FUMES #445

May 14, 2008

The SCCA sees the light.

By Peter M. De Lorenzo

Detroit. Halle-frickin-luja as we like to say around here, because word came down late Monday that the Sports Car Club of America has finally seen the light and restored the glory to its National Championships by moving the Runoffs to Road America, in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, in 2009. Road America will become the sixth venue to host the event, dating back to 1964. The SCCA Board has directed its staff to move forward to negotiate a three-year agreement with Road America for SCCA Club Racing’s signature event, which has averaged over 650 participants since 2000. The Runoffs is currently in the final year of a three-year agreement at Heartland Park Topeka, in Topeka, Kansas.

Readers may remember that I wrote a widely-read column not long ago about how the SCCA needed to move its signature event to one of America's premier natural-terrain road racing circuits. The reason being that SCCA's best national racers deserved to race for their class championships at one of this country's premier tracks, not a track selected based on a logistical compromise. Having the Runoffs in the center of the country at Heartland Park Topeka made sense logistically, but it never made sense for the actual racing, as the track paled in comparison to this country's most challenging circuits. I also suggested that the Runoffs needed to be moved up one month, from October to September, to take advantage of northern circuits like Watkins Glen and Road America.

There is no question that Road America is considered to be one of this country's finest natural-terrain road racing circuits along with Watkins Glen and Laguna Seca. But frankly, for my money it is the greatest road racing facility in the U.S., hands down. Road America is not only the most picturesque road racing circuit in the U.S., it is the fastest, too, and as Mario Andretti has said repeatedly, it is one of the finest circuits in the world. The fact that the authentic 50s village of Elkhart Lake embraces the circuit and revels in its national prominence makes it all that much more special.

SCCA President & CEO Jim Julow had this to say about the decision: “Given the deep history of the track, the village of Elkhart Lake and SCCA enjoy, it only seems natural for the most prestigious Club Racing event in the world to be hosted by Road America. The Board had a difficult decision, as we had an unprecedented number of outstanding potential hosts for the event, meaning the long term future of Club Racing’s National Championship is very bright.”

“The SCCA has been an integral part of our 53 year-history,” Road America President and General Manager George Bruggenthies said. “The opportunity to showcase our facility and our community to a nation of SCCA racers and fans is a tremendous honor. On behalf of our board of directors and staff, my thanks to the SCCA for their confidence. We promise to build on the outstanding Runoffs tradition and exceed stakeholder expectations.”

The first-ever “Interdivisional Championship,” later referred to as the “Runoffs,” was held at Riverside Raceway (Riverside, Calif.) in 1964, and alternated coasts with Daytona International Raceway (Daytona Beach, Fla.) through 1969. In 1970, the event began a 24-year run at Road Atlanta (Braselton, Ga.), before moving to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Lexington, Ohio) in 1994. After 12 years in Ohio, the Runoffs moved to Heartland Park Topeka in 2006. The Runoffs consume an entire week, with a schedule of practicing and qualifying culminating in championship races on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. With over 650 of the finest amateur drivers in the U.S. competing, the Runoffs is the largest annual amateur road racing event in the world.

To say that Road America is the perfect venue for the SCCA National Championships is an understatement. Road America’s history dates back to the early 1950s when public street races in the Elkhart Lake area were a part of the SCCA national championship series (today you can retrace the original street circuit's route by following a series of historical markers in and around the Village of Elkhart Lake - ed). When street racing became illegal in 1952, participants and supporters joined efforts and raised funds to develop Road America. Clif Tufte, a trained civil engineer, planned the original circuit by personally walking the 525 acres of Wisconsin farmland beginning in 1954, carving his vision for a premier road racing facility into the Kettle Moraine countryside. Tufte's blistering fast 4.048-mile, 14-turn configuration has remained intact and unaltered since then, which in this day and age is simply remarkable. The first SCCA national race weekend was held on September 10-11, 1955. The inaugural June Sprints® was held the following year, June 23-24, 1956. The date for the 2009 Runoffs has yet to be finalized, although it will move from October to September.

Today, Road America stands as a shining beacon to road racing in its purest form. Visiting Road America is akin to visiting one of this country's pristine national parks, which is why we have officially and affectionately named it America's National Park of Speed. And having this nation's finest amateur road racers competing for national championships on this country's finest, fastest and most challenging road racing circuit is only fitting.

We applaud the powers that be at the SCCA for having the vision and the cojones to do the Right Thing. This decision was not about the logistics or the usual mind-numbing politics that have permeated the SCCA since its inception.

No, it was about the actual racing, which is why it's so refreshing.

Publisher's Note: In our continuing series celebrating the "Golden Era" of American racing history, here is another image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD

(Ford Racing Archives)
Indianapolis, IN, 1967. AJ Foyt on his way to victory in the Indianapolis 500.