Topeka, KS — The Sports Car Club of America will hold the 2019 SCCA National Championship Runoffs Oct. 8-13 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Va., marking the venue’s first time hosting the event.
Beautiful, challenging VIR will buzz with Runoffs energy. Photo: VIR
“We’re thrilled to take amateur racing’s most prestigious event to one of the most beautiful and challenging racetracks in the country, returning it to the Eastern United States for the first time since 2015,” said Eric Prill, SCCA Vice President & Chief Operating Officer.
With its uphill Esses and sharp elevation changes, VIR is considered one of the top six road courses in the U.S., and has also received international acclaim as among the most exciting road courses in all of motorsports.
The 3.27-mile track first opened in 1957 as one of the country’s first permanent road racing circuits, and remains unchanged with the exception of widening in some places to offer safer run-off room. The first official event at VIR was an SCCA race that attracted stars including Carroll Shelby, Carl Haas, Bob Holbert, Augie Pabst, Don Yenko, Dr. Dick Thompson and Walt Hansgen.
“I can’t tell you how excited we are to welcome the best amateur drivers in the U.S. for the 56th edition of the Runoffs,” said Connie Nyholm, VIR’s owner and CEO.
Since 1964, the SCCA has crowned National Champions at the winner-take-all, single race Runoffs format through dozens of separate races over three days. In 2019, there will be three days of qualifying, followed by three days of racing.
VIR joins Riverside (1964, 1966, 1968), Daytona International Speedway (1965, 1967, 1969, 2015), Road Atlanta (1970-1993), Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (1994-2005, 2016), Heartland Motorsports Park (2006-2008), Road America (2009-2013), Laguna Seca (2014), Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2017) and Sonoma Raceway (2018) as Runoffs hosts.
