High-Profile Amateur Event Coming to IMS
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has secured a premiere national amateur racing event. The Kansas-based Sports Car Club of America will host its 2017 National Championship Runoffs on the road course of the famed venue.
The SCCA says the championships are currently being hosted by a rotating, "bucket list" of venues. The event has never been run in Indianapolis, but many drivers connected to INDYCAR and the Indianapolis 500 trace their racing roots to the SCCA. Champions Bobby Rahal and Mark Donohue won Runoffs and Indy 500 titles during their careers and Bobby’s son, current IndyCar Series driver Graham, is the youngest-ever Runoffs champion.
IMS President Doug Boles says "hosting the SCCA national championships at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a natural fit. The Runoffs will provide drivers who have dreamed of competing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway an opportunity to do so and will hopefully motivate some participants to continue on the path to compete in the Indianapolis 500 someday. It is going to be a tremendous event showcasing the talent and passion that makes SCCA racing so exciting."
In a news release, the organization says it has crowned "Club Racing National Champions in a winner-take-all, single race format since 1964." This year’s competition weekend featured 27 separate races over three days.