This week is the 60th anniversary SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco. Taking place Sept. 28-Oct. 6, 2024, at Road America in Wisconsin, the entry list is filled with the names of more than 500 amazing Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing drivers, all of whom will share thrilling moments in the coming days.
Some of these fantastic competitors earn podium spots year after year. Others work hard to just be part of a Runoffs – with a podium result being a faraway, shimmering dream. For that group, making the big show and taking in the whole experience means a whole bunch in itself.
Chris Doodson, a member of SCCA’s Northwest Region, falls within that second category. An on-and-off SCCA member since 2006, he has trekked from the western reaches of British Columbia, Canada, to have #funwithcars while celebrating his 51st birthday on Wednesday, Oct. 2, at Road America.
Look for Chris in GT-Lite (GTL) driving the No. 73 Smithers McDonalds/GreatWest Distilling Honda CRX in a field that includes reigning Champion Graham Fuller in the No. 22 Toyota TRD/Goodyear/Carbotech/Ostar Motorsports Toyota Tercel.
Not Exactly His First Rodeo
Chris has made two Runoffs appearances before, both being at California tracks. The first was a decade ago in 2014 at Laguna Seca, and then there was the 2018 National Championship at Sonoma Raceway.
“I had a little problem at Sonoma,” Chris said tongue-in-cheek. “I might have gotten into a little entanglement with a wall. So, that didn’t go quite as well as I hoped, but it was still a really good time.”
This third trip to the Runoffs is something unique and special for the millwright who doesn’t come with a war chest filled with dollars – or loonies if you reside north of the border. This will be his first National Championship east of the Rockies, and his first-ever visit to Road America.
The online iRacing platform is where Chris has spent loads of time in anticipation of his first visit to America’s National Park of Speed. Although he openly confesses that, “I’m kind of at a disadvantage because I’m pretty sure everybody else in my class has been to that track at least once before. But I’m hoping time with iRacing is going to help me out a little bit.
“I’m pretty sure I’m not going to win my class,” Chris added about his race scheduled for Friday morning. “I’m hoping to do well, obviously, but the main thing for me is that Road America is a bucket-list track. Plus, I’m going to have the chance to meet a lot of people I’ve never met before that run GT-Lite in the east. So, for me, this is a pretty big deal.”
Help for the Runoffs
Chris is a one-man-band during most of the racing season. The car he drives today, which was built from scratch in his garage back in 2015, is usually loaded onto an open trailer and towed off for a weekend of fun. On occasion, he’ll meet up with friend and fellow Canadian GTL driver Paul Bunbury so the two can travel together to tracks.
The Runoffs, however, has always been a touch different. Thankfully, Chris’ older brother Shane has an enclosed trailer they use for race car transport, and Shane has been super supportive of Chris’ racing endeavors in many ways.
“This is the car I put backwards into the wall at Sonoma,” Chris said. “There were a few tears shed there. But my brother said, ‘Don’t worry about it. We’ll get ‘er fixed and get ‘er back on track.’ And we did, and it’s still running.”
Even with Chris’ young nephew in tow for this year’s event, Team Doodson could be considered a tad understaffed as compared to other efforts around the paddock. That, however, is not one of Chris’ concerns. The racing community of which he is a member has a strong history of chipping in to help fellow competitors enjoy race weekends no matter what.
“The two Runoffs that I’ve been to, everybody has been more than accommodating, everybody has been more than happy, and everybody is more than willing to help you out,” Chris said. “We’re all there for the same reason, and that’s to just have a good time.”
Watching the Runoffs on TV
As a young kid in Canada, Chris watched the SCCA Runoffs on television when races aired annually right around Christmas. Today, you don’t have to wait until the holidays to watch Runoffs action anywhere in the world.
All three Hagerty Race Days in 2024 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 or the SCCA Official YouTube channel.
Photo: Chris Doodson on track at Road America during the 60th anniversary SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco
Photo by Jon Krolewicz
