In six short years since humble beginnings in 2015, an amazing 50,000 (let us spell that out: more than Fifty THOUSAND) entrants have entered a SCCA Track Night in America driven by Tire Rack.
More special to us, almost 40 percent of those entrants have been a part of the KONI Novice Program, confirming the original mission of the program to help enthusiasts get on track for the first time.
But how do you celebrate a milestone like 50,000, especially when that number continues to grow?
You pick the 50,000th registrant and send them to another one of the Sports Car Club of America’s crown jewels, the SCCA National Championship Runoffs at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
That’s right – just for entering Track Night in America back in May, for a contest that they didn’t know existed, Zach and Nichole Kaufman, of Concord, North Carolina, will be the SCCA’s VIP guest for this year’s Runoffs race days, October 1-3.
The Kaufmans will receive three nights in a hotel, a pace car ride around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and VIP passes for three days of the best racing in motorsports – and maybe, just maybe, an idea of growing from Track Night in America into road racing? That last part remains to be seen.
The Kaufman duo will take a break from their day jobs at their business, Gasquatch Customs & Offroad, to attend their first competition event and their first time at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“It was so exciting to get the call with an invite to the Runoffs,” Nichole said. “Funny because at first we were trying to end the call thinking it was a scam. We only just recently started participating in SCCA events ourselves, and we've never been to a big-time race together as spectators. It's all so surreal because it's something we're so passionate about and been wanting to do for the 13 years we've been together. We are looking forward to seeing what these skilled drivers can do.”
But look – the fun isn’t exclusive to the Kaufman’s. You, of course, can attend a Track Night in America near you, with remaining 2021 events available here.
And, of course, you can also attend the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, where 26 fellow members will be crowned road racing National Champions over the course of three days at the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Tickets for that event are available here – don’t miss this one, either!
Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Motor Speedway
