For some, the SCCA Road Racing season has barely begun, and there are plenty of competition weekends yet to be enjoyed across the U.S., but it’s already time to think about the 2022 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, which will be making only its second visit in history to VIRginia International Raceway (VIR), found in Alton, VA. In preparation, SCCA’s Road Racing department has released a preliminary version of the 2022 VIR Runoffs schedule, accompanied by the event’s logo.
Qualifying will be conducted over three days – Tuesday, Sept. 27, through Thursday, Sept. 29 – and will conclude with the naming of the Tire Rack Pole Award winners for each of the 26 racing classes.
Racing at the 59th Runoffs will then take place over three days – Friday, Sept. 30, through Sunday, Oct. 2 – to decide National Champions in those classes. Each race will be 15 laps or 40 minutes in length around VIR’s 18-turn, 3.27-mile circuit.
Click the link below to view the 2022 Runoffs schedule online or check out the current schedule included at the bottom of this article.
The Philosophy
The qualifying schedule and run groups will remain tentative until a couple of weeks after registration opens to ensure an appropriate breakout of sessions. It is expected, however, that each Runoffs-eligible class will get one 20-minute qualifying session each day, with the “followed-by” approach being utilized rather than a “time-certain” schedule.
Data from a recent driver survey shows an anticipated entry of around 700 competitors. That information, analyzed alongside historical statistics, was used to generate the current schedule and reflects 17 qualifying groups each day, with additional time available if separation of certain groups is needed based on actual entry numbers.
Deanna Flanagan, SCCA’s Director of Road Racing, noted that planned combined qualifying sessions are currently as follows: Touring 2/Touring 3, GT-Lite/F Production, Touring 1/American Sedan, Formula 500/Formula F, GT-3/Super Touring Under, Formula Atlantic/Formula Continental, Prototype 1/Prototype 2, GT-1/GT-2 and Formula Enterprises 2/Formula X.
“Consistent with previous years, our goal is for each class to qualify and race within the same two-hour window each day,” Flanagan said. “History has shown us that certain classes perform better at different times of the day. So, we generally try to keep cars that rely on a lot of mechanical grip scheduled to run a little later in the day.”
The survey not only provided potential car counts, but also situations where drivers may run in multiple classes. “This year’s survey revealed 48 different double-dipping class combinations, so we tried to accommodate as many of those as possible within the qualifying and race schedule,” Flanagan explained. “SCCA’s Road Racing department always tries to construct groupings and a schedule that can be flexible when we shift from survey data to actual event registrations. Ultimately, it is our objective to create an enjoyable Runoffs experience for all, and we work hard each year to achieve that goal.”
Those with questions or comments regarding the current schedule can submit thoughts via email to runoffs@scca.com.
More Info to Come
Pre-Runoffs test days will be held Saturday, Sept. 24, through Monday, Sept. 26, at VIR, with details being announced in the coming months. Additionally, information concerning the various dates for online event registration, as well as camping information and a schedule of social events, will be available in a couple of months.
Visit the 2022 Runoffs event page to stay abreast of the information already available. Be sure to also check the SCCA Road Racing Announcements for additional news, and it doesn’t hurt to “like and follow” SCCA Road Racing on Facebook, where news is also shared.
Photo by Jay Bonvouloir
