BEATRICE – The Electrek American Solar Car Challenge is coming back through Nebraska, including a stop at the Homestead National Historical Park, Wednesday, July 24th.

The annual event promotes creativity and ingenuity among university and college students, who engineer solar cars that participate in a cross-country race.

Homestead National Historical Park Ranger Amber Kirkendall says the park is a checkpoint next Wednesday at the Heritage Center.  "We don't know for sure how many....but at least thirty.(cars)"

The third stage of the race kicks off from the Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri…at 9 a.m., Wednesday….and Kirkendall says the solar cars will arrive at the Homestead between 11:15 a.m and 3:45 p.m.

"We'll also have a car display with historic cars. Gale Hanshaw, our volunteer who helped us in past years with a car show...he'll bring other vehicles to show the evolution of technology that was available for agriculture, but also for daily life...and how we got to a point where we can have solar cars, on the highway."

Food and kids’ activities will also be available at the Heritage Center.

"This is a national event and is a partnership with different national trails...so other historic sites are part of this, as well."

Past Photo of Challenge Entry at the Homestead
Past Photo of Challenge Entry at the Homestead  

The Solar Challenge rolls into the Kearney Archway at 9:15 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. on July 25th…next Thursday. The third stage of the race finishes on Friday, July 26th, at the Scotts Bluff National Monument at Gering…between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. 


The fourth stage of the challenge then starts Saturday, July 27th from Scottsbluff….and finishes at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming.

The challenge’s first stage…the start of the race….is this Saturday, July 20th...at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville, Tennessee.