What To Watch: 2020 Tire Rack Time Trials Nationals Powered by Hagerty

What To Watch: 2020 Tire Rack Time Trials Nationals Powered by Hagerty

Welcome Back

The 2020 Tire Rack Time Trials Nationals powered by Hagerty returns to NCM Motorsports Park, in the shadow of the National Corvette Museum and Corvette factory line in Bowling Green, Kentucky. This year’s event is the third in its short history, but also the biggest – a true trend, if ever there was one.

Competition Varietals

Time Trials Nationals brings a competition format unlike any other in SCCA. Thursday is officially a “Holley-Day,” brought to competitors by our friends at Holley Performance and full of 20 minute practice sessions to learn the challenging 3.15 mile circuit. On Friday, each run group gets three Time Attack sessions to set their best time of day (the first quarter of the final score). Saturday is a Track Sprint day – think autocross, but on a portion of the race track, and without cones. Sounds easy? Remember, it’s from a standing start, so there is no warm-up or rhythm to get into. Track Sprint East and Track Sprint West best individual times make up two more scoring segments. Finally, the groups get smaller but the time gets shorter on Sunday – so you have a very small window to throw down one last time to complete the final score. The lowest total time over the week, in class, gets to stand atop the KONI podium.

Growing Up

This year’s event has bumped up against the entry cap, with 225 competitors on the entry list. The growth has occurred with social distancing guidelines in place, including smaller groups, spaced, outdoors for meetings and required masks in public places. In addition, camping and food are available on-site to allow participants to stay inside a bubble, should they so choose, without venturing into the city of Bowling Green.

Superlatives

More than just the KONI podium finishers, a host of different awards will be given out through the weekend. The Top Time Overall, Top 10 Overall, Breakthough Performer and Spirit of Time Trials are among the extra prizes to be awarded at the end of the event. Holley Performance is providing prizes to the Top GM Performer, Top Ford Performer, Top Import Performer, Off on the Right Foot, Workers’ Choice and Most Improved. Classic Motorsports Magazine has a prize for Fastest Classic, Grassroots Motorsports Magazine is offering a “True Grassroots” prize, and one competitor will be extended an invitation to participate in the Ultimate Track Car Challenge.

Don’t Get Left Behind

Can’t make it to the event this year? It will still be possible to follow along from home. Live timing and streaming audio from Gregg Ginsberg and Larry MacLeod will play Friday through Sunday, with special pop ins scheduled from Tom O’Gorman, Heyward Wagner and John Hunter, among others, throughout the weekend.

Find it all at timetrials.scca.com