2023 Great Race Route

Event organizers have released additional details on the 2023 Great Race route. The green flag drops at 8:00 am, June 24, in St, Augustine, Florida. Eight days later, the checkered flag will be waving at 1:00 pm, July 2, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. See the image of the event poster above for times and places of lunch and overnight stops.

This year, 157 pre-1974 vehicles have entered the event. Entrants will be competing for a total purse of more than $150,000, with $50,000 going to the Grand Champion. Some of the oldest cars entered include a 1916 Hudson Super Six Series H (car #18), a 1916 La France Race Car (#31), and a 1916 Chevrolet Baby Grand (#28).

The Great Race is a Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) rally, where staying on course and on time determines the winner. Competitors receive a penalty point for each second they are early or late at multiple checkpoints each day. The only navigational tools allowed are a speedometer, analog time-of-day clock, analog stopwatch, and a compass. Odometers, calculators, phones, GPS devices, and other modern accoutrements are strictly prohibited. The 8-day, 2000-mile, vintage vehicle format also means it is an endurance event for both the automotive and human contestants.

Yours truly will be navigating a 1965 Ford Mustang, which will be driven by Mark Shaw, the car’s owner. We will have the #84 decal on the side of the Mustang. I hope to see you along this year’s Great Race route.