Cars are already on course and careening around Lincoln Airpark for the 53rd running of the Tire Rack SCCA® Solo® National Championships taking place Sept. 7-11, 2026, in Nebraska. A total of 54 different car classes are running Tuesday and Wednesday to sort out the first set of victors, followed Thursday and Friday by a second set of challengers across 40 other classes.
The theme for this year’s Solo Nats gathering is “video games.” The competition itself, however, is much more intense than Atari’s 1976 Breakout. This real-life experience includes smells, sounds, and sights that outdo even the latest iRacing or Gran Turismo offerings.
Overall it’s five days of fun and adventure with friends that far exceeds any gaming marathon.
Solo Town Main Street a Fun-Filled Arcade Monday Night
The Monday Night Welcome Party at Solo Nats has reached legendary status, and last night’s gig was no different. SCCA members wandered up and down Main Street in the paddock at Lincoln Airpark to reconnect with friends from across the country, laugh out loud, enjoy some music, and gobble up loads of fantastic food.
It’s truly amazing what delights can be formed 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 outstanding aroma of fantastic food carried across the paddock on a light breeze all afternoon and well into the evening.
Those delicious eats were again part of what is considered the Battle of the Bites. Seven groups prepped the vittles and offered beverages this year to the hoard of gamers strolling by. Some of the fine cuisine offered was as follows:
Saginaw Valley Region/Two-Stroke Teams: Sliders and cherry BBQ chips.
Road Trip Racing Team: Tacos with chips and salsa.
St. Louis/Central Illinois Regions: Toasted raviolis and gooey butter cake.
Atlanta Region: Donkey Kong country boil, princess peach cobbler.
Northwest Ohio Region: Tony Packo’s hot dogs with sauce.
Steel Cities Region/Finger Lakes Region: Chicken spiedes, smoked sausage, smoked mac and cheese.
JXB/ChiWaukee (Chicago Region/Milwaukee Region): Italian beef and fresh cheese curds.
Tire Rack also hosted a Skee-Ball Challenge of sorts to honor the original amusement game. In all, a mega time was had once again, furthering the legend of Monday nights at Solo Nats.
Sunscreen and Water Consumption in the Forecast
The weather that greets Solo Nats attendees each year in Lincoln, NE, can be more mysterious than The Legend of Zelda. Will it be chilly? Maybe sometimes. Will it be hotter than the desert in Assassin's Creed? It’s a possibility. Might there be rain enough to create flood conditions similar to that found in the game Halo? That’s not unheard of.
The best shot for rain this year is today, Tuesday, with a 45 percent chance of storms in late afternoon. After that, the chance of a showers drops to 20 percent Wednesday. Then there’s pretty much no chance of rain the rest of the week. But, of course, anything can happen at Lincoln Airpark.
As for temperatures, it’ll be toasty. Forecasters predict the mercury reaching nearly 100 degrees today. After that things settle down for the next two days as temperatures are anticipated to sit in the mid-80s. Then Friday might see the heat rise again up to the low 90-degree mark. Of course, those estimations are air temperature. What it feels like out on the concrete will likely be higher.
With that information, the mostly sunny skies and temperatures mean water intake will be critical for all on site throughout the week. Copious amounts of sunscreen are advised as well, and wearing hats with purposeful brims would certainly be a pro move.
Following Solo Nats Developments
If you’re in Lincoln or not, track all the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships action by following Tire Rack SCCA Solo or SCCAOfficial on Facebook. Fun can also be discovered on the SCCAOfficial Instagram page, and ridiculous stuff at the SCCAOfficial TikTok page.
Even more coverage will be posted to YouTube’s SCCAOfficial page. And don’t forget to check out SCCA.com for daily articles, with multiple articles posting per day during the Solo Nationals! Also sign up for the weekly SportsCar® News newsletter if you’d like those articles to end up in your email inbox.
Photo: Party people out and about during Monday night’s Welcome Party on Main Street in Solo Town.
Photos by Jon Krolewicz
