Time marches on, and right now it’s marching closer and closer to the 2023 SCCA National Championship Runoffs at VIRginia International Raceway, Sept. 23-Oct. 1. It’s the third time – and second in a row – that the Runoffs has been held at the place that our very own Paul Newman called “Heaven on Earth” – and that was before the facility’s monumental improvements.

This, as was previously announced, is the final swing before the Runoffs heads to Road America – so for many of us who haven’t yet accomplished the feat, 2023 marks the last chance to win a National Championship at VIR. And we’re aware that last year’s event took place literally in the middle of a hurricane. To make up for that, SCCA President and CEO Mike Cobb has promised nothing but sunshine for all 2023 Runoffs races. (editor’s note: he hasn’t, he can’t, and there are no guarantees. But come on, twice in a row seems at least mildly unlikely, right?)

With that said, there are important dates that you’ve hopefully seen before, but need to be kept in mind.

July 12

Runoffs worker and driver registration opens at 10 a.m. CT on MotorsportReg.com.

Drivers need not have fulfilled Runoffs qualification criteria in order to register for the event. Prior to registration opening, competitors should log into their MotorsportReg.com account to ensure their SCCA member number, license expiration date, and vehicle profile information are correct.

Drivers who participated in the 2022 Runoffs may select their 2023 car number in the same class for this year’s event. Eligible competitors must register no later than 9 a.m. CT on July 19 to secure their previous year’s number – afterward, unclaimed 2022 numbers will become available to other competitors. In the case of groups with combined qualifying sessions, if two competitors request the same number, the requested number will be assigned to the competitor who completed registration first. The number “1” is reserved for the defending National Champion in each class.

Again in 2023, there will be a separate registration for prep shops and their employees. Instructions for how prep shops can register are available on the Runoffs event page.

Test Day reservations can also be made during driver registration starting July 12. The Test Day schedule is available from the Runoffs event page menu.

There will be dry RV/camping spots available in the South Paddock that can be reserved during online registration. A handful of electrical spots are available. Additional dry/primitive camping is available in designated camping areas around VIR. Workers and drivers can request a general camping pass (for an unreserved spot) by simply checking a box during the general registration process. Participants may sleep in their marked paddock area at no charge. The Premium RV sites located in the North Paddock will be used as driver paddock space and will not be included in the RV reservation site inventory.

Also on July 12, contingency registration opens. We’ll have more on that in the coming days, but just know that come July 12, contingency registration is open.

August 23

The single-car paddock reservation process opens at 12 p.m. CT on MotorsportReg.com. Watch the event page for more details and a link to the form on MotorsportReg.com.

Party in the Paddock

From track walk sessions on Sunday, Sept. 24, and Monday, Sept. 25, to dinners, Tire Rack Pole Awards, Worker of the Year Presented by Mazda celebrations, and more, the Runoffs is so much more than race cars on track. Details for these activities will be announced soon.

All of this information, and a whole lot more, can be found via the Runoffs event page.

Photo by Rick Corwine