Tuesday is the first of three qualifying days at Road America for the 60th anniversary SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco taking place Sept. 28-Oct. 6, 2024, at America’s National Park of Speed in Wisconsin. Each of the 26 car classes competing at this year’s National Championship will have 20-minute sessions on track Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to set race grids and discover Tire Rack Pole Award winners.
Road America’s legendary 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit is in play this year with the Carousel, Kink, and Canada Corner awaiting competitors after a 2023 track resurfacing that applied “fancy asphalt.” The last time SCCA’s Summit Racing Equipment Road Racing program brought the Runoffs party to Road America was in 2020. Before then, the top-notch venue was home to SCCA’s Runoffs from 2009 to 2013.
Results, an event schedule, facility map, and much more can be found at the 2024 Runoffs event webpage.
Sunoco 260 Tuesday Ahead
For half a decade, the Runoffs’ first qualifying day has been made more intriguing thanks to Sunoco 260 Tuesday prizes. Drivers in each of the 26 classes whose best qualifying time comes closest to including .260 receive 15 gallons of Sunoco race fuel free for their car.
Sunoco’s 260 race fuel has been highly regarded for many years. Sunoco’s 260 GT is a street-legal (in most states), oxygenated, unleaded gasoline designed for high performance street cars, muscle cars, classics, street rods, motorcycles, and the like.
With a 100-octane rating, Sunoco 260 GT allows increased boost levels in supercharged or turbocharged applications as compared to lower octane “pump” gas. It’s engineered to not harm catalytic converters or oxygen sensors, and contains a comprehensive additive package for greater engine protection and reduced fuel system deposits. It’s also compatible with two-stroke synthetic and mineral-based engine oils, and safe for carbureted and fuel injected engines.
Sunoco has been powering victories on and off the track for more than 100 years, which is why Sunoco is trusted to fuel more than 50 series of racing, driving, and winning – including the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, SCCA Pro Racing, NHRA, and NASCAR. Sunoco will also help keep Tuesday’s event running by fueling volunteers and event staff with food and beverages at lunch.
Since 2001, Sunoco has also been the Official Fuel of SCCA. Visit SunocoRaceFuels.com to learn more.
Road America is Made for Spectators
Finishing fourth in a recent USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice Award for Best Motorsports Race poll, the Runoffs is arguably the greatest, most exciting, and entertaining amateur road racing experience in all of North America.
Upcoming are three days of racing, with one car class after another rolling out on track. Spectators barely have a chance to catch their breath before the next set of racers charge around Road America’s course adorned in with fall foliage.
There’s no better way to enjoy all the Runoffs has to offer than to be trackside for the big event, and spectator ticket prices are very reasonable for a motorsports event of this size.
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.
In the meantime, follow qualifying developments over the next three days 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 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 or the SCCA Official YouTube channel, the 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.
While SCCA has worked hard to deliver Runoffs action to fans around the globe on demand, there’s simply nothing like being at Road America for this experience. There’s still time to get here, and it’s highly advised you make the trip.
Photo by Jon Krolewicz
