FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Alton, IL – Feb. 9, 2026) The Hemmings Great Race presented by Coker Tire will shine the spotlight along The Last 100 Miles of Route 66 in southwest Illinois on Saturday, June 20 with a stop in Collinsville.

The Great Race is a nine-day classic car rally that spans more than 2,300 miles and features 120 of the world’s finest antique automobiles. The event uses a new route each year and features 17 hosted city stops along the way, including a hosted stop in Collinsville.

For 2026, the Great Race is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road with a Route 66 themed event that starts in Springfield, Illinois on Saturday, June 20 and ends in Pasadena, California on Sunday, June 28 with stops at many historic towns and attractions along the way.

“We are incredibly excited for Collinsville to be a host city for the 2026 Great Race,” said Collinsville Mayor Jeff Stehman. “This multi-state event is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our historic Uptown Collinsville, highlight our local businesses, and welcome visitors from across the country. The timing could be better – we are hosting the Great Race on the same day as the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Festival and these two events will create an unforgettable experience and truly capture the fun, energy and character of our community.”

Each stop on the Great Race is free to the public and spectators can visit with the participants and look at the cars for several hours. It is common for racers to allow kids to climb in the cars for a first-hand look.

“When the Great Race pulls into a city it becomes an instant festival,” says Houston Gibson, Great Race Coordinator. He continued, “Last year, we had several overnight stops with more than 10,000 spectators, on our way to having 250,000 people see the Great Race during the event. There are more than 500 people just in our entourage.”

The Great Race was started in 1983 by Tom McRae and it’s now the world’s premier vintage car rally. This traveling time/speed/endurance rally isn’t just a casual back road cruise, as it has a strict set of rules to keep competition tight. The vehicles, each with a driver and navigator, are given precise instructions each day that detail every move down to the second. They are scored at secret checkpoints along the route and are penalized for arriving at the checkpoints early or late. As in golf, the lowest score wins. There is a purse of $160,000 split among five classes, with the overall winner taking home $50,000.

“Hosting The Great Race during the Centennial Celebration of Route 66 is a wonderful way to showcase the impact this national highway had on southwest Illinois,” Cory Jobe, President/CEO of the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau noted. “The race will arrive in Collinsville while we are celebrating the Catsup Bottle Festival – a Route 66 icon. These two events will introduce countless Route 66 fans to The Last 100 Miles of Route 66 in Southwest Illinois and give us an opportunity to showcase the amazing communities and attractions we have.”

Teams and cars from Japan, England, Australia, Canada, and every corner of the United States participate in the annual event, which is often considered a “bucket list” item for car enthusiasts, especially in 2026 with the Route 66 as the backdrop. Cars, trucks and motorcycles built in 1974 and earlier are eligible to compete, and the scoring system features an age factor to keep the earlier cars competitive. In the 2025 Great Race, a 1933 Ford pickup truck won the event. A 1913 Chevrolet, a 1916 Hudson and a 1918 American LaFrance are the oldest cars scheduled to be in the 2026 Great Race.

The 2026 Great Race will begin on Saturday, June 20 in Springfield, IL, home of President Abraham Lincoln. In fact, the event will start in front of the old state capitol, where Lincoln first rose to fame. Nine days later, on Sunday, June 28, the race will finish at City Hall in downtown Pasadena, California. In between the start and finish cities are approximately 2,300 miles of competition and 17 hosted city stops in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California, with many iconic Route 66 sights along the way.

The Great Race is proudly partnered with Hemmings as Title Sponsor and is Presented by Coker Tire Company.

Would you like to join our list of sponsors such as Stahls, Samuel Smith Old Brewery, McCollister’s Auto Transport, and many others? Contact us at info@greatrace.com for information on branding and event activation opportunities.

For more information, go to www.greatrace.com, or visit the Great Race Facebook Page. You can also email communications@greatrace.com.


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(The Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau is a certified Destination Marketing Organization serving Madison, Jersey, Calhoun, Macoupin, Montgomery and Greene counties and East St. Louis in St. Clair County. The bureau is dedicated to educating visitors about the region by providing information regarding the area’s history, unique landmarks, recreational opportunities, leisure attractions, special events and scenic marvels.)