Coker Tire Challenge

The month of September is always packed with activities at Coker Tire, and this past weekend was the 14th annual Coker Tire Challenge. The event is a three-day cloverleaf style rally, which means that each day's route starts and ends in the same city...Chattanooga, Tennessee of course. In terms of competition, the event is like a smaller version of the Great Race. The same basic rules apply, but there isn't a year cut-off on the vehicles, so there are sometimes a few modern vehicles in the lineup. This year, the event was held entirely at the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel, giving participants plenty of options for food and fun during the evening hours. Many of the regular Great Racers came out for the Coker Tire Challenge as it provides excellent practice, and it's a great excuse to hang out with the extended Great Race family. This year, we had a total of 34 entries, with the oldest being a 1916 Hudson, campaigned by Dan and Brad Epple.

Friday's route sent the racers south of Chattanooga,

If you're interested in trying your hand at vintage car rallying, then we invite you to join us at the Coker Tire Challenge, held Thursday, September 20th through Sunday, September 23rd. It's a four-day event based out of Chattanooga, Tennessee and it's a laid back vintage car rally, in comparison to the Great Race. We always have a great time, rallying through the hills of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, with each day's route starting and finishing in Chattanooga. There are cash prizes and awards for Rookies and Veterans, so be sure to check out the registration options if you want to enter the Dash for Cash. We have tech inspection and an opening reception on Thursday, a delicious dinner at Corky's farm on Friday evening, an "on your own" night on Saturday and a big award's banquet and lunch in the Coker Tire Museum on Sunday. To register, email Angelia Summers at angelias@coker.com. If you have a technical question,

If you're interested in trying your hand at vintage car rallying, then we invite you to join us at the Coker Tire Challenge, held Thursday, September 20th through Sunday, September 23rd. It's a four-day event based out of Chattanooga, Tennessee and it's a laid back vintage car rally, in comparison to the Great Race. We always have a great time, rallying through the hills of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, with each day's route starting and finishing in Chattanooga. There are cash prizes and awards for Rookies and Veterans, so be sure to check out the registration options if you want to enter the Dash for Cash. We have tech inspection and an opening reception on Thursday, a delicious dinner at Corky's farm on Friday evening, an "on your own" night on Saturday and a big award's banquet and lunch in the Coker Tire Museum on Sunday. To register, email Angelia Summers at angelias@coker.com. If you have a technical question, email Great

And just like that, the 2017 Coker Tire Challenge is in the books! We traveled the back roads of Tennessee and Alabama with a little bit of Georgia thrown in the mix, and safely returned for the finish at our facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. While there were plenty of challenges, crossing the finish line made all of the blood, sweat and tears worth it! Corky Coker, Wade Kawasaki and Jeff Stumb welcomed the racers in, while John Classen gave them time sheets and the scoring team tabulated the scores. The Rookie winners, the Top 5 overall leaders and the Bill Coker Spirit of the Event award winners were announced after the drivers, navigators and support crews ate a wonderful meal catered by Shuford's Smokehouse. With racers from as far away as Oregon, Michigan, Massachusetts, Texas, and even a team from Japan, we just love the dedication within the vintage rally community. We certainly enjoyed having them here in the Scenic City, and we'd like to congratulate Jody Knowles and Beth Gentry

When September rolls around, we know that we'll be covered up with events, as events like the Street Rodder Road Tour, Somernites Power Cruise and more occur in the busy month. The Coker Tire Challenge to be the third weekend in September, and we can always count on many of our Great Race rally friends to join the fun at our little hometown regional rally. It's a much more relaxed atmosphere than the hustle and bustle of Great Race, but the competition aspect is still there, so it gives the veterans awesome practice and gives them a chance to win a few bucks too! This year, we had about 40 teams join us on the Coker Tire Challenge, even after a few dropped out due to the unfortunate hurricanes of late. Great Race regulars, like Curtis Graf, Rex Gardner, Gary and Jean Ann Martin, and of course, Brad Phillips from Hagerty were among the field of stellar teams in this year's Coker Tire Challenge.

