The ball has dropped on yet another year, yet while other racing series are still making preparations for the 2010 season, the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) has already sped across the starting line at full throttle. Inaugural events Club Racing, Rally and Solo series have shown promise that 2010 will prove to be another exciting year in SCCA action.

Main stream media series such as the NASCAR Sprint Cup or the Izod Indycar Series certainly bring in the dollars and garner the attention of a valued fan base, but the SCCA boasts incredible competition among thousands of drivers from coast to coast. The Club Racing series alone executed 234 races across all nine competition regions in 2009, and has increased that number for 2010 to 263 scheduled events. Fans and drivers alike flock to these unique events to watch the action that takes place between ten different racing classes. In all, almost 22,000 individual cars entered SCCA events in 2009.

The SCCA National races add even more excitement to the season, as drivers compete among seventy different events throughout the United States. In September, these drivers converge at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, for the National Championship Runoffs. The championship event is a winner take all event packed with racing excitement and entertainment. Such drivers as Bobby Rahal, Scott Sharp, Boris Said, and Skip Barber, and the late Paul Newman have been past winners of the SCCA National Championship Runoff.

Another popular category in the SCCA is the autocross competition Solo Class. During these events, each driver's ability and skill is tested over a low hazard course. Course layouts are designed by laying out traffic cones upon relatively level and open areas found at locations such as inactive airstrips or parking lots.  Contestants among six different race categories navigate each course attempting to beat the fastest reigning driver's time.

Each year there are in excess of 1,200 regional and divisional Solo Class events that are open to the average, everyday sports car on the street. Modified vehicles compete as well for added excitement and heightened competition. At the conclusion of the racing year, thousands of Solo Class drivers migrate to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete in the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship, the largest event of its type on the planet. Over the course of the event there are over fifty National Class Champions crowned among the men's and women's classes. Nowhere else in the world will a racing fan encounter a larger variety of racing machines and driver personalities.

The road to Lincoln is paved with a series of SCCA Solo National Tour events that attract hundreds of drivers from across the nation. The National Tour events give drivers a feel for what they can expect at the series ending championships in Lincoln.

At the top of the SCCA list is the Pro Trans-Am series that will begin their hard charging season in May, 2010 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, New Jersey. These thundering racers will heat up various tracks across the country and will share event weekends with such series as the NASCAR Nationwide Series on June 18th as well as the NASCAR Camping World Series on July 2nd.

Not to be left out, the SCCA Rally series continues to grow in popularity and so far for 2010, there are nineteen events scheduled. Drivers in the SCCA Rally series compete in either the stock, prepared or modified categories and are a thrill to spectators. For those who want to experience a street legal version of Cannonball Run, then Road Rally is the answer. These events take place along public roads and legal speed limits are observed. The goal is to arrive at various checkpoints along each route on time rather than early or late. Rally Cross is where drivers who like to play in the dirt get their satisfaction. These dirt courses challenge drivers in scaled down versions of popular rally courses.

The best part of the SCCA is that fans are not relegated to expensive stadium seats behind distracting wire barriers. Fans are invited to participate as officials, marshals and if they are up for it, to join in the competition in their very own vehicle. Fans can get closer to the action at SCCA events than just about any other racing series around. They hold racing schools and have an easy to understand process for new drivers to reach for higher and higher competition levels.

The variety of vehicles at SCCA events is reason enough to take in as many races as possible. Among some of the most interesting classes to watch are the vintage racing cars. These classic racers are a treasured heirloom to the racing community and they are always a favorite among SCCA racing fans.

For more information about the Sports Car Club of America, and to find SCCA events near you, visit their website at: http://www.scca.com/

By Paul Mroczka

Paul writes about various sports, including motorsports such as NASCAR, Formula 1 and Truck Racing. He lives about 30 minutes from the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and attends numerous SCCA-sponsored events and NASCAR races.