SCCA’s National Championship road race returns to the historic Wisconsin circuit
The Sports Car Club of America used the occasion of the Chicago Region June Sprints at Road America to announce that it will continue the recent tradition of moving its annual National Championship to a different region of the country each year with the event returning to Road America in 2020. The scenic 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wis., was home to the Runoffs from 2009 to 2013.
“Some of the most memorable races in SCCA history have occurred at Road America, a track that requires a blend of car performance, skill and courage,” says SCCA Vice President/COO Eric Prill, who won F Production at the 2017 Runoffs in a Miata. “We look forward to returning in the fall of 2020 to beautiful Elkhart Lake. From the new Paddock Shop to new restroom and shower locations, and a new trail allowing access to fantastic spectating from The Kink to Canada Corner, Road America continues to enhance the participant, worker and fan experience.”
The 57th SCCA National Championship Runoffs is scheduled to take place Oct. 5-11, 2020, at the storied track located midway between Milwaukee and Green Bay, Wis. The Runoffs last visited the Midwest in 2017 during a record-breaking event that included nearly 1,000 entries on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This year, the Runoffs will take place at Sonoma Raceway in California before moving to the East Coast in 2019 at VIRginia International Raceway.
Mike Kertscher, Road America’s Senior Vice President, noted the venue’s long history with SCCA. The track has continually hosted the WeatherTech Chicago Region June Sprints since 1956, an event that once helped determine SCCA Road Racing Champions prior to creation of the Runoffs. That makes the June Sprints one of the longest, consecutively held road races in the United States.
“The SCCA Runoffs symbolizes the true essence of sports car racing,” Kertscher said. “Road America has hosted the SCCA Runoffs for many years and we are very pleased to see it return to America’s National Park of Speed at a time of year when the fall colors seem to dance around the beautiful race cars and the mild weather creates the perfect conditions for exceptional racing. The SCCA is one of the cornerstones of Road America’s history, plus it is a great platform for amateur road racers and we are proud to be a part of the crowning of National Champions.”
Mazda racers did well in the Runoffs stint at Road America from 2009 to 2013, scoring a combined seven GT and Production wins, a pair of Super Touring Lite wins and a C Sports Racing (now Prototype 1) victory. Notable among those are two GT-3 wins for Rob Warkocki and his RX-7 (2010 and 2013) and a consecutive pair of wins for Kent Prather in his GT-Lite MX-5. Rob and Ray Huffmaster took the STL wins. Among the spec classes, those winning multiple national championships at Road America were Scott Rettich, three times in Formula Enterprises; Darryl Wills scoring a trio of Formula Mazda titles; and Jim Drago getting rare back-to-back wins in Spec Miata.
The Runoffs, which caps the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program each year, has evolved into what is now commonly agreed to be the pinnacle of American motorsports. Since 1964, the SCCA has crowned National Champions through the winner-take-all, single race Runoffs format.