Solar car fans will be able to track Iron Lions starting Sunday

This Wednesday, Greenville High School’s Iron Lions solar car team will leave for Texas Motor Speedway to compete in the 2026 Solar Car Challenge, a multi-day endurance race that will take them from Fort Worth through communities across Texas before finishing in Fort Stockton.

The actual race will start Sunday after four days of team/driver meetings and “scrutineering,” which is an intense process where judges make sure each competition vehicle meets standards for structural integrity, braking, electrical and battery requirements, as well as the car’s ability to run for an extended period of time and other criteria.

When the race begins, the Solar Car Challenge will go live with its online team tracker, so fans can keep track of their team’s progress for the next five days.

The team tracker will be at https://tinyurl.com/3z43v4s3.

“We’re super excited for what promises to be a very close event this year with several teams reaching for the top spot,” a Facebook post from the Iron Lions said. “This is going to be epic.”

While there will be 24 teams total in the competition, the Iron Lions will be racing their newest self-built car, Aurora, in the “advanced” division against four elite teams from high schools across the country – including last year’s runner-up in the division, Poly Solar Car from Polytechnic School in Pasadena, California. For the Iron Lions, it will be the team’s attempt at an eighth national championship.