Members of the Wylie East Solar Car Team and advisers pose with the “East Beast 2.0,” before departing for the 2026 Solar Car Challenge. The team is competing in the five-day, cross-Texas event this week. Photo Courtesy Wylie East Solar Car Team

By Allison LaBrot | [email protected]

The Wylie East Solar Car Team set out on a cross-Texas journey in their newly built vehicle Sunday, July 19, for the annual Solar Car Challenge. The five-day competition sent 24 high school teams on a cross-Texas journey of up to 619.8 miles from Fort Worth to Fort Stockton.

After winning the Advanced Classic division national championships the past two years, the Wylie East team built a new car, “East Beast 2.0,” from the ground up to comply with updated rules for the 2026 competition. 

Planning for the competition started 18 months ago, with construction beginning at the start of the 2025-26 school year. The team has worked continuously, spending two to three days a week on the car this summer and adding in extra workdays over the past month. 

Students contribute to every aspect of the project, from welding and fabrication to aerodynamics, electronics and other critical systems.

Ten of the team’s 16 members competed in this year’s Solar Car Challenge. 

While the 2025 event took place at Fort Worth’s Texas Motor Speedway, students from around the country will travel through several Texas cities this year. Team adviser Matthew Karlsen said there will be three days of tech inspection, called “scrutineering,” before the race. Each race day includes a route with two rest stops and a lunch break.

This year, the team faced challenges during their tech inspection. 

“After two days of repair for an incident that happened on day two of scrutineering, we are ready to start the race,” they relayed on social media,

“Teams can only drive from 9 to 5, so if you don’t get all the way, you must trailer to the destination,” Karlsen said. “Only the miles they drive in the solar car get counted towards their total.”

The winner is determined by total miles driven, with the fastest overall time serving as the tiebreaker. Solar cars are preceded on the road by a truck and trailer and followed by two chase cars with lights and large signs to alert other drivers of the car’s presence. The first chase car also transports a judge who keeps track of mileage and ensures rules of the road are followed. 

Preparation for the cross-Texas race differs from what is needed for the track event. 

“Drivers need to practice driving without cruise control to keep a steady foot, study driving hills and getting through multiple stops and starts without consuming precious energy,” Karlsen said. 

The competition began Sunday in Fort Worth and includes stops in Palestine, Round Rock, Fredericksburg, San Angelo before concluding in Fort Stockton. At each stop, community members can view the solar cars during public displays held from 4 to 9 p.m. For more information and race updates, follow the Solar Car Challenge or Wylie East Solar Car Team on Facebook. 

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