The Spec Miata race at the 2015 SCCA National Championship Runoffs will be held after dark at Daytona; Mazda help means no combined classes at Runoffs.
Friday Night Lights at the Runoffs® presented by Mazda highlights the 2015 event schedule for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Garmin VIRB® at Daytona International Speedway, where each of the 28 classes will race alone for the first time since 2008. The event begins with four days of qualifying and concludes with 10 races on Friday and nine each on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21-27.
“With its lighting options, Daytona International Speedway provides a unique opportunity for us and we thank Mazda for its support in helping make Friday Night Lights at the Runoffs a reality,” SCCA Vice President and COO Eric Prill said. “Spec Miata regularly delivers some of the very best racing of any weekend, and running its National Championship race under the lights ratchets that excitement up, providing a can’t-miss moment for everyone.”
The Spec Miata class will crown a National Champion under the lights on Friday night at 7:30 p.m., with the 3.56-mile road course at the “World Center of Racing” lit to the same level as the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Tuesday’s qualifying session will also be under the lights as a preview for Friday’s race.
“Two years ago we set the all-time record for class size at the runoffs with 63 Spec Miatas,” John Doonan, Director, Mazda Motorsports said. “In 2014, we brought the Runoffs to Mazda Raceway for the first time ever. Each year we work with the SCCA to raise the bar. This will be amazing to make history once again, by having the first ever night race at the Runoffs with Spec Miata. This will be an epic drafting battle.”
The nighttime race also allows enough room in the schedule to fit each class in individually.
“With Mazda’s help, this allows us to ensure that each of our 28 classes will have its own race,” SCCA Senior Manager of Club Racing Deanna Flanagan said. “At the last two venues, we held some multi-class races out of necessity. We thank the Runoffs volunteer chief team for creatively finding ways to make this happen for our participants.”
The SCCA Runoffs Presented by Garmin VIRB has crowned Club Racing National Champions since 1964. Through 28 separate races over three days, the 2015 edition will crown champions in a winner-take-all, single race format.