Great Race Winners Rely on Coker Tire Products

The 2024 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Coker Tire is in the books, and we enjoyed an exciting nine-day journey from Owensboro, Kentucky to Gardiner, Maine. The competitionw as fierce, with more than $160,000 up for grabs, split among five divisions. In addition to the cash purse, the Great Race offered many other bonuses, including Coker Tire gift certificates for daily stage winners. We saw lots of great Coker Tire-equipped vehicles in competition, and noted that the top 6 overall finishers featured Coker Tire products, and the top finisher in EACH class rolled on Coker Tire products. We're proud to continue supporting the Great Race with sponsorship and product support, and hope to continue this winning streak into next year. For now, let's take a look at those class winners, but if you'd like more information on the Great Race you can check out www.greatrace.com. 

Howard and Doug Sharp are no strangers to the winner's circle. This father-and-son team from Fairport, New York has competed in the Great Race since the 1990's, and are previous Grand Champions. Because of this, the Sharps compete in the highly contested Grand Championship division. They compete in a 1916 Hudson, which has been modified in the spirit of a Pikes Peak Hillclimber. The fenders have been stripped away and the inline six-cylinder engine features an aluminum cylinder head for a better horsepower to weight ratio. This car rolls on a set of our Excelsior Stahl Sport Radial tires with Hartford tubes. Howard and Doug finished the race in first place overall and first place in the Grand Championship class with a score of 1 minute, 00.06 seconds. 

The Expert Division of the Great Race is for racers who have proven to be serious about competition. The father and daughter team of Neil Myerscough and Shanna Chatraw have improved their scores year after year, and worked themselves into a fifth place overall finish this year. As a result of this, Neil and Shanna landed at the top of the leaderboard in the Expert Division. This win took place in a truly unique car: a 1934 Ford "Bohnalite Special". This car is an incredible vintage racer, with a host of significant parts, including a set of Bohnalite aluminum cylinder heads. The car has been a fixture of the Great Race for many years, and it's in good hands for many years to come. The Indy racer rolls on a set of our Excelsior Stahl Sport Radial tires. Neil and Shanna won the Expert Division with a final score of 1 minute, 22.82 seconds. 

When it comes to hot rods, this 1932 Ford five-window coupe has the textbook stance and attitude. It belongs to Peter LaMountain, a veteran Great Racer. His wife, Christine handles the driving duties, while Peter does the navigating. Horsepower comes from a 21-stud Flathead V8 engine, which has been modified within the Great Race's rulebook. The LaMountain's competed in the Sportsman Division, but will now step up to the Expert Division because of their outstanding performance. The hot rod coupe rolls on (you guessed it) Excelsior Stahl Sport Radial tires, which are mounted to a set of mid-30s Ford wire wheels. Christine and Peter finished in ninth place overall and took home the Sportsman Division victory with a final score of 1 minute, 46.60 seconds.

There was a record number of rookie teams in this year's Great Race. Dave and Liz Wallace joined the fun in their 1970 Dodge Challenger, which is an A66 package, complete with a 340ci engine. Of course, it's coated in Plum Crazy Purple for the perfect Mopar look, which is complemented by a set of Magnum 500 wheels and Goodyear Polyglas GT tires. Dave and Liz competed in the Great Race Spring Rally to get their feet wet, and took what they learned and applied it to the big show. The Challenger handled it nicely and the Wallaces came away with the Rookie Division victory with a final score of 4 minutes, 24 seconds. 

One of the most punished cars on the 2024 Great Race was the 1953 Pontiac Chieftain, which is the vehicle of choice for the Stones River AACA X-Cup team from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The car had engine issues and other mechanical mishaps along the way, but the team pushed forward and continued to get great scores all week long. The teams consists of two drivers who alternated: Jeremy Byrd and Matt Norman and then two navigators who alternated: Annie Holland and Carson Byrd. The Pontiac rolls on a set of BFGoodrich Radial T/A tires, a good choice for a heavy car that takes corners HARD. The Stones River AACA team went home with the X-Cup victory with a final score of 3 minutes 13.07 seconds.