The SCCA® Solo® Driver of the Year, chosen by the Solo Events Board from nominations submitted by the membership at large, is awarded to the competitor who has demonstrated exceptional skill or has overcome major obstacles to produce an outstanding performance at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship. This year’s winner is Daniel McCelvey, of the Houston Region.
A Solo Championship demands laser-like focus and millimeter precision over two days. However, there are plenty of distractions during Solo Nationals. This year, one immense distraction impacted several competitors: Hurricane Harvey. The storm’s two-day rampage along the Gulf Coast displaced families and flooded homes of SCCA members, and almost kept McCelvey from making the trip to Lincoln, Nebraska.
But with Harvey’s flood waters receding from their home and a cleanup crew assembling, McCelvey’s wife, Laurie, convinced him to pack up and head to Lincoln Airpark. There, a tall task awaited in the C Street class which had been condensed from the previous year, had cars more similar, and more intense competition.
Through Thursday, McCelvey battled cone penalties and course conditions to earn the slimmest, .002-second lead. On Friday, he extended that slim margin by an astonishing 1.295 seconds thanks to laser focus and millimeter precision, thus securing the class victory.
Kudos to McCelvey for his driving achievement and ability to overcome Hurricane Harvey’s impact. A very impressive performance indeed.