The Tire Rack SCCA® Solo® National Championships, held each September in Lincoln, NE, is the pinnacle of the autocross season. Two separate challenging – and often fast – courses must be conquered, and the best of the best are crowned National Champions. But the competition isn’t the only reason to attend the Solo Nats, because with 1,300 competitors, it’s also the largest weeklong motorsports party you’ll ever attend.
There’s karaoke, an ice cream social, decorated golf carts, big screen video games, F1 watch parties, and lots of beverage concoctions. But with the gargantuan scale of the event, how can you possibly know which social Solo Nats activities are the must-dos? Lucky for you (and me!) I’ve attended many of them in order to make a “can’t miss” list.
Here are the top five social things to do at the Solo Nats. And yes, you’ll have to wait a year until the next Solo Nationals rolls around, but I can tell ya’, it’ll be worth the wait.
1. Paddock-wide Potluck Party
Starting a new tradition this year, SCCA helped organize a massive potluck in 2024, where Regions from across the country prepared some awesome eats on the Monday of Solo Nats. Nicknamed the “Chuckwagon Challenge” in 2024 thanks to the event’s Wild West theme, this munch-fest was such a success, everyone’s expecting repeat performances for years to come.
What should you bring to this potluck? A big appetite tops the list, because the amount of food you’ll be facing is going to stretch your stomach.
A massive section of the paddock is organized by SCCA Regions, so as you cruise around and grab different bites, you get to socialize with members from all over. The food is eclectic, with choices this year including fantastic BBQ, brats, charcuterie, even Coney Island hot dogs. You name it and I ate it!
It was obvious this year that each SCCA Region took pride in their table, so don’t make the mistake of leaving the paddock during the event’s Welcome Party to go to McDonald’s on your way to your hotel room – stay at the track and prep for the upcoming competition with fantastic food and cool comradery.
2. Beer Swap
As you’re walking (or scootering, or bicycling, or stumbling) through the paddock, you’ll likely see a random child’s swimming pool filled with ice. Stop right there, my friend, because you just found “The Beer Swap.”
The Beer Swap is exactly what it sounds like: Bring a beer, take a beer. This is your chance to taste some craft brews from around the country. If you like West Coast IPA, you’re in luck! I guarantee you’ll find a cold can buried in the ice inside the pool. Looking for a Coors Light? Uh, maybe there’s one in there, but I haven’t seen it.
(Photo by Perry Bennett)
Craft beers are usually pretty regional, so it’s tough to get to taste a microbrew from San Diego if you live in Michigan, but thanks to beer swaps at the Solo Nats, that problem is solved as racers from across the country travel thousands of miles bringing their favorite beers with them to share.
Cheers!
3. Go Swimming
What’s the last thing you’d expect to see on an airport runway at Lincoln Airpark? A swimming pool? Well, people bring ‘em. There’s nothing more satisfying than a quick soak after working the course on a sunny day. Grab a drink, forget the towel, and jump in one of the pools for social hour.
I don’t have the slightest idea where these folks get the water for these pools, but I salute the hard work and effort they put in. Bravo!
4. Games
If you like games, there’s fun (and competition) to be had throughout the paddock.
Cone tossing, Mazda Motorsports corn hole – I even played Mario Kart on a huge projection screen (darn that Rainbow Road is a hard track!). There’s even usually a costume contest based on the theme of the event.
There are plenty of games to try your hand at and each of them present an opportunity to socialize and meet people from different parts of the country (and then, of course, dominate them). Don’t shy away from trying any of these games – everything is free, and attendees set these things up to share with the masses.
(Photo by Perry Bennett)
5. Big Wheel ProSolo
We’ve talked about a few different things to do in the paddock at the Solo Nats, but all of it has been child’s play up to this point. Because, to me, “The Show” during the nightly paddock parties is the Big Wheel ProSolo.
This is your opportunity as an adult to ride a big wheel and do battle side by side with another insane person. There’s a mirrored ProSolo course set up with cones, two big wheels, and only one narrow finish gate (which is where the crashing happens). To be clear, when many of us participate in this, it can turn into a good-humored contact sport, which is what makes it immensely entertaining to watch and super fun to do.
What Will You Do?
With all of the shenanigans available in the paddock at the Solo Nats, sometimes you can forget that you have to compete in a National Championship autocross the next day.
Over the years, I’ve done the event two different ways. I’ve skipped the revelry and went to my hotel to study course maps, going to bed early; other years, I raced big wheels and partied ‘til the sun came up. Ironically, the years where I left the event with class trophies were the years I partied.
All of this is to say that when you head to the Solo Nats in September 2025, it’s a “choose your own adventure” kind of event, and you’ve only got yourself to blame if you don’t have fun.
(About the author: Rob Krider is a national champion racer, the author of the novel Cadet Blues, and is the host of the Stories and Cocktails podcast.)
Lead photo by Jon Krolewicz. All other photos by Rob Krider, unless otherwise noted.
