It’s that time of year again. The season when the sound of racing engines and the smell of rubber burning out on concrete fills the Seven Valleys air for a weekend.

Yep…Sandhills Open Road Challenge time is almost here!

The SORC website labels the 55-mile road course as “arguably the most demanding event of its kind in America”.

Some of the nation’s most talented drivers venture to Custer County each August to challenge themselves on the track filled with “S” curves, straight aways, and 90-degree turns.

The annual event is nearly as much fun for spectators as it is for the participants.

This year is a special one for the SORC - the 25th anniversary. The first open road challenge in 2001 featured 36 cars. It has since grown to nearly 200 entries, and each year there are drivers on the waiting list with hopes to get in.

In 2002, the SORC committee introduced a new event to the weekend festivities - the one-mile shootout. And that event quickly became a favorite of both the crowd and the drivers. This event is held on the Cozad road, one mile west and 15 miles south of Callaway, and this year will be on Friday, Aug. 8.

The spotlight will be on Callaway that day, until early afternoon. The day will begin bright and early with breakfast for the drivers and crew at the shootout site at 6:30 a.m. The road will be closed to traffic beginning at 7:30 a.m., and the shootout gets underway at 8:00.

Following the shootout, the drivers will make their way to Callaway for lunch at noon at the Community Center. The cars will be on display for viewing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. downtown Callaway. The lunch is sponsored by the Callaway Chamber of Commerce.

After lunch, the drivers will head to Arnold for the annual parade of cars at 2:30 p.m. Cars will begin rolling into the area early next week, as the tech inspection for the Loup 2 Loup race will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 2-7 p.m. west of Arnold. The Loup 2 Loup race will be held on Thursday, Aug. 7, beginning at 8:30 a.m. on the Halsey to Purdum road.

The premiere SORC road race will take place on Saturday, Aug. 9, at 8:30 a.m. Awards will be presented that evening, followed by entertainment at Grazers Bar & Grill in Arnold.

In the 25 years of racing, the Sandhills Open Road Challenge has given almost $2 million back to the local communities and has contributed greatly to the economic growth and success of both Arnold and Callaway. The SORC committee plans to have special commemorative 25th anniversary souvenirs available.