One racer, Stanley Jones of Woodland Hills, California, has driven in 20 previous races, and the last three with his grandson, Franklin Murphy, in a '32 roadster with side mounts. These two guys did it all. Without a support crew, Stanley and Franklin had to do repairs, and one of them was replacing the driveshaft. When the shaft gave up, we were cruising Amish country and Stanley pulled off in a farmer's gravel driveway. The farmer showed up promptly and offered to help. His kindness was gratefully declined and Stanley dove under the car and had it back on the road in less than an hour. I was informed later by some of the older participants that this is standard behavior for Ol' Stan, and he relishes the attention he gets as a result. (Note: In conversations with participants and crews, over the two weeks that we spent together, we have determined that a large percentage of those who participated in the Great Race either have a '32 Ford street rod in their collection or at least one in the process of being built. Many of them turned out to be customers of Currie Enterprises and Kugel Komponents.)
Another accomplishment for the Deuce was the roadster of Gab and Evonna Joiner from Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The 21-stud V-8 equipped with Eddie Meyer heads powered the pristine roadster to the lowest single-day score of the entire event with an accumulated time of 1.63 seconds. Corky Coker, one of the sponsors and part owner of the event as a member of Rally Partners, is clearly one of the most enthusiastic racers I observed. He and his wife Theresa braved the elements in an open-wheel '37 Buick straight eight-powered Shafer IndyCar. He smoked the tires at most starts and, sliding to a stop at the daily finish lines, he greeted the attending throngs with a Tennessee rebel yell. The crowd would usually respond in kind.
The Jack Roush of Roush Racing had several cars entered and/or maintained-all Fords, as you can imagine. They included the Bohnalite Special, a replica of a '34 Ford IndyCar driven by five-time overall champions Dick Burdick and Wayne Bell; a '35 Ford roadster, driven by the father-and-son team of Michael and Patrick Dingman; a '39 Ford convertible, handled by his son-in-law Dale McClenaghan and his wife Susan; another '34 Ford IndyCar, piloted by Lenjohn van der Wel and David Dingman, both veterans of the event; and a neatly restored '41 Ford four-door Army Staff car that Jack and various navigators used when Jack made his appearances between NASCAR races. The National Guard promoted their efforts by bringing out a Roush Racing-built, Greg Biffle-driven, NASCAR show car to serve as the official pace car to open and close the festivities at each town venue.
Our host in Vallejo, California, drove a '39 Ford sedan delivery. Buck Kamphausen and his navigator, Ty Holmquist, paired together. And in a grand gesture, Mr. Kamphausen also provided a '35 Ford phaeton for the School District of Philadelphia's X-Cup team. Speaking of X-Teams, the rules allow any automotive student up to 24 years of age to compete in their own separate class. I found the inclusion of young car enthusiasts from different parts of the country to be a stroke of genius. This year marked the 12th year with teams from Walla Walla, Washington, Charleston, South Carolina, Lawrence, Kansas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Ponca City, Oklahoma. This brings in new blood to an already aging group of car enthusiasts. With the age limit set at 24, these young folks drove their hearts out and struggled making repairs and trying to keep in contention while changing drivers and navigators each day. They all reported to have had a great time participating and many vowed to continue on if they can get sponsored. The winning team, Explorer Post 69, from Okalahoma, managed to get its stock Model A Tudor sedan across the country and win for the third year in a row. What a feat! Great young people, one and all.