Introduction to Region History

The information below is from the Official Program of the 1954 National Sports Car Races held at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, NE. (For more about the Offutt races see the Offutt Races page.)


1954 Motor Racing and the SCCA

The Sports Car Club of America is something more than an organization dedicated to the mere purpose of enabling automobile enthusiasts to indulge in the sport of amateur racing.

To understand more clearly the true scope of the SCCA ideals it is necessary to go back almost a generation to a time when the American automobile declined from the level of a distinctive and cherished possession to that of something on a par with an icebox, a telephone or some other routine accessory whose primary purpose is one of utility. During this period the sheer pleasure of driving -- the appreciation of handling qualities and performance of a finely engineered car as such were almost forgotten.

Then in the middle thirties a courageous band of sports and custom car enthusiasts known as the Automobile Racing Club of America came into being, who, until the outbreak of war conducted a highly successful series of road races and rallies that began to rekindle popular interest in motoring as a sport. A year after the war these enthusiasts joined by many others dedicated to the same purpose reformed themselves into the Sports Car Club of America. So successful was this movement that SCCA membership rose quickly to over 300 members by 1948.

Today nearly six years later the SCCA is made up of over 40 regions covering the entire United States with over 5,000 members. Today the intelligent and disciplined participation of SCCA members in recognized racing and competitive events is not only arousing the enthusiasm of vast crowds but is also attracting the attention of responsible civic and automotive engineering bodies all over the country.

In 1953, when the first Offutt race was held, Nebraska Region did not exist, but by 1954, NRSCCA was both established and involved. Fifty years later when this website was built, SCCA had grown to a 65,000 member organization with 112 Regions.

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