‘Place To Be’: Hemmings Motor News Great Race Makes Pit Stop In Sapulpa

The Mother Road lived up to its name Monday, as dozens of antique cars stopped in Sapulpa as part of a unique race.

Cars of all kinds made a quick pitstop on Route 66 as part of the Hemmings Motor News Great Race. The drivers are three days into the race that starts in San Antonio, Texas, and goes to Greenville, South Carolina.

"If you're a car nut, this is the place to be," said Richard Holmes, who is the founder and president of the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum.

Holmes is excited because the race’s only stop in Oklahoma is at his museum.

"Oh, they have everything from a 1916 Dodge to a 1957 Chevrolet, they have all types of different antique cars," Holmes said.

Spectators didn't let a little rain stop them from coming out and watching a true automotive spectacle. Over 100 racers stopped by in Sapulpa for about an hour to dry off, get some lunch, and then hit the road again.

Kayli and Jim Menneto pulled up in a 1932 Ford Speedster that's not exactly equipped for driving in the rain.

“It's been a day; I'll tell you that. The rain's coming at you, it's hitting you in the face, the instructions are getting wet," said Kayli.

The father-daughter team said it's not the fastest racers who win the $150,000 in prize money, but the team that gets to the finish line at the most precise time.

"There's a lot of hints in one of the columns that says “comes quick” or whatnot so you have to make sure that you read that and get every step otherwise you make a wrong turn, you're going to be seconds off,” Kayli said.

They said the race has been made so much more special because they got to spend quality together on the road.

"I've been away for the last 15 Father's Days because of the Great Race, it always lands on this time, so this is the first time I got to be with one of my children, which is pretty cool," said Jim.

Of course, they couldn't chat long, headed back down the road again.