The Great Race classic car rally comes to Plainfield June 22

Plainfield — A national antique and classic car rally is headed to Plainfield next week.

The 2022 Hemmings Motor News Great Race will kick off in Rhode Island on June 18 and make several stops across the country, including in Plainfield on June 22.

An event news release describes the 2,300-mile Great Race as the “world’s premiere old car rally.” The event will bring more than 130 antique vehicles to downtown Plainfield shortly after 4:30 p.m. on June 22.

“We are excited to bring this unique event to Plainfield for the first time ever,” race director Jeff Stumb said in the release. “Plainfield is an important place in the old car world as it is the only shared alignment of two historic roads, the Lincoln Highway and Route 66.”

Organizers said the Great Race is not about speed, but it’s “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. Just like in golf, the lowest score wins.

The nine-day race will travel through 19 cities from Rhode Island to North Dakota. The 2022 winners will receive $50,000.

Each stop along the Great Race is free to the public and spectators can visit with the participants and view the cars for several hours.

“When the Great Race pulls into a city, it becomes an instant festival,” Stumb said in a statement. “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.”

The Great Race teams will be heading north from Interstate 55 and U.S. Route 30 to cruise into downtown Plainfield on June 22. The entry arch will be located at Lockport and Illinois streets where an opening ceremony is scheduled to begin around 4:15 p.m. The cars will be on display until 7:30 p.m., according to the release.

Lockport Street will be closed to traffic that evening.

The Plainfield Historical Society has also been collaborating with the village to organize the event. Michael Lambert, president of the historical society, said several re-enactors will be on hand that night to portray Plainfield residents associated with the village’s early transportation history.

The race is inspired by the 1965 Blake Edwards’ slapstick movie comedy “The Great Race,” which starred Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Peter Falk. The movie is a comedy based on the real life 1908 automobile race from New York to Paris.

For information about the Great Race, visit greatrace.com or contact Stumb at jeff@greatrace.com.