SCCA Targa Carolinas Wielded a New Name and New Tracks, but the Fun Was Just as…Fun
SCCA Targa Carolinas Wielded a New Name and New Tracks, but the Fun Was Just as…Fun
SCCA® Targa Carolinas did things a little differently this year. Along with having a new name over year’s past, Targa Carolinas organizers also decided that a 0.6-mile oval would be a good idea for a portion of the June 10-14, 2026, multi-day, team-based motorsports adventure that is more about fun than cutthroat competition.
They weren’t wrong.
They also decided a poker run between official on-track activities would be an entertaining way to keep teams out of trouble. Then there was that one SCCA staffer who went rogue, offering alternate, unofficial stops for Targa teams just because she knew where the hot spots were.
And she did.
One team decided it would be fun to blow out a tire or two. Another team opted to run the ragged edge of the rules by performing mid-event tire service to avoid the same fate as Team Blow Out.
Friendly banter ensued.
There was sweet barbecue, elevated coolant levels, cheeky stickers, a petitioned team name change (to Team Areyouf***ingkiddingme, for those wondering how that team’s Targa was going), and more.
In other words, fun. Lots and lots of fun.
On the Socials
Targa Carolinas jumped into action on June 10 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, with teams making timed laps, then heading to NCCAR, just 220 miles northeast. Timed lapping plus TrackSprints mixed together to give quite an adrenaline rush before all 31 teams made yet another 220-mile trek (this time westward) to North Wilksboro Speedway in Wilksboro, NC (the aforementioned short-track oval, which involved more than turning left). The final leg of the journey for the Targa teams was a comparative short one, as Kershaw, SC, home of Carolina Motorsports Park, was just 140 miles to the south.
But it’s what happened in the 600 miles between those stops that teams will remember forever – and much of that action could be followed on SCCA Targa’s Facebook group.
For instance:
That was from Wilksboro. Let’s talk about Wilksboro.
A short-track oval at an SCCA event? This is an SCCA Targa, so anything goes! During this stop, teams got to experience an out lap, one timed lap, then a cooldown lap – all the while, an autocross was running simultaneously, meaning there was no time to think.
Wilksboro was all action, and the teams loved it. And, as you’ll see in a sec, what followed spiced things up even more…
A poker run began as teams pulled out of Wilksboro, and it was far more than a card game.
Taking place along North Carolina’s famed Blue Ridge Parkway, the Targa poker run saw teams hitting five checkpoints in as many hours, with stop offs at locations like the Grandview Overlook, Original Mast General Store (a fun throwback for anyone who took part in the first two SCCA Targa events), Bubba’s Gas and Grill, Happy Valley School, and Rider’s Roost (hilariously for us, a resort specifically built for those on motorcycles).
On to others...
Who Won?
Winners? Oh yes, there were winners – but we’re not going to tell you who they were, because if that’s all you’re interested in, SCCA Targa is not for you.
More Adventures
The 2026 running of SCCA Targa Carolinas was one these teams won’t forget – which says a lot, because several of these teams were no Targa virgins.
SCCA Targa hits the road for the penultimate Targa of 2026 on July 15 with Targa New England – a first for SCCA Targa! That adventure runs through July 18 and has teams visiting Palmer Motorsports Park, Lime Rock Park, Canaan Motor Club, and Pocono Raceway, where the adventure meets up with the Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Challenge, also at Pocono (see how that “meets up” thing works?).
Registration for SCCA Targa New England is open now!
Can’t make SCCA Targa New England? The final Targa of the year comes in the Great Lakes area, creatively called SCCA Targa Great Lakes. This one runs from July 29-Aug. 1 and sends teams from Blackhawk Farms Raceway to Grattan Raceway, Tire Rack’s headquarters, GingerMan Raceway, and then Autobahn Country Club (for another Tire Rack SCCA Time Attack Challenge meetup).
You can sign up for this one right now, too.
Lead photo from Wilksboro by Aditya Madhavan