Great Race Brings Vintage Cars Through Plainfield On Only IL Stop

PLAINFIELD, IL — Around 5 p.m. on June 22, more than 120 vintage cars will be taking a break from the cross-country Great Race to visit Plainfield — and it's the group's only Illinois stop.

According to the Plainfield Historical Society, Great Race drivers will travel through Plainfield along the three blocks where Lincoln Highway and Route 66 converge. They're "the two, longest paved transcontinental highways in the world in the early 20th century," and Plainfield is the only place where they share the same route, historians said.

The stop in Plainfield will be drivers' ninth on their trek across the country. An opening ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. at the intersection of Lockport and Illinois streets, where a grand entry arch will be located. After, participating automobiles will be on display on Lockport Street until 8 p.m., and community members are invited to come check out the unique cars.

Because of the Great Race stop, Cruise Nights will not be held June 21.

Racers are starting in Warwick, Rhode Island on June 18 and will complete the Great Race in Fargo, North Dakota on June 26. Despite its name, the Great Race — first started in 1983 — is not a test of top speed but rather a way for antique, vintage and collector cars to participate in a "controlled-speed endurance road rally on public highways," according to its website.

Before arriving in Plainfield, where participants will stay overnight, they'll stop at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana, around noon. From Plainfield, racers will return to the course, making their way to Sun Prairie and Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.