A Chevy truck pulls into “The Great Race” Hazel Dell pit stop on June 29. The race started in Riverside, California on Saturday, June 22 and ended at America’s Car Museum in Tacoma on Sunday, June 30.
A Ford 1934 parked at the Hazel Dell pit stop of “The Great Race” on June 29.
Navigator Trevor Stahl and driver Josh Hull head into the Hazel Dell pit stop of “The Great Race” on June 29.
Car lovers and racers alike headed to Hazel Dell for “The Great Race” last Friday. Spectators gathered at the new “Cars by Ron Wade” museum on 78th street as around 120 cars, 1974 and older, came across that day’s finish line.
The Great Race is a yearly event where a collection of drivers “race” their cars across a route in America. This year, the route started in Riverside, California on Saturday, June 22 and ended at America’s Car Museum in Tacoma on Sunday, June 30.
According to racers, it’s all just one big family.
“I really appreciate the competitive nature of it,” Oliva Gentry from Newnan, Georgia said. “But, in just about any state there are people you can call up if you have problems and they’ll help you. The sense of community and the sense of fellowship is really nice.”
Gentry and her sister are one of three all-girls teams in The Great Race and are racing in a 1932 Ford 5 Window Coupe that they have had in the family for years. Together, they’ve racked up over 2,000 miles in a three month period.
Von Wolf From Columbiana, Ohio echoed the girls’ thoughts on community. In the two years he’s been racing in his 1929 Model A two-door sedan, the crew has become like family and while it would be fun to win, the camaraderie is the best part of the “two-week vacation.”
An announcer over the intercom at the event said The Great Race rarely comes this far north and west, so don’t expect the race to come back anytime soon. However, because of how well Vancouver “showed up” to the event, it isn’t out of the running.
“I’ve seen nothing like this,” the announcer said. “You guys really showed up and it means a lot.”
The 2020 Great Race doesn’t have a route yet, but if you have an old car you want to push to the limits, go to greatrace.com/waitinglist.
Ron Wade shows his collection
Friday was more than the Great Race for Hazel Dell as it was the grand opening of Woodland collector Ron Wade’s museum.
The 8,000-square-foot museum is housed in the former Dodge-Mazda dealership at 1015 NE 78th St, Vancouver. It is a branch of the Western Aeroplane and Antique Automobile Museum (WAAAM), headquartered in Hood River.
Wade has been collecting cars for years following the purchase of a 1949 Chevrolet Cabriolet when he was just 14, which he finally restored in 2000. his collection amounts to around 30 different cars, from supers to antiques to exotics.
