2025 Great Race: Team 2, Graf & Rowland

The 2025 Great Race covered more than 2300 miles as the 9-day event traversed a route from St. Paul, Minnesota, to Irmo, South Carolina. The Team of Graf & Rowland competed in the Grand Championship Division in Curtis Graf’s 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster. Curtis is a true Legend of the Great Race, having been inducted into the inaugural Gallery Of Legends back in 1990. He was the first entrant in the first Great American Race in 1983, and is the only person to have competed in every Great Race. He and navigator Bruce Gezon won the 1995 event, which started in Ottawa, Canada and finished in Mexico City.

The Hemmings Great Race Presented by Coker Tire is a time-speed-endurance rally, with $50,000 going to the winner. It is not a “first car to the finish line” type of race. Instead, each team gets route instructions 30 minutes before its designated start time each day. These instructions contain detailed course-following and speed change maneuvers that each team must execute. Teams receive a penalty for each second they are early or late at five or more secret checkpoints each day. Lowest score wins.

Vehicles must be manufactured in 1974 or earlier to enter, and cars built before 1954 receive an age-related factor to help level the playing field. Of the 124 vintage cars that started in Minnesota, only 105 received the checkered flag in South Carolina. It is easy to see where the endurance part of the competition comes into play — for the car as well as the driver and navigator.

I first met Curtis in the 1986 event, and this year, I had the honor of being his navigator. Although we fell short of our goals, it was a thrilling event that left us wanting more.

Photo credits: Normally, one might find the photo credits for an article added as an afterthought at the end. The Great Race staff photographers and videographers do a superb job of capturing the action each day. Except where noted, all of the photographs in this article are attributed to the fabulous Great Race staff.

Stage 1: St. Paul, MN to Rochester, MN

The Great Race is known for its awesome start locations, and 2025 was an absolute show-stopper! The MSRA (Minnesota Street Rod Association) Back to the 50’s Weekend at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul provided the starting venue.. Featuring more than 10,000 1964 & older vehicles, covering 320 acres, the size and scope of this “car show” makes it second-to-none in my experience.

After a morning of wandering the streets and alleys of the fairgrounds, catching a quick glimpse of the fabulous vehicles and crowds, the excitement began to build. The green flag dropped at 12:01, and the 2025 Great Race was underway.

The first overnight stop was in Rochester, Minnesota. Not too far from St. Paul via the freeway, but Great Race competitors never take the direct route. We took 7th place on this stage and were off to a good start.

Stage 2: Rochester, MN to Moline, IL

Stage 2 took us through the heart of the corn belt with a lunch stop in Waterloo, Iowa. The wonderful folks at the Iowa 80 Truck Stop, the world’s largest truck stop, gave every race car a free fill-up before reaching our destination at the John Deere Plaza in Moline, Illinois. A heat index of 107 and steady wind “gusts” of 35MPH made everyone look hot and windblown upon arriving in Moline. A 5th place finish for the day buoyed our hopes, although we were much lower in the 2-day cumulative standings due to the Great Race handicapping system.

Spectators often ask about our route. The simple answer is, “We don’t know.” Teams leave the starting line each morning one minute apart. Instructions are provided 30 minutes before the start time. Below is one page (page 15 of 25) of the instructions for Stage 2. Instruction 103 says to go straight at Third St, although we do not know what town we are in until we get there. Instruction 106 has us turning right on D47. Again, we have no idea where this is until we get there. Column C of the instructions contains the speed changes and timing information teams must execute precisely to stay on time.

Stage 3: Moline, IL to Springfield, IL

Another day in the corn fields as the route took us to Pontiac, Illinois for lunch and on to Springfield for the overnight stop. These cities are part of the historic Route 66. Next year (2026), the Great Race starts in Springfield, Illinois and ends in Pasadena, California, following much of Route 66 for its 100th anniversary celebration.

We got caught behind some large truck traffic after lunch, putting us 29 seconds late. We successfully recouped that loss, but some bad morning legs pushed us down to a 17th-place finish for the day.

Stage 4: Springfield, IL to Owensboro, KY

Stage 4 took us in a southeasterly direction to the Effingham, Illinois lunch stop. Heavy rains after lunch slowed traffic considerably. We reduced our assigned 50MPH speed by 20% to 40MPH, then had to cut it to 25MPH. With enough clearance ahead of us, we bumped it back up to 40MPH, but caught up with slow traffic once again, forcing us to return to 25MPH.

We finally executed a left turn, taking us away from the traffic. At that point, we had a calculated delay of 70 seconds. We submitted a time allowance request and got only a 1-second penalty on that leg. This allowed us to claim a 9th-place finish for the day.

We crossed the Cannonball Bridge into Indiana before heading on to Owensboro, Kentucky for the evening. Built as a train bridge across the Wabash River for the Wabash Cannonball, the historic bridge now serves as a one-lane vehicle crossing.

Stage 5: Owensboro, KY to Frankfort, KY

Stage 5 proved to be our worst day. During the morning run, we had a 21-second leg that we still can’t figure out what went wrong. However, it was the afternoon run that really hurt us. A “too soon” left turn put us on the wrong road, and there wasn’t enough time before the next checkpoint to make up for this navigational error. The associated 2-minute penalty knocked us out of the daily standings. As competitors in the Grand Championship Division, we can discard the three worst legs of the first 7 “qualifying” stages. We had to use two of our discards on this stage.

