CLUB RACING

2007 National Championship Runoffs® Pres. by AT&T

Heartland Park Topeka

The SCCA National Championship Runoffs have evolved into what is now commonly agreed to be the pinnacle of American motorsports. The Runoffs were named by Car and Driver magazine as one of the Top 10 racing events in motorsports. 2007 marks the 44th edition of the Runoffs and the second year for the event to be held at Heartland Park Topeka.

Approximately 700 drivers are competing for National Championship medals in 25 different classes. This event at Heartland Park promises lots of exciting competition and close racing. The new location somewhat evened the playing field between Runoffs veterans and rookies. A new track configuration for the 2007 event creates a new challenge for the drivers.

QUALIFYING FOR AN INVITATION
Each of the nine divisions holds a minimum of six National events where drivers compete for national points to gain an invitation to the Runoffs.  

Each contender can participate in as many National races as they want, but can only count the points from their top six finishes. Only the top ten competitors per division in each of the 25 classes are invited to the Runoffs, so competition usually comes down to the last National events of the year held  sometime around Labor Day weekend. Many drivers spend the end of the summer "chasing points" by traveling to races out of their own division and acquiring the extra points necessary to guarantee them an invitation to the prestigious Runoffs.

WHY GO TO THE RUNOFFS?
While the big names make thousands or even millions of dollars a year, club racers normally compete for trophies. There are a few classes supported by contingency sponsors throughout the season, but, most of the time, when a club driver is on the track it is for fun and to test himself against his fellow competitors.  
Winning a National Championship at the Runoffs means defeating the best club racing has to offer as well as bragging rights to say "I am the best in the country." The long list of past National Champions reads like a who's who of motor racing. Bobby Rahal, Greg Ray, Jimmy Vasser, Scott Sharp, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Skip Barber, Boris Said, Michael Galati and Paul Newman are just a few of the familiar names. For many of these drivers, a National Championship was just a stepping-stone on their way to making a name for themselves in auto racing.  

A National Championship looks good on the racing resume and can help with sponsorship proposals for the following year. Securing a sponsor can help with a bigger and better season for the following year, be it in Club or Pro.

SCCA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
From 1951 through 1964, The Sports Car Club of America determined its amateur road racing National Champions on a nationwide point basis from the United States Road Racing Championship, a select series of National races run throughout the country. In the first three years, only one overall champion was named. From 1954 on, champions were named in each of the SCCA amateur classes.

In 1964, it was decided that a better way would be to gather the best amateur road racers in one place to compete against each other in an Interdivisional Championship Event. In the first two years, the winners were not officially recognized as the SCCA National Champions. 1966 was the first year the event was officially designated as the SCCA National Championship event. In retrospect, The Runoffs winners of 1964 and 1965 are similarly recognized.

In 1964, then, there were two Championships - the final year of the point series and the first year of the Runoffs.

THE HISTORY OF THE RUNOFFS
Over the years, the name has changed as well as the method of qualifying for the event, but the idea has remained the same:  gather the best amateur road racers in one place and let them compete against each other.  

For the first six years, the event alternated between Riverside International Raceway in California (1964, 1966 & 1968) and Daytona International Speedway in Florida (1965, 1967 & 1969). For the next 24 years the Runoffs were held at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga. The Runoffs moved to Lexington, Ohio's Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from 1994 to 2005. In 2006, the Runoffs will added a fifth track to it’s resume, that of Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, Kan.

During the early years, the event was known as the American Road Race of Champions (ARRC). The first year at Riverside saw 183 cars entered in 13 races for 17 classes. Practice began on Wednesday with qualifying Thursday and Friday and races Saturday and Sunday. In 1973, when Champion Spark Plugs signed on as the event sponsor the name became the Champion Spark Plug Road Racing Classic (CSPRRC). In 1983, the words "The Runoffs" were added to the Champion Spark Plug Road Racing Classic, and then, in 1985, Valvoline Oil took over as sponsor of the event and it became the Valvoline Road Racing Classic - The Runoffs (VRRC).  1987 saw the name shortened to just "The Valvoline Runoffs," which was used until 2005 when Kohler was named as the presenting sponsor.

Many Club drivers do not want to be professional drivers one day and are content to test themselves each year at the Runoffs, which makes for many return entries each year. During the 24 years that the Runoffs were held at Road Atlanta, many of the competitors gathered quite a following of local fans.

The number of entries has grown steadily over the past 30 years. The 1995 Runoffs had 670 starters, the highest number ever prior to 2004’s eclipsing of 700, with 709 drivers starting in 24 class races. With increased television coverage through SPEED, spectator interest has increased.  Attendance over the past 30 years has averaged 15,000 people per year!

The biggest race in Club Racing has always been supported by the workers from across the country.  And the 2007 race will again see workers from as far away as Hawaii and British Columbia, Canada.

THE FUTURE OF THE RUNOFFS
With the potential for over 2000 entries, the Runoffs still have a lot of room to expand before reaching its peak. One of the main goals of SCCA Club Racing is to broaden the appeal of the Runoffs and National Racing so even more of the eligible competitors will want to compete at the National level and work toward attending the Runoffs.