Although the race is nationally organized by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the actual competitions are organized and run regionally, sometimes with modified rules and regulations. Begun as a pilot project in 1990, the race grew in 1996 to 83 host sites in 26 states involving 100,000 students and 15,000 teachers. Florida students display their winning entries and awards at a local competition. The National JSS program is strong in areas that have teachers who write successful grants to continue the project in their regions. This year there was a large decrease in the number of schools involved in the JSS program.
Hosts can be individuals, organizations, or schools.
Now and Hector Ibarra , just to name a few. Hosts conduct the outreach to the schools, order and distribute the car kits, provide technical mentors to the participants, and plan and manage race day. The Website includes information on ordering kits, how to become a host, and lists of participating sites around the country. NREL also hosts a local competition in Colorado.