The 2016 Coker Tire Challenge came to a close today, as 50 racers rolled through the finish line at our facility. We watched as Corky, Wade and Jeff greeted the racers, and also enjoyed the families and friends cheering the racers on. The racers took a short route down to Dalton, Georgia and back to Chattanooga for the finish, while the Coker Tire facilities and media crew set up the arch and prepared to photograph the cars coming back into town. The scores were tight, and it was Jeff and Eric Fredette taking home the win with an overall score of 15.49 seconds. The team of Myerscough and Chatra won the rookie division with a score of 48.45 seconds. Finally, the winner of the Bill Coker Spirit of the Event award went to Toshi Akasaka, who traveled from Japan to race with us this weekend. Take a look at our highlights and the scores from the 2016 Coker Tire Challenge!

Saturday's route on the 2016 Coker Tire Challenge sent us in a different direction than yesterday's trek to Huntsville, Alabama. We started our day by motoring up to the small town of Dunlap, Tennessee, where the racers would go on the clock and immediately climb Fredonia Mountain. From there, we zigzagged our way over to McMinnville, and eventually Sparta, Tennessee for a lunch stop. Just before lunch, we drove through the beautiful scenery at Rock Island State Park. After lunch, it was excellent valley views and winding mountain roads for most of the afternoon route. The temperatures were a little on the warm side, but all of the mountainous roads offered plenty of shade and a slight drop in temperature, compared to the valleys. We ended the day at the Coker Tire headquarters, where the racers had a night out

Ahh, what a great day for a drive! Ok, so it a little warm and the sun was harsh, but a BAD day on the Coker Tire Challenge is better than a GOOD day at work! We started our day at the Coker Tire headquarters, and headed into Alabama for a big day of rallying through the hills. We saw all sorts of terrain, from less-than-perfect backroads to smooth highways as we headed into lunch in Huntsville, Alabama. The afternoon route offered lots of hills and mountain grades, with the destination of Corky Coker's house for a beautiful dinner reception at the farm. We had a blast today, and grabbed some cool picture along the way. With a record turnout at the 2016 Coker Tire Challenge event, it was hard to capture them all, but we'll get a second chance tomorrow as the race continues on. Enjoy!

The Coker Tire Challenge is an annual vintage car rally right here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We host it and offer folks the opportunity to participate in a time, speed, endurance rally like the Great Race, but at a much more casual and affordable level. This year, we have a record turnout, with 52 entries, and it is our 11th year doing it--we typically average a little over 40 cars. We're excited about the 2016 event, and we're so glad to see all the familiar faces from the Great Race and previous Coker Tire Challenge events, as well as the fresh faces of the rookie teams. Today's activities included registration and tech inspection, as well as some practice runs and a kickoff banquet in Corky's museum. We'll be bringing you daily recaps of the action, so stay tuned to the blog, and follow our Instagram and Facebook page to see even more content!

Boy, these three-day rallies sure seem to fly by, and the 10th annual Coker Tire Challenge is in the books. The 2015 event was a great success, with awesome weather and very few break-downs. The Sunday route is always a short one, and it ends right here at Coker Tire with a warm welcome from the Coker Tire staff. We also enjoyed a hosted BBQ lunch from Shuford's Smokehouse, and a great awards ceremony where we crowned the top contenders from Coker Tire Challenge 2015. Congrats to David Reeder and Sawyer Stone on their victory! Enjoy our photos from today!

The Saturday portion of the Coker Tire Challenge 2015 event is always a full day of rallying, and this year, we headed East toward the mountains. We followed the Ocoee River briefly, and then peeled off on Highway 30 for a beautiful drive through varying elevations with lots of twists and turns. From there, we motored north for a pit stop in Etowah, and then got back on the clock for some intense rallying. With lunch in Cleveland, Tennessee (only a short distance away from Chattanooga) we had a very technical course that eventually led us back to Coker Tire, where the racers got their scores for the day. The weather was absolutely perfect, and the scenery couldn't have been better. Check out some of our favorite photos from today's action!

It's that time of year again! The third weekend of September is always a time to reunite with all of our Great Race buddies, even though we've only been apart for a couple months. The Coker Tire Challenge 2015 event is a three-day rally with lots of great scenery here in the Tri-State (Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama) area. It's a bunch of fun, and it's not a two-week commitment like the Great Race so it's much easier for local car guys and gals to participate. The competition is a big challenge, but the most fun aspect of the event is being able to spend the weekend behind the wheel of a vintage car. Friday's route sent us into Georgia, where we snaked through the beautiful back roads until we found ourselves in Dalton, Georgia for lunch. Then we doubled back onto some of the same routes to make our way to an hosted dinner at Corky Coker's house in Wildwood, Georgia. He recently finished a huge renovation, and invited all of his rallying friends to check it out. The impressive entertainment area was filled with Coker Tire Challenge participants, who are celebrating the event's 10th anniversary. Enjoy our Friday coverage and click HERE for Saturday coverage, and HERE for Sunday coverage!

