Change is good for the soul and can reinvigorate passions. The 60th anniversary SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco embraces that concept this year with a change of venue, returning to Road America for the first time in four years after back-to-back engagements in 2022 and 2023 at VIRginia International Raceway.
Located in the beautiful Kettle Moraine region of Wisconsin between the quaint towns of Elkhart Lake and Plymouth, Road America’s lush and legendary 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit hosts the 2024 Runoffs Sept. 28-Oct. 6 at what is often called America’s National Park of Speed. Established in 1955, Road America is a 640-acre, park-like grounds that offers amazing viewing opportunities, fantastic concessions, and high-speed excitement to hundreds of thousands of spectators each year.
Monday is the last “test” day on course, and up next is three days of qualifying. Each of 26 car classes will have 20-minute sessions on track beginning at 8 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to set race grids and reveal Tire Rack Pole Award winners. Qualifying is then followed by three Hagerty Race Days – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – where an SCCA National Champion emerges following 13-lap or 40-minute battles around a challenging track with well-known features such as the Carousel, Kink, Canada Corner, and Hurry Downs.
The Runoffs, which caps the SCCA Summit Racing Equipment Road Racing program each year, has evolved into what is now commonly agreed to be the pinnacle of amateur American motorsports. Since 1964, SCCA has crowned National Champions through the winner-take-all, single race Runoffs format. For a rundown of on-track activities this year, click the button below to access the current event schedule.
A Week of After-hours Activities
The Road America circuit will be open to everyone for walking beginning no earlier than 6 p.m. Central Time Monday evening, Sept. 30, after the last test session has ended. This provides an opportunity for drivers and fans alike to get a better perspective on the course, plus a little exercise does a body good with so many cheese curds and brats likely to be consumed in coming days.
Please note that cars, trucks, ATVs, side‐by‐side vehicles, scooters, and two‐wheeled motorized vehicles are NOT permitted on course during the open walk period. Golf carts, team tuggers, pedal bicycles, and ADA Mobility Devices are allowed, but can only travel at a normal walking speed.
Around the same time, the “official” Road America Runoffs party scene begins with a Happy Hour reception for all participants be they volunteers, competitors, or team members. A beer truck will be positioned near Turn 5 for the gathering, which allows folks to enjoy a cold beverage after sauntering down the Moraine Sweep. It will also serve as a watering hole of solace for those coming to a realization that Turn 6 is a pretty solid uphill jog/hike.
Other gatherings for the week include Tuesday evening’s Worker Social Party at the RA Center located in the infield near Turn 13, and Wednesday’s Block Party and Charity Golf Cart Parade. Thursday brings even more fun with the Tire Rack Pole Award Presentation at victory circle and the 60th Anniversary Party at the RA Center.
For a glimpse at the complete social calendar for this year’s Runoffs, just check out the list of can’t-miss events posted at the bottom of the event schedule. And if you need help finding the RA Center or anything else at Road America, click the link below to access a number of different maps for guidance.
Tracking Runoffs Action All Week
The Runoffs at Road America is an experience not to be missed. The sounds, sights, and smells are best enjoyed in person, and spectator ticket prices are very reasonable for a motorsports event of this magnitude.
An all-race pass, which is good Oct. 4-6, is only $80 at the entry gate, and includes parking and paddock access. Single-day admission is only $35 for Friday, or $45 Saturday or Sunday. Anyone 16 years old and younger get in free at the gate with a paying adult, plus SCCA members get a 20% discount. Learn more at the Runoffs ticket webpage.
Developments over three days of qualifying can be followed online at the Runoffs Live Timing/Scoring webpage. That’s where you’ll also find an audio-only qualifying broadcast, as well as current and archived Timing/Scoring data from all on-track sessions. That same audio presentation – featuring commentary from pro driver Tom O’Gorman, Road America announcer Eric Mueller, and Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour broadcasters Larry “Lefty” MacLeod and Gregg Ginsberg – will be heard around Road America on the public address system as well.
All three Hagerty Race Days will again include a multi-camera video broadcast, presented by Mazda, delivered directly to smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, or desktops and laptops around the globe. Catch all the Runoffs racing action anywhere with internet access as it happens live. Find the race action online Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in real time at SCCA.com and the SCCA Official YouTube channel, a link for which you’ll find below.
A four-man team familiar to fans will again anchor the race video broadcast, splitting duties across Hagerty Race Days. Greg Creamer and John Fippin will share play-by-play responsibilities, and color commentary will be added by MacLeod and O’Gorman. Heyward Wagner will add insight from grid and pit lane, as well as capture the emotion from competitors immediately after races. For those at Road America during race days, audio from the Apex Broadcast-produced presentation will air live around the circuit via the public address system.
On top of live race coverage, Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour announcers Brian Bielanski and Gregg Ginsberg return in 2024 with the Inside the SCCA podcast presented by Goodyear, which offers additional insights from Road America prior to the first race of each day, as well as during lunch breaks.
Tune in so you don’t miss out.
Days of Note to Come
The Runoffs is a special, annual challenge all its own. Making things even more interesting are some special days of note during qualifying. First there’s Sunoco 260 Tuesday, where drivers can win 15 gallons of Sunoco race fuel for their car. Then it’s Hawk Brake-Through Performer Wednesday, where the single driver in each class who makes the most substantial improvement this year in lap times from Tuesday to Wednesday earns a set of Hawk brake pads for a race car, tow rig, or street car.
Qualifying then wraps up Thursday with Tire Rack Pole Day, after which polesitters receive a $500 gift certificate to spend at Tire Rack. After that, there are three Hagerty Race Days where 26 newly crowned Champions will stand atop the victory podium having earned the honor of spraying a bottle of Mazza Sparkling Wine, the Official Sparkling Wine of SCCA’s National Championship Runoffs.
Sunoco, Hawk, Tire Rack, and Hagerty do more than just support drivers. These fantastic partners also provide lunch for the several hundred SCCA volunteers who come out to make the Runoffs happen by staffing registration, grid, corners, timing, and everything else. Sincerely, a giant and heartfelt THANK YOU goes to all the volunteers and SCCA partners that support them.
Photo by Rick Corwine
