By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The SRCA Dragstrip west of town and the new ARCY in mural downtown Great Bend have helped make Great Bend a racing powerhouse. That reputation will only be furthered in June as a pair of races converge on the city at the same time. Rocky Mountain Race Week will be on the back end of its route on June 29-30, just as The Great Race is passing through Great Bend from St. Augustine, Fla. to Colorado Springs, Colo.
"Rocky Mountain Race Week starts and stops in Great Bend because they love our dragstrip," said Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Christina Hayes. "What's cool about this year is the Great Race, which is a vintage, it has to be a 1974 or older, they are coming all the way from Florida. What's great about this is, they're coming to town from like 11:35 to 4 p.m. that day, which is June 30, and they're crossing paths with Rocky Mountain Race Week, which is really awesome. That makes Great Bend super significant on this path."
Dragsters with Rocky Mountain Race Week will arrive in town on June 23. After racing locally, they will continue west with a series of stops throughout the Rocky Mountains before returning to Great Bend on June 30. More than 250 racers made the trip last year, staying in area hotels and eating at local restaurants.
The Great Race will be making a lunch stop in Great Bend on June 30. That event features vintage cars making several stops from Florida to Colorado. In that race, drivers must follow traffic rules as they navigate some 220-250 specific instructions each day, including exact turns, speed changes, and stops each team must take. No GPS is allowed and odometers are taped over. Drivers are scored on their ability to follow instructions and pass several daily checkpoints at a certain time. The older the car, the higher the score.
"I think they looked on a map, and they knew that we're a racing community," Hayes said. "The Rocky Mountain Race Week was just a coincidence. They originally had asked for a big sponsorship and a big piece of that. Since they're only a lunch stop, it really wasn't feasible for us, but we welcome them with great arms, and we love that they're coming in. I think what they're going to love is they get to watch the races that day."
Vintage Wheels Car Club and Shifters of Central Kansas Auto Club are seeking sponsors to help with The Great Race. Last year, 167 racers competed in the Great Race, driving everything from a 1916 Hudson Hill Climber, to a 1934 Ford Indy Racer, to a 1966 Aston Martin. The grand prize for this year's race is $50,000, with nearly $159,000 in total prizes being awarded.
This story was updated about local clubs seeking sponsors for The Great Race.