While many high school students spend their summer working jobs, relaxing with friends, or preparing for the upcoming school year, members of the Greenville High School Iron Lions Solar Car Team are preparing for something far different: racing a student-built solar-powered vehicle nearly 700 miles across Texas.

Later next month, the Greenville High School team will compete in the 2026 Solar Car Challenge, a multi-day endurance race that will take them from the Denton area through communities across Texas before finishing in Fort Stockton. Along the way, the Iron Lions will compete against approximately 25 high school solar car teams from across the nation while pursuing the program's eighth national championship.

The Iron Lions enter the competition with a long tradition of success. Since the program began competing in 2012, Greenville ISD students have earned seven national championships and established themselves as one of the premier high school solar car programs in the country.

The upcoming challenge comes less than a year after the team represented Greenville ISD on the international stage at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge in Australia, where the Iron Lions competed as the only high school team in the world against university and professional-level teams from across the globe.

Now, students are preparing to put their experience to work closer to home.

"We're really excited for this race," said senior Ethan Kiowski. "It's a lot different than Australia, but it's still a huge challenge. It may come down to who has fewer breakdowns and who can make the best decisions throughout the week."

The team's solar car, Aurora, returned from Australia late last year and has undergone extensive modifications in preparation for the upcoming race. Students have spent months redesigning systems, upgrading components, and constructing a new solar array designed to maximize performance and efficiency.

Senior Khloe Jones said even building the solar array requires a tremendous amount of precision and attention to detail.

"It seems simple, but it's a really nitpicky process," Jones said. "We test every cell before we put them together, and then we laminate them to help prevent damage and make them more flexible. There's a lot of work that goes into it."

The Iron Lions program is entirely student-driven. Team members are responsible for designing, building, testing, maintaining, and racing the vehicle while working alongside sponsors Joel Pitts, George Kroncke, and Lucas Kiowski.

"The students have put in an incredible amount of work to get ready for this race," said Solar Car Sponsor Joel Pitts. "Since bringing the car home from Australia, they've redesigned systems, built a new solar array, tested components, and spent countless hours preparing. They're the reason this program continues to compete at such a high level."

Unlike traditional racing events, the Solar Car Challenge does not take place on a closed track. Instead, teams travel on public U.S. highways, relying solely on energy captured from the sun while managing vehicle performance, weather conditions, route planning, and race strategy in real time.

The race route will cover approximately 700 miles, with teams traveling between designated overnight stops each day. Students and sponsors work together throughout the event, monitoring every aspect of the vehicle's performance while adapting to changing conditions on the road.

For Kiowski, one of the most memorable aspects of the competition is the unique community that forms among competitors.

"It's really a cooperation between all the teams," Kiowski said. "At the end of each day, everybody is in the same place. You get to talk with other teams, learn from them, and help each other out. It's a great experience."

Jones said she is looking forward to seeing the team's hard work come together on race day.

"I'm excited to see how our team works together," Jones said. "It's always fun being around the other teams and seeing the different cars they build, but it's also exciting to see everything we've worked on put to the test."

The Iron Lions will depart Greenville prior to the start of competition to complete inspections and scrutineering before the race officially begins on July 19.

As they head into competition, the team will once again represent Greenville ISD, the City of Greenville, and one of the most accomplished high school solar car programs in the nation on a stage that stretches hundreds of miles across Texas highways.

For Pitts, that opportunity is what makes the experience special.

"Success isn't always winning a championship," Pitts said. "It's watching students solve problems, work together, and accomplish things they never thought possible."

The 2026 Solar Car Challenge runs July 19-23, with teams traveling across Texas before concluding in Fort Stockton.