And when we say HOT, we mean it. Today was by far the hottest day so far on the 2014 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Hagerty. With temperatures in the mid-90s for most of the day, and humidity on the rise, we had an exhausting day. The sun was harsh for most of the day, even when a couple of surprise rain showers popped up. We kept on truckin' and made our way to a cool lunch stop in Clinton, North Carolina. The folks there were extremely nice, and prepared an over-the-top lunch with BBQ, chicken, and all sorts of good fixin's. From there, we had a tricky afternoon route, and eventually rolled into the evening stop in Wilmington, North Carolina. Another rain shower came just as the cars started coming into the finish line gate, but Wilmington still had a great crowd! On to another hot and sticky day tomorrow--South Carolina, here we come!
Ahh yes, we're back in the South! This morning we crossed into North Carolina, but it's not the Carolina's that we're accustomed to in our neck of the woods. Our version of North Carolina is mountains and winding roads, but the Eastern portion of the state is very flat with lots of farm land and swamp land. We enjoyed the day's rally and visited a couple of very cool towns. Lunch was at Elizabeth City, where we ate a wonderful lunch and hit the road soon thereafter. From there, we rallied down the road, and crossed the Albemarle Sound on our way to an outstanding stop in New Bern. The town was absolutely packed to the gills, so we made our way through the crowd and had a delicious BBQ dinner. What a day, and we get to spend another full day in North Carolina tomorrow!
Great events dont happen by accident and they certainly dont happen in the blink of an eye. It takes a lot of work to develop, organize and run an intricate event such as The Great Race, and it took a lot of work behind the scenes to get it off the ground. Tom McRae and Norman Miller did just that in 1983. The two individuals were partners in the deal, and bought out an ailing race promoter who planned to race pre-World War II automobiles across the United States for a massive purse. There were plenty of folks who doubted the feasibility of an event of this magnitude, but with help from a crew of like-minded car nuts, McRae and Miller made it work. From the inaugural event in 83 to the return of The Great Race in 2011, there have been lots of memorable moments, and with the events new ownership and new direction, there will be plenty more in the years to come.