The U.S. Majors Tour Path includes four different methods of receiving a Runoffs invite, with the first involving a straightforward participation, finish, and performance requirement. Here, participants must compete in three U.S. Majors Tour events, which includes any combination of Conference Majors and Super Tours. During those weekends, drivers must finish at least three individual races.
In lieu of participation in three Majors/Super Tour weekends, racers can opt to compete in two Majors race weekends plus two separate Regional weekends, totaling four unique race weekends. A pro racing path is also available, where racers have the option to participate in two Majors events plus one eligible SCCA Pro Racing weekend, or one Majors event and two SCCA Pro Racing weekends (totaling three race weekends).
The Majors-plus-Regional route to the Runoffs requires drivers to finish at least three individual Majors races. The Pro path requires drivers to finish at least two individual Majors races.
Those using the U.S. Majors Tour Path listed above must finish in the top 50 percent of their class point standings in a Majors Conference or the Hoosier Super Tour. If a class has less than 20 participants, drivers finishing in the top 10 and meeting the other criteria will qualify.
The Divisional Path to the Runoffs requires drivers to participate in four event weekends in a single Division in a single class, finishing in the top three in the Divisional point standings (top five in Spec Miata and Spec Racer Ford Gen3).
Defending National Champions may enter the Runoffs in the class or classes being defended without meeting any qualification criteria. This provision may not be invoked for two consecutive years in the same class, even if the driver repeats as a National Champion.
Photo by Rick Corwine