It feels like we just got settled back into the office after a long two-week adventure on the Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Hagerty, but we're already getting close to our own personal vintage car rally, the Coker Tire Challenge! It's a three-day rally that is based here in Chattanooga, Tennessee. You can find information about it on the Coker Tire Challenge website, and you can click here to sign up for this year's event. It's much more affordable than the Great Race, and it's a little more relaxed, so it's a lot of fun without a major commitment. Join us from September 17-20th, 2015 for the 10th annual Coker Tire Challenge! Keep reading to see a few pictures from last year's event.

After three days of rallying through some of the Southeast's finest scenery, the 2014 Coker Tire Challenge ended Sunday afternoon. A short Sunday morning route offered beautiful sites and great weather, and of course, the anticipation of which team would be taking home the hardware! It was a close finish, but thanks to a great score and a 1916 age factor, Howard and Douglas Sharp from Fairport, New York, earned the best overall score. Closely behind was the team of Jody Knowles and Beth Gentry (last year's winners). Another notable award winner was Robert Dinges from Killen, Alabama--he received the Bill Coker Spirit of the Event award! We want to thank all of the staff, racers and support crews for supporting the Coker Tire Challenge--we also want to send a huge thanks to Hemmings Motor News and Hagerty for coming down to compete in the event! Check out our favorite photos from the finish line and awards ceremony, as well as the final results below!

Another long day of rallying has come to an end at the 2014 Coker Tire Challenge. Today, we left the Coker Tire facility, heading north on I-75, on our way to the actual starting point in Cleveland, Tennessee. From there, we rallied through the back roads until we made it to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee, home of the Scopes Trial in 1925. Then, we crossed a couple of mountains on our way to a lunch stop in Sparta, Tennessee and finally snaked our way back to Chattanooga through towns such as McMinnville and Dunlap. Overall it was a great day of rallying, and we're ready to give it one last go tomorrow morning. Stay tuned to see who wins it all tomorrow, but for now, enjoy some of our favorite shots from today's run through the hills of Tennessee.

The Coker Tire Challenge is laid back, compared to its big brother, the Great Race, but it still offers quite a challenge, even for skilled veterans of the rallying world. Today's route sent us to Huntsville, Alabama for a lunch stop, and then back to our starting point of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The route features lots of elevation changes, mountain roads, tricky turns and great scenery along the way. Unfortunately, Friday afternoon traffic gave us some issues getting back to Coker Tire for the evening's hosted dinner in the Coker Tire Museum. At this point, Howard and Douglas Sharp are in the lead, but there are still two more days of rallying to see how things shake out! Check out today's photo highlights and stay tuned for more as the Coker Tire Challenge continues!

Wow, time flies! It's time for the Coker Tire Challenge, and we're gearing up for a great weekend of rallying in the Southeast. The weather is looking fantastic, and the course is going to be full of scenic roads and challenging instructions. Thursday is always a laid back day for folks to hang out and get their cars inspected, but the action really gets started on Friday, and lasts through Sunday afternoon. Racers come in from all over the country (Vermont, Texas, New York, Delaware, Ohio and more!), so it's a great time for everyone to catch up. Here are a few shots to get you ready for a full coverage of back roads, scenic sites and classic cars that will be posted in the next few days!

Can you believe it's time for the kids to go back to school? It's also time for the fall season, which means car shows, cruise ins and of course football. One of our favorite fall events is the Coker Tire Challenge, which is a vintage car rally, held on September 18-21. It's sort of a downsized, more relaxed version of the Great Race. It's based right here in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and travels through North Alabama, North Georgia and Southeastern Tennessee, returning back to home base in Chattanooga at the end of each day's route. If you're interested in participating in the 2014 Coker Tire Challenge, please contact Event Coordinator, Jennifer Andrews at 423-648-8528 or email her at jennifera@coker.com.

