In less than 24 hours qualifying will commence for the 2026 Mission Foods SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® taking place Sept. 28-Oct. 4 at beautiful Road America in Wisconsin. It’s the first chance for drivers to show what they’ve got for the other competitors this year, or the opportunity to get cars sorted before the winner-take-all contests go down Saturday and Sunday during Hagerty Race Days.
For a third straight year, the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program’s crowning event will tackle the fabulous 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit at America’s National Park of Speed that winds through the undulating Kettle Moraine region between the villages of Elkhart Lake and Plymouth. Over the two days of qualifying, drivers across all 24 different car classes will have two 16-minute sessions on course to establish their best lap time, followed by a 19-minute session on Friday.
A free video broadcast for both qualifying days will be available online at the SCCA YouTube channel thanks to DriversEye Live. A couple Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour announcers will provide the “call” during qualifying, with Gregg Ginsberg and Brendan Kaczmarek offering insight along with the voice of Road America, Eric Mueller. Expect some special guests to drop into the broadcast booth, too, throughout the days.
Live Timing/Scoring during qualifying can be monitored here. For more information about anything Runoffs related, click the link below.
Hyping Qualifying
Runoffs qualifying is made even more fun thanks to some of SCCA’s valued partners. That includes Tire Rack, the Official Tire Retailer of SCCA for more than 30 years; and Hawk Performance, the Official Brake Products of SCCA starting in 2003. Thanks also go to Sunoco, the Official Fuel of SCCA since 2001.
For several years now, Sunoco and Hawk Performance have added to the excitement of qualifying as drivers seek to claim Tire Rack Pole Award honors Friday evening. The first qualifying session this year is dubbed “Sunoco 260 Thursday.” That’s where drivers in each car class whose best qualifying time comes closest to including .260 will earn 15 gallons of Sunoco race fuel free for their car.
The second qualifying session, which spans Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, is the “Hawk Brake-Through Performer” challenge. One driver from each competition class who makes the biggest improvement in qualifying will receive a free set of Hawk brake pads for street cars, race cars, or tow vehicles. Winners must have posted a qualifying time is the first session to be eligible for this reward.
Road America is Spectator Heaven
Established in 1955 and widely considered one of the finest racing facilities in the United States, Road America’s park-like venue sits on 640 acres with absolutely amazing spectator opportunities. Fantastic concessions add even more to an experience that includes high-speed excitement enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of spectators each year.
The Runoffs at Road America is an event that shouldn’t be missed. So many sounds, sights, and great racing are yet to come. All of it is best enjoyed in person, and spectator ticket prices are very reasonable for a motorsport event of this stature.
A full-event pass, which includes gate admission and general parking for Thursday through Sunday, is well worth the investment. A full rundown of pricing and ways to get tickets can be found by clicking the link below.
Photo by Philip Royle
