GREENVILLE, Texas - Greenville High School's Iron Lions solar car team claimed the Advanced division championship at the 30th annual Solar Car Challenge, earning one of two overall division titles captured by North Texas schools during the national competition.
The Iron Lions won the Advanced division with their solar-powered car, Aurora, after competing against 23 other teams from seven states. More than 325 high school students participated in this year's challenge, which tested engineering, teamwork and endurance over a five-day, 631.7-mile road race across Texas.
The competition began at Texas Motor Speedway, where each team's custom-built vehicle underwent scrutineering, a rigorous multi-day inspection to ensure the cars met safety and performance standards before being cleared for competition.
Teams that passed the inspection traveled from Fort Worth to Fort Stockton, navigating changing weather, varied terrain and mechanical challenges while attempting to log the greatest number of miles. Along the route, students made public stops in Palestine, Round Rock, Fredericksburg, San Angelo and Fort Stockton, giving residents an opportunity to see the innovative solar-powered vehicles up close.
Greenville's championship highlighted a strong showing by North Texas schools. Wylie East High School won the Advanced Classic division for the third consecutive year with its car, East Beast. Plano Green Team finished second in the Advanced Classic division, Old Rip Racing from Fort Worth placed fourth in the Classic division, and Mighty Tigers from Harmony School of Innovation in Fort Worth earned third place in the Electric-Solar Powered division.
Founded in 1993 by educator Dr. Lehman Marks, the Solar Car Challenge is designed to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through hands-on learning. Many teams spend two to three years designing, engineering, fundraising for and constructing their vehicles before reaching the starting line.
"The Solar Car Challenge has been named one of the top Science and Engineering programs in the country by Science & Technology magazine," Marks said. "We teach the kids how to build a plan, come up with a budget, fundraise, how to engineer the car and manage the project, all while they're learning about how to harness energy from the sun to make a car go down the road."
Marks said the event challenges students far beyond engineering.
"This is the brain sport," Marks said. "It's not just about building the car, but how to drive that car, solve the inevitable problems that happen with the car, and keeping your team intact through five grueling days of racing. Doing the Solar Car Challenge makes these students better equipped to face the challenges they'll have in life."
The biennial event is organized entirely by volunteers, many of whom are former competitors who return to mentor the next generation of student engineers. The 2026 competition featured teams from Texas, California, Oregon, Michigan, Florida, New York and Washington, with North Texas schools once again proving to be among the nation's strongest solar car programs.
