Head to the downtown Owensboro riverfront for a once-in-a-lifetime car spectacle on Wednesday, June 23! The Great Race, the world’s premiere old car rally, will bring 120 of the world’s finest antique automobiles to town for the event, with the first car rolling into downtown starting at 5 p.m.
Once the race is finished, participants in the event will have covered more than 2,300 miles over a span of just nine days. The start will be in front of the Alamo in San Antonio, TX on June 19. The race will finish on June 27 in Greenville, S.C. Teams and cars from Japan, England, Germany, Canada and every corner of the United States will be participating in their vintage automobiles dating back as far as 1916. All vehicles have to be manufactured before 1975.
When the Great Race pulls into a city, it becomes an instant festival! The energetic riverfront provides the perfect atmosphere not only for the racers but for the entire community to come downtown for the evening to check out these incredible cars and enjoy some live music and great food and drinks. Live music will be performed at the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In Kentucky, the race will stop in Paducah, Owensboro, Bardstown and Georgetown.
The Great Race, which began 38 years ago, is an antique, vintage, and collector car competitive controlled time, speed, and endurance road rally on public highways. It is not a test of top speed. A team, which consists of one driver and one navigator, is tested for their ability to follow precise course instructions and their ability, as well as the car’s, to endure on a cross-country trip. The course instructions require the competing teams to drive at or below the posted speed limits at all times. Teams are scored at secret checkpoints along the way and are penalized for each second either early or late. As in golf, the lowest score wins. More than $158,000 will be awarded to top finishers in several divisions!
It’s going to be an exciting summer night in Owensboro that you don’t want to miss!
This event wouldn’t be possible without the support of our sponsors: Don Moore Automotive, Daviess County Fiscal Court, City of Owensboro, Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum and Ole South BBQ.