SCCA Moves National Championship Runoff in 2006 to Topeka

[gaijin]

Heartland Park Topeka Awarded Bid to Host
SCCA National Championship Runoffs in 2006


The signature event of the Sports Car Club of America, the SCCA National Championship Runoffs®, will be coming to Heartland Park Topeka in 2006. With today’s announcement Heartland Park Topeka will become just the fifth track to host the SCCA National Championship Runoffs in the 41-year history of the event.

“Heartland Park Topeka was originally built with the goal of hosting the SCCA Championship Runoffs,” said Heartland Park Topeka Owner Raymond Irwin. “We now look forward to showcasing our community and facility to SCCA drivers, crew and workers from across the nation as we host the next era of this prestigious event.”

The National Championship Runoffs have been hosted by Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio since 1994. As a result of a December vote by the SCCA Board of Directors, Heartland Park Topeka will host this prestigious event for the 2006 through 2008 seasons. For the first time in over 30 years the event will be held west of the Mississippi River.

Heartland Park Topeka was constructed in the capital city of Kansas at a cost of nearly $23 million and opened in 1989. In its first ten race seasons, Heartland Park hosted major events for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), SCCA Pro Racing, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

NHRA drag racing has remained a consistent part of the Heartland Park Topeka schedule, but high-profile road racing at the facility has lagged since the late 1990s.

Irwin purchased the facility in March of 2003, and earlier this year received a $5 million commitment from the Topeka city government for road course upgrades, as part of a major property renovation. Several improvements will be made prior to the 2006 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, including a complete repaving of the road course and changes to the track layout, new road course garages, a road course control tower and timing facility, showers and bathrooms, additional concession areas, improved spectator viewing areas, and an expansion of the current paddock to accommodate additional participants.

Heartland Park Topeka, a multi-purpose racing facility located in Topeka, Kansas, annually hosts NHRA POWERade drag racing, Championship Off-Road Racing (CORR), and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) in addition to many other events throughout the race season.