Well, folks, it's all over and we had yet another wonderful Coker Tire Challenge here in Chattanooga, Tennessee! Today's route was short enough to get us back here to Chattanooga by 11:30 or so, and we all congregated at the Coker Tire Museum for the finish reception and awards ceremony! We were proud to present the Bill Coker Spirit of the Event Award to John Coker for his dedication in the rallying world, and of course his determination to continue the family business (Coker Millwrights). Here is the Top 5 overall, as well as our Rookie winners! 1. Jody Knowles and Beth Gentry, 1932 Ford 2. Howard and Douglas Sharp, 1916 Hudson 3. Rex Gardner and Ty Holmquist, 1935 Ford 4. Bill Harper and Larry Blair, 1932 Ford 5. Gary and JeanAnn Martin, 1938 Ford Rookie Winners -- Team Benson/Kane, 1950 Ford

On Sunday morning, our Coker Tire Challenge participants left our early and got back to Chattanooga just before lunch time. They were greeted by friends and family, as they crossed the finish line and prepared for the awards ceremony and dinner. Below are the Top 3 results from the Rookie and Veteran categories. Great Race Grand Champions, Barry and Irene Jason took home the overall victory...they are on a roll! Honorable mentions are Greg and Casey Cunningham with a 5th place finish, as well as John and Beth Coker with a 10th place finish overall!

This morning was crisp and cool, and we headed out of the Coker Tire compound at 8am to get started on the day's route. We motored north, toward Cleveland, Tennessee, and started the timed portion of the route on beautiful Lake Ocoee. The county roads sent us through the small community of Reliance, and we made our way around to Etowah by mid morning. From there, our route consisted of many maneuvers as we snaked through the back roads of Tennessee. We finally made it back to Cleveland for lunch, and then found ourselves in a maze of back roads that sent us into Georgia. Overall it was yet another great day of challenging rally action, and we had a parc ferme when we returned to home base. Tomorrow is the final day of competition, so there will be plenty of action to cover. For now, enjoy our favorite shots from today's route!

A fine day of rallying saw 40 vintage cars hitting the back roads of northwest Georgia on a beautiful Friday. Cool temperatures and a bit of cloud cover made for great driving conditions, and we had a great time snaking through some of the great Georgia mountain roads on our way to Dalton for lunch and ultimately Wildwood, Georgia to have a great dinner at Corky's place. Overall it was a great day of rallying with very few mechanical issues for our racers, so we're gearing up for another good day tomorrow! Here is our photo recap....enjoy!

It's that time of year again! Every September we host an event right here in Chattanooga, called the Coker Tire Challenge. It's a time, speed, endurance rally just like the Great Race, but on a smaller scale. It's a more local event, and it's a lot of fun! There are three days of rallying, and we saw a bunch of folks roll in today for registration and technical inspection. It was great to catch up with old friends! We also had Rally School and a short reception afterward to welcome the racers to our place! Check out a few pictures of today's highlights, and look forward to more updates tomorrow! Also, check out the Coker Tire Facebook page for ongoing updates!

Back on the road Saturday morning, the teams headed to Dunlap to start their day's route. From the starting point, the vehicles headed straight up the mountain on a twisty two-lane road, before ending up on top of Cagle Mountain. From there the route was rather tame, but a few narrow roads made it tough for racers to keep on their strict speed and time schedule. The lunch stop was held in Sparta, Tennessee, then the racers came down off the mountain and into Pikeville, Tennessee, where they would climb once again as they headed into Dayton on Highway 30. On the home stretch, racers headed down Highway 58 before arriving at the Coker Tire headquarters in Chattanooga,

We hit the road this morning at 8am and headed toward Alabama with intentions of going to Huntsville for lunch. Lots of beautiful farm land provided some cool pictures and video opportunities for the media crew, and the media crew also stopped in at the Third Base Grill for lunch....WAY better than McD's....just sayin. After lunch, we headed back East through lots of mountainous terrain, and over a few bodies of water along the way. It was a good ride with great weather, but the racers were still happy to crawl out of their cars when they arrived at Mountain Valley Farm...aka Corky's place. General talk about scores and such was common, but when the dinner bell rang, everyone hopped on the bus and headed up the hill.

It's that time of year! We're in the final stages of preparation for the Coker Tire Challenge, so it's a fairly busy environment here in Corkyville. The guys over at Honest Charley Garage applied decals and helped David McAllister with technical inspection, while our Coker crew handled all of the registration stuff. We're ready to kick this thing off tomorrow morning at 8:00am and we'll be having dinner at the farm when our day of rallying is over. Let's roll! [caption id="attachment_1999" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="Lined up for technical inspection and decal application."][/caption]