Mooresville's auto racing history, small-town charm draw Great Race back in 2025 (2024)

The 2025 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by co*ker Tire will have an overnight stop in Mooresville on June 28, event organizers have announced. The Great Race also stopped in downtown Mooresville in 2021. The race will start in St. Paul, Minn., on June 21 and end in Irmo, S.C., on June 29, 2025.

The Great Race is the world’s premiere old car rally, and 120 of the world’s finest antique automobiles will take part in the annual adventure. The nine-day, 2,300-mile event will travel to 18 cities in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

“We are excited to bring the 2025 Great Race back to Mooresville,” Great Race Director Jeff Stumb said. “In 2021, Mooresville was voted the best stop on that year’s race due to the hard work of so many in the community.”

“There are more than 525 people just in our entourage from all around the world,” Stumb said.

The Great Race is not a speed race, but a time/speed/distance rally. The vehicles, each with a driver and navigator, are given precise instructions each day that detail every move down to the second. They are scored at secret checkpoints along the way and are penalized one second for each second either early or late. As in golf, the lowest score wins.

“We are delighted to welcome the return of the Great Race to Mooresville,” said Mayor Chris Carney. “Our auto racing history coupled with our small-town charm and quality amenities make Mooresville a natural choice to host this event. We look forward to the 2025 Tour!”

Don Miller, chair of the board for the N.C. Auto Racing Hall of Fame said “Welcoming the Great Race to Mooresville, N.C., Race City USA, is a great honor. It’s a perfect blend of our rich motorsport heritage and the vibrant community spirit that fuels our town.”

The event was started in 1983 by Tom McRae and it takes its name from the 1965 movie, “The Great Race,” which starred Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Natalie Wood and Peter Falk. The movie is a comedy based on the real-life 1908 automobile race from New York to Paris. In 2004, Tony Curtis was the guest of the Great Race and rode in his car from the movie, the Leslie Special. The first entrant, Curtis Graf of Irving, Texas, is still a participant today. The event’s main sponsors are Hemmings Motor News, co*ker Tire, McCollister’s Auto Transport, Rogo Fasteners, Hagerty Driver’s Club, Southern Star Distillery and Samuel Smith Old Brewery.

“We are excited to once again host the Great Race in Mooresville. Motorsports play an important role in Mooresville, Race City USA. We can’t wait to share our town with the Great Race competitors and support staff.

“Downtown Mooresville is very excited to welcome the drivers and their vintage cars to our amazing community! Our historic architecture is the perfect backdrop, and the Great Race brings national attendance to our fantastic mix of small businesses,” said Kim Atkins, executive director of the Mooresville Downtown Commission.

Cars built in 1974 and earlier are eligible, with most entries having been manufactured before World War II. In the 2023 Great Race, a 1916 Hudson Hillclimber won the event from St. Augustine, Fla., to Colorado Springs, Colo. The 2025 winners will again receive $50,000 of the $160,000 total purse. A 1912 Haynes, a 1913 Chevrolet, a 1916 Hudson and a 1918 American LaFrance are the oldest cars scheduled to be in the 2025 Great Race.

Each stop on the Great Race is free to the public and spectators will be able to visit with the participants and to look at the cars for several hours.

Event sponsored and organized by:

Mooresville Downtown Commission

Mooresville Convention & Visitor Bureau

North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame

Town of Mooresville

The Mooresville Downtown Commission is a Nationally Accredited Main Street America™ program. This accreditation status is Main Street America’s top-tier recognition and signifies a demonstrated commitment to comprehensive commercial district revitalization and a proven track record of successfully developing an asset-based economic development strategy.