The 2026 Great Race traversed most of Route 66, the Mother Road, as part of the highway’s centennial celebration. The Team of Curtis Graf and Ron Rowland competed in a 1932 Ford V8 Hi-Boy Roadster. The event had 152 registrants, of which 142 made it to the starting line in Springfield, Illinois. Only 109 teams made it to the finish line in Pasadena, California, giving credence to the event’s motto, “To finish is to win!”
Artist Sarah Stahl created the official 2026 Great Race painting, which is shown above. The ’32 Ford of Team #2 is featured in the middle of the painting, which includes other notable Great Race vehicles, Route 66 landmarks, and more.
This video is a slide-show-photo-dump of Team Graf & Rowland in the 2026 Great Race, who finished in 24th place overall. The soundtrack features “Janet and the Time Delays” (Janet Hedke, Ken Creary, Eric Frankenberger, and Bob Marak).
Be sure to check out our animated preview of this event.