Stage 6: Frankfort, KY to Charleston, WV

Stage 6 took us through the hills of Kentucky and included a lunch stop in Ashland, Kentucky. Ashland has a mural depicting its stop on the 1995 Great North American Race from Ottawa, Canada to Mexico City. Curtis and navigator Bruce Gezon won that race in a 1916 Packard Runabout. The Great Race photographer caught us as we rolled into Ashland with the mural in the background.

Charleston, West Virginia welcomed us with a large crowd along the beautiful riverfront. A huge storm moved in as we were leaving the riverfront area and heading to the hotels.

Stage 7: Charleston, WV to Roanoke, VA

The 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster would not start this morning–dead battery. Curtis got out his portable 12V battery jumper, but it didn’t help. Tim and Marlene Mangan (Team #94) were parked next to us in their 1965 Ford Fairlane and noticed our predicament. Tim pulled his portable battery jumper from the trunk of his Fairlane for us. Once connected, our car started right up.

This is one of the beauties of the Great Race. It seems as though every team is willing to help a competitor if it is within their means. Actions like this add to the folklore and camaraderie of the Great Race, exemplifying the true spirit of the event. Thank you Tim and Marlene Mangan for getting us on our way that morning.

We were a few minutes late picking up our instructions, but still had plenty of time to review everything before hitting the road.

The New River Gorge area included a long transit that took us on a sightseeing excursion to the bottom of the gorge, across the river, and back up the other side. About halfway up the other side, we encountered an observation checkpoint. There was a quick inspection of our navigational equipment (speedometer, time-of-day clock, stopwatch, and wristwatches). They also checked for contraband (phones, calculators, etc). We passed the inspection and were sent on our way.

Many teams misinterpreted the instructions, thinking the loop down into the gorge was optional. A total of 18 teams failed to make it to the observation checkpoint. Additionally, a handful of teams were found to be in violation of the rules (multiple stopwatches, calculators).

We came upon an accident on the last leg of the day. I somehow miscalculated our time delay, resulting in a 29-second penalty instead of a 1-second penalty. That was our 3rd and final leg we were allowed to discard.

At the end of the 7 qualifying stages, we stood in 23rd place in the cumulative standings. The upcoming 8th and 9th stages constitute the championship run, where no legs can be discarded by any team. Everyone must live with their mistakes and daily score.

Stage 8: Roanoke, VA to Mooresville, NC

Stage 8 is the kind of rally stage that keeps competitors coming back. It was perfect in every way. Beautiful roads in the morning, an excellent lunch stop in Galax, Virginia, an incredible afternoon maze, and a huge welcoming crowd in Mooresville, North Carolina. I wrote a separate article about this stage: 2025 Great Race Stage 8: Voted Best Stage Ever.

This turned out to be the only stage with 6 checkpoints, as all the others had 5. We were 19 seconds late getting to a restart after a refueling stop, although we managed to recoup that without much difficulty. The afternoon run produced two Aces (perfect legs) for the Graf & Rowland team. It turned out to be a very good day for us, and we jumped from 23rd to 14th in the cumulative standings.

Stage 9: Mooresville, NC to Irmo, SC

Stage 9 was a solid day for us, allowing us hold onto our 14th place overall finish (5th place in Grand Championship Division). However, it was not without drama.

Somewhere during leg 5, Curtis looked down and noticed the car was overheating. Adjusting the fans and using the overdrive provided temporary help, but the temperature kept climbing. Amid our concern, we crossed the 5th checkpoint and began breathing a little easier. However, we still couldn’t stop, as we had not passed the “end of day” mark, and there can always be another checkpoint.

Finally, we reached the end of the timed portion of the stage and could pull off the road. The radiator was leaking and needed a lot of fluid before it was full again. After a lunch stop in Newberry, we added some Bar’s Leaks and antifreeze before driving on to the finish line in Irmo.

Ridin’ With The Legend

I don’t have the words to properly express my gratitude for the privilege of navigating for this man. He has my utmost respect and admiration. Curtis Graf is not only a great human being, but a true Legend.

Winners

“To Finish Is To Win” is the official motto of the Great Race, but with $162,000 in prize money at stake, there needs to be some more definitive winners.

• 1st Place: Jeff Fredette (driver) and Eric Fredette (navigator), 1933 Ford Pickup (#91)
• 2nd Place: Jody Knowles (driver) and Beth Gentry (navigator), 1932 Ford Cabriolet (#66)
• 3rd Place (1st place Expert): Gary Martin (driver) and Jean Ann Martin (navigator), 1932 Ford Coupe (#38)
• 4th Place: Jeff Hermanson (driver) and Kylie Hermanson (navigator), 1939 Ford 1/2 Ton Pickup (#82)
• 5th Place: Dana Sharp (driver) and Doug Sharp (navigator), 1916 Hudson Hillclimber (#1)
• Spirit of the Event: Brad Phillips
• Best of Show Race Car: 1931 REO Royale (#128) of Charles Harris (driver) and Phil Reinhardt (navigator)

The Fans

Thanks to all the fans of classic cars and the Great Race we met along the way. It is immensely heartwarming to arrive in a town of smiling faces, waving hands, a bottle of water, and an air-conditioned room after hours on the road. We are so glad we could make your day a little brighter, too.

Team 2 had a large group of fans waiting at the finish line. My wife Patti drove over from Atlanta, my brother flew in from Houston, a cousin, nephews and great nephews and and nieces drove over from Summerville. It turned into a small family reunion.

…and our two fans who greeted us (and took care of us) every day…

Credits/Additional Reading

• Photo credits: All photos, except where otherwise noted, are credited to the Great Race staff.
• The Great Race blog
• About the Great Race
• 2025 Great Race Stage 8: Voted Best Stage Ever
• Hemmings
• Coker Tire