It’s the opening day of competition for the 52nd Tire Rack SCCA® Solo® National Championships taking place at Lincoln Airpark in Nebraska’s capital city. This year’s rock ‘n’ roll themed autocross festival won’t be a Slow Ride Sept. 1-5, 2025, as around 1,300 entrants will attack two different course layouts to find out who is fastest in various car classes over the next four days.
The first set of Solo National Champions will be decided from those competing Tuesday and Wednesday within 40 eligible car classes. Stay in the groove from afar by following the action online at sololive.scca.com, which includes live timing/scoring, as well as audio coverage throughout each day. Also monitor the Tire Rack SCCA National Solo and SCCA Official Facebook pages, too, for updates and photos over the next several days of #funwithcars.
Monday Night’s Battle of the Bites Blowout!
“Come for the cars; stay for the people,” is an unofficial motto amongst Sports Car Club of America members. But after Monday night’s Battle of the Bites, perhaps the saying for Solo Nats should be: Come for the food and party; stay for the people – and some car stuff, too.
Weather conditions on Monday were a bit annoying, with a light rain persisting most of the day. Still, it’s honestly amazing what culinary delights can be created outdoors on a giant slab of concrete at Lincoln Airpark. Made possible thanks to support from Visit Lincoln and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, the alluring aroma of fantastic food floated across the paddock after Mother Nature brought the rain to a halt late in the day.
Zesty mac and cheese with banana pudding for desert was what SEDiv brought to the party. The ChiWaukee contingent delivered fried cheese curds, which was only appropriate. Something called a Rochester Garbage Plate was doled out by the Rust Belt Super Region, and the squad from Road Trip Racing/Spokes delivered rice bowls filled with smoked chicken.
Furthermore, Saginaw Valley Region held a fish fry utilizing six different types of fish. St. Louis Region served up toasted raviolis, and Tony Packo hotdogs were available thanks to Northwest Ohio Region. Also available were adult beverages and soft drinks reflecting the unique areas from which each group came. Rumor has it there were vegetables served at a stop or two as well.
Tire Rack hosted a cone toss inside the Tire Rack Event Center (TREC) VIP Backstage Tent, with players receiving tickets for a raffle that will lead to drum sets being given away during the week. The Backroads band filled the venue with tunes, too, accompanied on drums for a bit by SCCA President and CEO Mike Cobb.
Folks chatted and laughed well into the night, having fun like Nothing Else Matters. But being a Club with competition in its DNA, a champion will be selected from the Battle of the Bites chefs. The winner will be announced Wednesday evening during the annual Tire Rack Solo Awards Celebration held inside the TREC VIP Backstage Tent.
Here Comes the Sun; or Here Comes the Rain Again
Longtime Solo Nats participants and followers know Mother Nature’s whims can vary widely the first week of September in Lincoln. It can be doggone windy at times, have some high-water moments, then the whole concert venue can get hotter than an amplifier sitting in the sun.
This year looks to embrace two of the three conditions mentioned above. Here Comes the Sun is a song that applies to Tuesday, then Here Comes the Rain Again looks to perhaps be the theme for Wednesday. Thursday and Friday look to be pretty good, but Nebraska’s forecast can change a lot in 72 hours. Thankfully, the forecast predicts winds will not exceed 20 mph, and temperatures will not get above 80 degrees – a true blessing when seated out on 100 acres of concrete.
How will conditions impact competition? Tune in to sololive.scca.com and find out by monitoring live timing/scoring complemented by audio coverage provided each day.
Photo: Cones were flying Monday evening in the Tire Rack Event Center VIP Backstage Tent during the Solo Nats Welcome Party and Battle of the Bites.
Photo by Philip Royle
