Hundreds gathered Tuesday at Benton Square to see the Great Race once again make a stop in Rolla. The event is the world’s premiere vintage car rally and takes more than 100 drivers across the nation in restored vehicles ranging in age from 1917 to 1974. Rolla previously hosted the Great Race in the 1980s and 2015. This year’s rally takes drivers on nine-day, 2,300-mile trip from San Antonio, Texas, to Greenville, South Carolina. The 2021 winners will receive $50,000 of $150,000 in total prize money.
“We don’t do the same route every year, but when we do have a good stop, it goes into a secret file so whenever we’re coming back near we’ll bend our route to come back and have that same connection,” said Jason White, the Great Race’s official announcer. “It’s always amazing to see people out with their lawn chairs along the route waiving their American flags. It gets tremendous engagement and always has.”
