Few tracks hold more SCCA Road Racing history than Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, the home of the SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® during the 1970s, ’80s, and into the ’90s. That history, the track’s thrilling layout, and its easy access location in northern Georgia make the 2.54-mile, 12-turn circuit one of the most popular stops on the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour. That especially applies this year, with the Super Tour’s fourth stop of the season happening at the famous Braselton, GA, track on March 8-10, 2024, and it’s already brimming with more than 200 entries.
There’ll be a lot to watch during the weekend, including...
You’re Driving What?
David Pintaric is a ground-pounding, muscle car kind of guy – showing up at the SCCA Runoffs for the first time back in 2004 in a Touring 1 Corvette, moving to a Dodge Viper, and then abusing tires in a GT-1 and Trans Am car for a number of years. For many of us, he’s practically synonymous with horsepower.
But Pintaric isn’t all grunt and muscle. The Canfield, OH, native has slapped his number 57 on the side of a Spec MX-5 for this round of the Hoosier Super Tour, trading in horsepower for momentum.
It’s not the first time he’s climbed into a Mazda. Pintaric ran the Runoffs in Spec Miata in 2011.
But don’t worry: He’ll still be racing and making noise in his GT-1 Ford Mustang, too.
Open it up at Atlanta
One of the fun aspects of a visit to Road Atlanta is that it truly fits no matter what car you have. That shows up on the entry list, where the open-wheel groups can see higher than average car counts.
For example, 32 entries make up the colloquially known “Wings and Things” groups, with 10 in Formula Continental and 11 in Formula Enterprises 2 at press time.
Sunday in the South
Road Atlanta does, always has, and likely always will have quirks that come with its location. That includes Sunday morning’s quiet time, where rules strongly state “No Race Engines” from 10 a.m. to noon.
But that doesn’t mean the track is empty, because street engines are still allowed to run. That brings us to “Shush Sessions,” a two-run-group short event (beginner/intermediate with passing on the straight only, and advanced with passing on any section of the track – all with a point by, of course) that allows two to three sessions of lapping the famous track, for just $135.
If you know Track Night in America® Driven by Tire Rack, this is practically that – rules and all. Which means it’s for every skill level, it’s a lot of fun, and just about any street car is eligible.
Want to participate? Find out more information here.
Home Cooking, and More Info
As always, if you’re interested in the Hoosier Super Tour from Road Atlanta but can’t make it to the track, you can watch it all from home (or wherever you are in the world, assuming your cellular network didn’t fall out).
Brian Bielanski, Gregg Ginsberg, and the team from DriversEye Live will be on site, just like at every Hoosier Super Tour, providing live, multi-camera coverage with race commentary on SCCA’s YouTube channel, as well as the SCCA Official and Road Racing Facebook pages.
Check out the event’s entry list, schedule, and more through the link below.
Photo by Jeff Loewe
