So You Want to Be a Rock ‘N’ Roll Star at Solo Nats? That takes practice, which is what the three Wendi Allen Scholarship Fund (WASF) recipients have been doing the entirety of 2025 in preparation for the rock ‘n’ roll themed Tire Rack SCCA® Solo® National Championships going on Sept. 1-5 in Nebraska’s capital city at Lincoln Airpark. And while the trio was honing their skills, they also had a wonderful time expanding their social circles having #funwithcars.
With a goal of encouraging women everywhere to become more successful drivers and contributing SCCA members, the WASF offers financial assistance to women who have the drive to improve on the Regional, Divisional, and National level. Managed by SCCA Women on Track, the scholarship is funded courtesy of the SCCA Foundation and Mazda Motorsports. The annual opportunity presents three women with $1,500 each in support of their travel to Tire Rack National Solo events and the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships.
In addition to the funding, SCCA waives entry fees for scholarship recipients to all Tire Rack National Solo events attended during the year. The Club also collaborates with the Solo community and commercial partners to seek out other forms of support for the recipients, such as driver training, mentoring, products, and logistical assistance.
Those interested in future WASF opportunities, the process starts with submission of applications early each year. Keep an eye on SCCA.com for information on when the 2026 submission window opens.
Scholarship Winners’ Year in Review
Meredith Bunsawat, Utah Region – It was 2021 when Bunsawat’s autocross foray began in a Honda Civic LX with an automatic transmission. Little did she know that was the start of an incredible new experience. And the WASF opportunity this year cranked the adventure up a notch.
Bunsawat’s year opened with visits to both Tire Rack SCCA Las Vegas ProSolo® weekends at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and she actually won Ladies Class 3 (L3) on the second weekend. She followed that up with a visit to Nebraska for both the ProSolo and Solo National Tour parties at Spring Nationals. Lastly, she doubled up again with back-to-back weekends in Packwood, WA, where she again won L3 during the ProSolo.
“It was so beneficial,” she said of the scholarship. “Last year was my first dabble into National events, and my first realization into how much it costs to get to those places. The scholarship kept the dream alive and then some.
“I stretched myself, and my finances, to make one final push on my own last season to attend the in Lincoln and ultimately won my first championship in the small HSL class,” she said. “I was ecstatic with the results of last season, being that I don't have the ‘perfect’ car for my class, nor was it prepped besides wheels and tires.”
H Street Ladies (HSL) is where Bunsawat will be playing on Thursday/Friday again this year at Lincoln Airpark. But before then, she came to Nebraska to partake in her first ProSolo® Finale, where she competed in L3 and claimed a trophy after finishing third. As for her performance at Solo Nats, HSL, go to sololive.scca.com for current timing/scoring to see how she is coming along.
“I want to say thank you to all the ladies that volunteer with SCCA Women on track,” noted Bunsawat. “They really make it a lot easier for women trying to get into this sport on the National level. Thanks to them, and I hope I can pay it forward.”
Emily “Em” Huneycutt, North Carolina Region – It was only 2022 when Huneycutt got into autocross, but that doesn’t mean she’s a motorsport newbie. “Both my mother and father autocrossed when they were younger,” she said. “After attending an autocross with my father, I quickly signed up for a novice school with a local club so I could confidently attend and participate in autocross regardless of if my father was there to guide me or not.”
In 2024, Huneycutt upped her game by attending an Evolution Performance Driving School, as well as her first Solo National Tour. This year, thanks to help from the WASF program, her dance card was filled by Tire Rack National Tour stops in Moultrie, GA; Bristol, TN; and Concord, NC, where she earned her first trophy. She also explored ProSolo events in Georgia and Tennessee.
“The year has been awesome,” she said of the competition season. “The main thing the scholarship has done is push me to go to Tour events by helping me with traveling. Having entry fees covered is a monumental weight off and helps get me out there.”
Huneycutt is making her first visit to Lincoln Airpark this year, and she’s making it a full-blown jam session, saying, “I’m nervous and excited. This is the furthest I’ve ever been from my home.
“I’m just super grateful and incredibly thankful to be doing this,” she added. “It has been really rewarding. What a year!”
H Street is the competition class for Huneycutt this year. Follow her progress, and efforts of all the participants, at sololive.scca.com where you’ll find current timing/scoring, as well as a live audio broadcast of the action.
Juliana Brava, San Francisco Region – An SCCA member since only 2023, Brava is slowly recognizing just how strong her passion is for performance driving.
“After recognizing I'd never paid enough attention to this, I dove into it headfirst,” she said. “I jumped in and tried my first SCCA Solo event at Crow's Landing with the San Francisco Region. I had a blast! Not only was it an incredible driving experience, but I also met a group of wonderful people that welcomed me with open arms. It didn’t take long to realize I’d found the perfect place to grow as a driver and connect with an amazing community.
“The financial help from the scholarship has been huge,” Brava said about this year’s ongoing exploration. "The two events I managed to attend on the National level, those being a ProSolo and National Tour at Crows Landing, were only possible because of the scholarship.”
Along with driving at those events, Brava has also gotten more involved with her Region. She stepped into a role as social media manager and co-chaired some events.
“The scholarship has connected me to other women in the program, both fellow drivers and mentors who have so much to pass on,” she said. “There’s something special about being tutored by other women in the program. The relationships I got to build was one of the most beneficial parts of this opportunity.”
Unfortunately, Brava isn’t able to be at this year’s Solo Nats, but there’s always next year – and hopefully many years to come after that.
More About the Wendi Allen Scholarship Fund
WASF, jointly supported by SCCA Foundation and Mazda Motorsports, was named and established by the family of Allen to honor the multi-time National Solo Champion. Wendi loved the SCCA Solo Community and wished to give back to the sport by helping young women become more successful drivers and contributing SCCA members. Learn more about the 2025 WASF award recipients here.
SCCA Foundation is always accepting donations earmarked for the WASF, as well as other initiatives advancing opportunities for women's involvement in the Club. Go to SCCA Foundation’s website to discover more about the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization. That is also the portal where online donations can be made and earmarked for the WASF initiative.
Photo: Wendi Allen Scholarship Fund winner Meredith Bunsawat attacked the course in Lincoln, NE, this year during the ProSolo Finale
Photo by Chris Yoder
