Solar Car Challenge to Stop in San Angelo During Cross-Texas Race

SAN ANGELO, TX - High school students from across the country will showcase solar-powered cars they designed and built when the 30th annual Solar Car Challenge stops in San Angelo this month. 

The 631.7-mile race begins Sunday, July 19, in Fort Worth and finishes in Fort Stockton. Teams will display their vehicles to the public in San Angelo and other cities along the route, including Palestine, Round Rock and Fredericksburg. They will also stop for photos at historic Texas courthouses. 

Twenty-four teams from seven states are competing. Ten teams are from Texas, seven from California, three from Oregon and one each from Michigan, Florida, New York and Washington. 

Students built the cars from scratch. The vehicles must pass a rigorous “scrutineering” inspection July 16-18 at Texas Motor Speedway before the race. Teams arrive July 15 for check-in and begin three days of testing. 

During the five-day race, car breakdowns, weather, terrain and team experience will determine daily mileage. The team that travels the farthest overall wins. Cars travel through East Texas piney woods, Central Texas rolling hills and West Texas flatlands. 

The event was founded in 1993 by educator Dr. Lehman Marks to motivate students in science, engineering and alternative energy.

“This is the brain sport,” Marks said. “It’s not just about building the car, but how to drive that car, solve the inevitable problems that happen with the car, and keeping your team intact through five grueling days of racing. Doing the Solar Car Challenge makes these students better equipped to face the challenges they’ll have in life.”

The race is volunteer-run, with former competitors returning to mentor current teams. Title sponsors include Oncor, Lockheed Martin, Dell Technologies, The Caraway Family Foundation, Enel North America, The Muscato Family Fund and The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at UTD. 

For more information, visit solarcarchallenge.org.