After two days of riding tough and tricky trails, the first set of 2024 winners were crowned Wednesday evening at Lincoln Airpark during the Wild West-themed 51st Tire Rack SCCA® Solo® National Championships.
That means this giant SCCA rodeo is only half done having #funwithcars. A whole new set of hombres now shoot it out on two separate, challenging autocross courses Thursday and Friday during this year’s jamboree going down Sept. 3-6, 2024, in Nebraska’s capital city of Lincoln.
Rootin’-tootin’ rustlers from another 40 different car classes are now cleared to compete over the next two days at Solo Town. Only then can the second and final set of 2024 Solo National Champions be branded.
New Annual Honor Added to National Solo Award Corral
All of Solo Town’s dudettes and dudes moseyed over Wednesday evening to the TREC Tavern for the annual soirée that is the Tire Rack Solo Awards Celebration. Free grub consisting of pasta, chicken parm, and a healthy salad kept the herd grazing aplenty. Plus there were some malted beverages served alongside sarsaparilla options.
The first award given out was more of a prize: A backpack blower that went to the Road Trip Racing Team as winners of the ’24 Chuckwagon Challenge for their smoked pork butt, coleslaw, pinto beans, and homemade pickles. However, the real winners were everyone in Solo Town who enjoyed a goldmine of free, fantastic food masterfully made Monday by a number of great groups in the paddock.
After that, winners from Tuesday/Wednesday Solo Nats competition took the stage for proper adulation from the crowd. Their smiles were so big and electric that they could’ve easily lit up downtown Lincoln at night.
Next was the 2024 Solo Cup award, which was bestowed upon Rick Ruth of SCCA’s Chicago Region. The Solo Cup, presented annually since 1978, goes to SCCA members who have made an outstanding contribution to the Solo events program. Winners are selected by the Solo Events Board (SEB) from nominations submitted by the membership at large. The previous Solo Cup recipient was Dave “Bugeye” Williams.
Creator of the Racer’s Theoretical Performance (RTP) scale, Ruth has managed RTP data for more than 40 years. Over the last 22 years, he has maintained both the RTP and PAX autocross indexes, which are used by every SCCA Region in the country. Moreover, for the last several years, Ruth has committed upwards of 30 hours a week to analyzing results so data remains correct and functional.
As for Ruth’s acceptance speech, the Solo Nationals Golden Circle member kept it short by simply saying, “hugs and kisses to everyone.”
The 2024 Driver of Eminence honor went to Mark Scroggs of SCCA’s Phoenix Arizona Solo Region. This honor goes to Solo competitors who consistently demonstrated excellence behind the wheel, and an exemplary degree of sportsmanship, dedication, and unselfishness. The winner is selected by the SEB from nominations submitted by the membership at large. Recent Drivers of Eminence include Larry "Lefty" MacLeod, Jeff Kiesel, and Bartek Borowski.
A former SEB Chairman and the 2014 Solo Rookie of the Year, Scroggs is well known for his kindness and comradery. He has trophied at nine of his previous Solo Nats appearances. That includes two Championships in C Street, two more in G Street, and another in D Street for good measure. On top of that, he has earned three Solo Triad awards.
“Needless to say, I did not expect this,” Scroggs said after receiving the award. “I’ve only been coming to Nationals for about 10 years … but I feel like I’ve been here longer than that. You are all my family.”
Unveiled Wednesday evening was the new Heart of Solo award, which will recognize those from the Solo community who have had a profound impact on their class, Region, and Solo community. They will have created a welcoming environment for all and lived SCCA’s core values of excellence, service, passion, team, experience, and stewardship.
Posthumously, the inaugural Heart of Solo honor went to Chris Pruett of SCCA’s Saginaw Valley Region. Chris achieved success Regionally, Divisionally, and trophied twice at Nationals. A leader within his Region, he served as board member and Regional Executive. He also spent time on the National Modified Advisory Committee.
Secretly known as “The Stig,” Chris not only had a passion for driving his Swift DB1, but also keeping it in better condition than the day it left the factory floor. A cheerleader for all things SCCA, his engaging conversation and endless hospitality will most certainly be missed.
Chris’ wife, Lorie, and daughter Grace were on hand to accept the accolade. They stepped up on stage and received the award to a standing ovation from the packed TREC Tavern.
“My dad has been coming out to this event for many, many years,” Grace told the Solo Nats audience. “I’m so happy that we have the chance to be here with all of you because … he called you, lovingly, his people. Thank you so much for making us feel welcomed and thank you so much for his award.”
Wagon Train on the Move
Riders and their horses – or in this case drivers and their cars – are already traversing trails Thursday in the hunt for Championships at Solo Nats. Plenty of ways exist to keep track of everything going. First, sololive.scca.com is where you’ll find up-to-the-moment timing/scoring, as well as audio coverage during each day. Also monitor the Tire Rack SCCA National Solo and SCCA Official Facebook pages on social media for updates and photos.
If you’re hankerin’ for more in-depth coverage, check out the Solo Nationals Morning Show, a daily video broadcast archived at the SCCA Official Facebook page.
Not enough Solo coverage yet? Then there’s journalist Brian Bielanski who has been chatting with participants around the paddock to uncover Solo Nats slice-of-life stories for special Inside the SCCA segments posting to The Racing Network YouTube page. And if that YouTube channel gets 1,100 subscribers by Sept. 25, Bielanski has promised to give away a free entry to the 2025 Solo Nats event.
Photo: (Top left) Mark Scroggs is this year’s Driver of Eminence; (Bottom left) Chris Pruett’s Heart of Solo Award was accepted posthumously by wife Lorie and daughter Grace; (Bottom right) SEB Chairman Nick Dunlap (left) presented this year’s Solo Cup Award to Rick Ruth.
Photos by Philip Royle
