Collinsville serves as pit stop in 2026 Hemmings’ Great Race
By Randy Pierce • In conjunction with the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Festival being held this Saturday, June 20, in downtown Collinsville, 120 antique and classic automobiles will stop in the area in recognition of the 100th Anniversary of the United States’ Route 66 highway.
According to information provided by the Great Rivers and Routes Tourism Bureau, which is based in Alton, the motorcade of vehicles is part of the annual “Hemmings Great Race,” which, for this segment, is focusing on Illinois’ last 100 miles of Route 66, a historic road that originates in Chicago and also passes through Missouri, Oklahoma, the Texas panhandle, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
The Great Race is a nine-day classic car rally that spans more than 2,300 miles and features 120 of the world’s finest antique automobiles. The event uses a new route each year and includes 17 hosted city stops along the way, one of them being in Collinsville this year.
The 2026 Great Race starts at the old state capitol in Springfield Saturday, with an anticipated arrival in Collinsville being estimated at 4 p.m., and will end in Pasadena, California on Sunday, June 28, with stops at many historic towns and attractions along the way.
“We are incredibly excited for Collinsville to be a host city for the 2026 Great Race,” said Collinsville Mayor Jeff Stehman. “This multi-state event is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our historic Uptown Collinsville, highlight our local businesses and welcome visitors from across the country.”
“The timing could not be better,” Stehman added. “We are hosting the Great Race on the same day as the World’s Largest Catsup Bottle Festival and these two events will create an unforgettable experience and truly capture the fun, energy and character of our community.”
Each stop on the great race is free to the public and spectators can visit with the participants and look at the cars for several hours. It is common for racers to allow kids to climb in the cars for a first-hand look.
The great race started in 1983 and is now the world’s premier vintage car rally. This traveling time/speed/endurance event isn’t just a casual back road cruise as it has a strict set of rules to keep competition tight. The vehicles, each with a driver and navigator, are given precise instructions daily that detail every move down to the second. They are scored at secret checkpoints along the route and are penalized for arriving at them early or late. As in golf, the lowest score wins. There is a purse of $160,000 split among five classes, with the overall winner taking home $50,000.
“Hosting The Great Race during the Centennial Celebration of Route 66 is a wonderful way to showcase the impact this national highway had on southwest Illinois,” Cory Jobe, president of this region’s tourism bureau, noted. “The race will give us an opportunity to showcase the amazing communities and attractions we have.”
Teams and cars from Japan, England, Australia, Canada and every corner of the United States participate in the annual event, which is often considered a “bucket list” item for car enthusiasts, especially in 2026, with Route 66 as the backdrop. Cars, trucks and motorcycles built in 1974 and earlier are eligible to compete and the scoring system features an age factor to keep the earlier cars competitive. In the 2025 Great Race, a 1933 Ford pickup truck won the event. A 1913 Chevrolet, a 1916 Hudson and a 1918 American LaFrance are the oldest vehicles scheduled to be in the 2026 Great Race.
Between the start and finish, there are approximately 2,300 miles of competition and 17 hosted city stops with many iconic Route 66 sights along the way.
The Great Race has Hemmings, the world’s largest marketplace for antique and classic cars, as its title sponsor and is presented by Coker Tire Company.
For more information, go to www.greatrace.com, or visit the Great Race Facebook Page. You can also email [email protected].
The catsup bottle festival will begin at 2 p.m. at Herald Square, 119 East Clay Street, Collinsville, and feature the Great Idaho Potato Truck, designed with a gigantic version of its state’s most well-known product.
Along with a classic car show, independent of the Great Race, the festival will also consist of the crowning of Sir Catsup and Princess Tomato from a group of ages 3 to 6 entrants, a catsup tasting booth and competition, hot dog and tater tot eating contests for both children and adults, hula hoop competition, a singing of “Happy Birthday” to the bottle, a dance-off event, a water balloon toss contest and more, concluding with a 7 p.m. performance of live music by the Strange Buffalo Band.
