It’s time to level up your knowledge when it comes to the Â鶹ÊÓƵ® National Convention. First, though, let’s review what we know. The Convention takes place Jan. 15-23, 2026, is COMPLETELY FREE(!), and is virtual, meaning Â鶹ÊÓƵ members can participate pretty much anywhere in the world. It’s also home to Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Annual Meeting and the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Hall of Fame ceremony, where the Club will be inducting these five deserving members into the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Hall of Fame.
Since the National Convention’s theme is “Level Up” – and we’re one month away from the Convention’s kick off, now’s the perfect time to unleash more information to level up what you know…something we’ll do by highlighting a handful of Convention sessions you won’t want to miss.
For example…
Lyn St. James Leads the Charge
You read that right – the 2026 Â鶹ÊÓƵ National Convention takes the green flag with racing legend Lyn St. James up front.
OK, technically the Annual Meeting and Â鶹ÊÓƵ Road Racing Awards come first, but at 7:30 p.m. Central Time on Jan. 15, Lyn St. James takes the virtual center stage. Those who have had the opportunity to hear Lyn St. James speak (like, perhaps, when she was inducted into the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Hall of Fame in 2017) know this is an opportunity no motorsports lover should miss. If you’ve never had the opportunity to hear her speak, it goes without saying that we know where you should be on Jan. 15.
TLDR, if you only attend one session at this year’s Â鶹ÊÓƵ National Convention, this should be it.
But this shouldn’t be the only session you attend, and here’s why…
A Friday to Remember
The following day, Â鶹ÊÓƵ President and CEO Mike Cobb takes the mic to discuss leveling up together, which involves collaboration across Regions and programs, reimagining how events are hosted, and what the future holds for the Club through evolving initiatives like virtual training programs and more.
Also taking place on Friday is the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, where we’ll not only hear about (and in some cases, from) the class of 2026, but the next Â鶹ÊÓƵ Member of Excellence and Woolf Barnato Award recipients will be announced.
Power Play of a Weekend
To make a bad pun, Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 17-18), bring the meet of the matter.
Town halls and program updates will come for Solo®, Road Racing, RoadRally, RallyCross®, the Electrified Vehicle Advisory Committee, Club Spec, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Foundation, and more. In total, there are more than 15 sessions planned over the course of the weekend. Yet that’s not to say each one of those sessions fit that mold.
Saturday evening will bring celebrations, as the Club will celebrate Region success. From Small to Jumbo Regions and everything in between, this is where Â鶹ÊÓƵ takes a moment to celebrate the year’s successes. What’s the Tom Burke Award? Tune in to find out!
Sunday evening, meanwhile, sees Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s National Board of Directors (BoD) hosting a session that will cover a variety of topics that are Board related. Led by BoD Chair Bob Crawford, if you’ve ever wanted to know about the inner workings of the Club from a Board perspective, this is one you won’t want to miss.
A Week of Leveling Up
Monday through Friday, Jan. 19-23, continues the action, with sessions covering social media marketing, Region development conversations, the evolution of Â鶹ÊÓƵ Drivers’ Schools, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Women on Track, Timing & Scoring solutions, tech tips for various competition types, and more.
Do you need to attend every one of the more than 70 sessions taking place from Jan. 15-23? Heck no! To ensure you get to the ones you need, you’ll want to check out the Â鶹ÊÓƵ National Convention schedule:
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ National Convention runs via the Whova app, so while , it’s highly recommended that you also download the app (available for and ). Through Whova, you can select the sessions you want to attend, adding them to your Whova calendar, ensuring you never miss a session.
As for those “other” Convention sessions that supposedly don’t apply to you…give some of them a shot. Turns out, there’s a lot that can be learned from other competition types, be it tech, marketing, and beyond.
Learn all about the Jan. 15-23, 2026, Â鶹ÊÓƵ National Convention by clicking the link below. Once you’ve clicked that link, scroll down a bit and you’ll also learn about the upcoming Â鶹ÊÓƵ Divisional Conventions that will be taking place starting Jan. 30 with the Southeast Division convention and wrapping on March 29 with Rocky Mountain Division’s convention.
Photo by Philip Royle
