The annual Hemming Motor News Great Race begins Saturday in Kirkwood, Missouri, and will go down much of Route 66 to the end in Santa Monica, California, on June 28.
The Springfield (Mo.) Convention and Visitors Bureau had some details about the event for cars made up to 1972:
The cross-country rally is a timed, controlled-speed endurance competition over scenic public highways and roads where teams will navigate through four to seven timed checkpoints each day. The arrival time at each checkpoint is recorded and compared against the perfectly driven route, with each second off of the perfect time (either early or late) counted as penalty points The winning team is the one with the lowest overall score (the most accurately driven route) at the end of the event.
The total purse for the winner is $150,000 along with bragging rights and trophies for the top finishers in each of five divisions.
Basically, the race rewards mechanical ability as much as smart driving. Cars that old eventually will break down during a nearly 2,000-mile journey, and such things have to be factored into the race.
Here is the schedule:
Saturday
Start: Kirkwood depot, Kirkwood, Missouri, 10 a.m.
Lunch: Pine Street, downtown Rolla, Missouri, 12:15 p.m.
Overnight: East St. Louis Street, downtown Springfield, Missouri, 5 p.m.
Sunday
Lunch: Expo Center, Claremore, Oklahoma, 12:15 p.m.
Overnight: Mickey Mantle Drive, Oklahoma City, 4:30 p.m.
Monday
Lunch: Ackley Park, Elk City, Oklahoma, 11:30 a.m.
Overnight: Historic Sixth Avenue, Amarillo, Texas, 4:45 p.m.
Tuesday
Lunch: Convention Center, Tucumcari, New Mexico, 11:30 a.m.
Overnight: The Plaza, downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico, 4:45 p.m.
Wednesday, June 24
Lunch: Unser Racing Museum, Albuquerque, 11:45 a.m.
Overnight: Courthouse Plaza, Gallup, New Mexico, 4:45 p.m.
Thursday, June 25
Lunch: Visitors Center, Winslow, Arizona, 12:15 p.m.
Overnight: Aspen Street, downtown Flagstaff, Arizona, 4:30 p.m.
Friday, June 26
Lunch: Powerhouse Visitors Center, Kingman, Arizona, 11:30 a.m.
Overnight: McCulloch Boulevard, Lake Havasu, Arizona, 4:45 p.m.
Saturday, June 27
Lunch: Luckie Park, Twentynine Palms, California, 11:45 a.m.
Overnight: Court Street, downtown San Bernardino, California, 5 p.m.
Sunday, June 28
Finish: Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California, 2 p.m.
I’ve seen the Great Race overnight in a town where I’ve lived, and it provides a nice boost of tourism of not only the drivers, but thousands of people who come into town to see those old cars.
(Logo courtesy of The Great Race)
Our parking area will be open park and watch the cars pass by Twin Motorcycle 2518 W College Rd Springfield Mo located on Historic Route 66