Claremore Dad’s Day Out features Great Race

Visit Claremore will be hosting “Dad’s Day Out” featuring Hemmings Motor News Great Race. The Great Race, the world’s premiere vintage car rally, will bring 120 of the world’s finest antique automobiles to the Claremore Expo Center for this national race. This event will have not only the vintage and antique cars to enjoy and admire, but also a kid zone provided by TTCU as food trucks and concessions, music and more.

The Great Race, which began 32 years ago, is not a speed race, but a time/speed/distance rally. 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 check points along the way and are penalized one second for each second either early or late.

As in golf, the lowest score wins. Cars start – and hopefully finish – one minute apart if all goes according to plan. The biggest part of the challenge other than staying on time and following the instructions is getting an old car to the finish line each day, organizers say. The cars will start arriving in Claremore around 12:00 p.m. and the last cars will leave around 3:30 p.m.

Cars built in 1972 and earlier are eligible, with most entries having been manufactured before World War II. In the 2014 Great Race from Maine to Florida, a 1915 Hudson racer, a 1916 Hudson Hillclimber and a 1917 Peerless were the three oldest vehicles. All of those vehicles are participating again in 2015. Last year’s winners, Barry and Irene Jason of Keller, Texas, drove a 1966 Mustang and won $50,000. It was the first time a post-war automobile won the Great Race. The 2015 winners will again receive $50,000 of the $150,000 total purse.

“We are so happy to be hosting the Hemmings Motor News Great Race stop as the main attraction for Dad’s Day Out. We wanted to provide a free, family friendly event to celebrate Father’s Day as well as bring many visitors in from around the surrounding area to experience Claremore. You can’t help but want to look inside these amazing vehicles when you see them on the road and now you can!” said, Tanya Andrews, Director of Visit Claremore and the Claremore Expo Center.

The event will take place on Sunday, June 21st from 11am until 4pm at the Claremore Expo. Visit Claremore would like to thank Grand River Dam Authority, The City of Claremore, Tulsa Teachers Credit Union, Melton Sales, State Farm agent Grant Gingerich and MoreClaremore for making this event possible.

For information on upcoming events click here for www.visitclaremore.org.