So much hard work goes into an event of this size. There are dozens, if not hundreds of people who grab each task and see them to completion bringing all the pieces of this wonderfully complex traveling circus to the masses along thousands of miles of American back roads. It really is a huge effort by so many dedicated people to make the Great Race happen each year.

It gets lost in the mix sometimes, just how much that passion trickles all the way down to the racers and their hometown fans. These teams spend incredible amounts of time, money and energy getting prepared for, and taking part in the race each year. Their stories are always unique and often leave lasting impressions on their friends, neighbors, home towns and the thousands of people met along the race’s route.

Florida PBS station WUCF put together this piece on three teams in the 2014 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Hagerty that call Florida their home state.  These very different teams come together in this well done story to present an interesting take from the racer’s point of view. WUCF Producer Buddy Pittman visited with former X-cup’ers #92 team of Chad Nelson/Brandon Schindler, rookies #96 – Oli Hallowes / Michael Hallowes and rookies #21 – Chip Woodard / Kathy Woodard in building this story. We were able to supplement some of Buddy’s great work with footage from our own production efforts, and we all think his story turned out really well.

Story after story of currents racers getting their start when they simply talked to a team at a race ‘way back when’, in ‘so-and-so’ city. These encounters along the way inspire so many people to one day try their hand at rallying. Some say it’s insanity, some say it’s amazing, some things we can’t say, but they all say it with a huge smile that takes over their faces when asked about the race. The infectious nature of time/Speed/Distance rallying in old cars is always easy to see in the eyes of a racer. It’s just an incredible event, and since 1983 that passion has continued to inspire car folks from 1 to 100 years old, all over North America.

Special thanks to Buddy Pittman for sticking with the event to produce this great account of a few of our racers.