The SCCA National Championship Runoffs has evolved into what is now commonly agreed to be the pinnacle of amateur American motorsports. The Runoffs were named by Car and Driver magazine as one of the Top 10 racing events in motorsports and Edmunds called the event “an institution.”
Several hundred drivers compete for National Championship medals in 24 classes. Every year, the event produces close, competitive racing and provides a glimpse at future road racing stars. Starting in 2014, the Runoffs began a rotation of tracks hosting the event for just two or three years at a time, like golf’s U.S. Open or the Super Bowl.
Qualification Criteria
The 2026 qualification paths to the Runoffs were participation based. Competitors must have participated in three Hoosier Super Tour/Conference Majors weekends or two Hoosier Super Tour/Conference Majors plus two Regional races to qualify. No matter the path, drivers must have also completed three individual Hoosier Super Tour/Conference Majors races to earn an invitation. Defending Runoffs Champions have the option of using a Champions provisional to qualify.
Why go to the Runoffs?
SCCA Club racers compete for trophies and bragging rights, for fun and to test himself/herself against fellow competitors. Winning a National Championship at the Runoffs means defeating the best SCCA Road Racing has to offer, and allows victors to claim, “I am the best in the country.” The long list of past National Champions reads like a who’s who of motor racing: Bobby Rahal, Graham Rahal, Jimmy Vasser, Scott Sharp, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Skip Barber, Boris Said, Patrick Gallagher and Paul Newman are just a few of the familiar names. For many of these drivers, a National Championship was just a stepping-stone on their way to making a name for themselves in auto racing.
SCCA National Championship History
From 1951 through 1964, Sports Car Club of America determined its amateur road racing National Champions on a nationwide point basis from the United States Road Racing Championship, a select series of National races run throughout the country. In the first three years, only one overall champion was named. From 1954 on, champions were named in each of the SCCA amateur classes. In 1964, it was decided that a better way would be to gather the best amateur road racers in one place to compete against each other in an Interdivisional Championship Event. In the first two years, the winners were not officially recognized as the SCCA National Champions. 1966 was the first year the event was officially designated as the SCCA National Championship event. In retrospect, The Runoffs winners of 1964 and 1965 are similarly recognized. Therefore, in 1964, there were two Championships - the final year of the point series and the first year of the Runoffs.
Runoffs History
Over the years, the name has changed, as well as the method of qualifying for the event. But the idea has remained the same: gather the best amateur road racers in one place and let them compete against each other. For the first six years, the Championship event alternated between Riverside International Raceway in California (1964, 1966 & 1968) and Daytona International Speedway in Florida (1965, 1967 & 1969). For the next 24 years, the Runoffs were held at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia. The Runoffs moved to Lexington, Ohio and the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from 1994 to 2005. In 2006, the Runoffs added a fifth track to its resume, that of Heartland Park Topeka in Kansas, followed by Road America in 2009. In 2014, the Runoffs started an alternating schedule. To begin this new rotation, SCCA selected one of the country’s most historic road courses west of the Mississippi: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. This marked the first time the Runoffs took place out west since the event’s final visit to Riverside International Raceway. Since then, the Runoffs has visited Daytona International Raceway (2015), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (2016), Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2017), Sonoma Raceway (2018), VIRginia International Raceway (2019) and Road America (2020) before returning to Indianapolis in 2021. The Runoffs called VIR home for 2022 and 2023, and from 2024 to 2026, the Runoffs head back to Road America.
During the early years, the event was known as the American Road Race of Champions (ARRC). The first year at Riverside saw 183 cars entered in 13 races for 17 classes. Practice began on Wednesday with qualifying Thursday and Friday followed by races on Saturday and Sunday. In 1983, the Runoffs was first introduced to the title as the "Road Racing Classic - The Runoffs” and by 1987 the event name was shorted to The Runoffs - no matter the commercial title or presenting sponsors.
The event continues to evolve, but remains the most competitive and highly attended amateur race in the nation. The race in 2004 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course eclipsed 700 drivers for the first time, and 709 drivers started in 24 class races at Road America in 2014. The all-time participation record was set in 2017 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with 969 entries. The biggest race in Club Racing has always been supported by the workers from across the country and beyond. Each year the event attracts workers from as far away as Hawaii and Canada.
