By Elizabeth Lowes
For Sean Lowes (Ellicottville, NY) and Rick McIntosh (Lockport, NY), the 2026 Hemmings Great Race was not simply a drive from Springfield, Illinois, to Pasadena, California. It was nine days of timing, concentration, heat, repairs, and trust, with Sean behind the wheel and Rick beside him, navigating car #33, a 1930 Ford Speedster owned by Rick and sponsored by The City Garage Ski Shop.
The pair finished 12th overall and 5th in the Expert Division, ending the race just 1 minute and 56 seconds off a perfect score. In an event where every second matters, that is an impressive finish.
The Great Race is not a race in the way most people might picture one. The goal is not to drive fast. In fact, speed is not the point at all. The event is a time-speed-distance rally, which means each team is given detailed driving instructions with assigned speeds to maintain over each section of the route. Teams are scored by how closely they arrive at an unknown checkpoint location to the exact intended time.
That makes the driver-navigator relationship especially important. Sean had to keep the Speedster steady over changing roads, weather, traffic, and terrain. Rick had to read the instructions, track the timing, anticipate turns, and keep the team on pace. In a modern car, that might sound challenging enough. In a 1930 Ford Speedster, with no computer, no modern comfort, and no margin for distraction, it becomes a true team effort.
This year’s route was especially memorable because it followed historic Route 66 during the Mother Road’s 100th anniversary year and covered more than 2400 miles. The race began in Springfield, Illinois, and headed west toward Pasadena, California, giving teams a close-up look at some of the best-known places along one of America’s most famous roads.
For Sean and Rick, several stops stood out. In Springfield, the Lincoln Tomb connected the beginning of the trip to one of the most important figures in American history. In Claremore, Oklahoma, the Will Rogers Memorial Museum honored the humorist, actor, writer, and aviation enthusiast whose name remains closely tied to Route 66 country. In Texas, Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo offered one of the most recognizable sights on the Mother Road, with its line of paint-covered Cadillacs buried nose-first in the Panhandle ground. Near the end of the route, Joshua Tree National Park gave the trip a very different feeling, with desert roads, rock formations, and the strange, distinctive trees that make that part of California so memorable.
Those landmarks were the highlights. The driving between them was the work.
One of the team’s hardest moments came in the Nevada desert, where temperatures climbed above 110 degrees. In that heat, the Speedster’s fuel pump failed. Sean and Rick were able to fix it by hitting it with a rock to get it going and cross that day’s finish line, but the car needed repair before they could continue.
For a vintage car team far from home, that kind of breakdown can end a race. Thanks to support crew Greg Stang and Keith Wallace, they were able to find the parts they needed, replace the fuel pump, and get the 1930 Ford back on the road the next day.
Another standout moment occurred when a fellow race team in a 1932 Ford came to a standstill in Flagstaff, AZ due to broken clutch plate. In the spirit of true sportsmanship Rick offered his spare which allowed his competition to continue and finish the rally in tenth place overall!
These moments capture much of what makes the Great Race different from a typical car event. The vehicles may be beautiful, but they are not sitting behind ropes or parked on display. They are out on the road, being asked to perform day after day in real conditions. The teams must be prepared not only to drive, but to solve problems as they come, and along with garnering competitive spirit, the race format facilitates mutual respect and support for fellow racers who help each other out when they can.
The event also has a history with a surprising Western New York connection. The modern Great Race draws inspiration from the 1908 New York-to-Paris Race, one of the boldest automobile contests ever attempted.
That race began in Times Square on February 12, 1908, when automobiles were still new and many roads were little more than mud, snow, or wagon tracks. Six cars started the race, representing France, Germany, Italy, and the United States. The planned route took the teams from New York City across the United States, then by ship across the Pacific to Japan, on to Vladivostok, across Siberia and Russia, through Europe, and finally to Paris.
The American entry, a Thomas Flyer built by the E.R. Thomas Motor Company of Buffalo, won the race after 169 days and roughly 22,000 miles. One of the key figures in that victory was George Schuster, who later lived in Springville. His connection is still remembered locally through a historical marker noting his role in driving the Thomas Flyer to victory.
That gives the Great Race more than a passing connection to Western New York. Long before Sean and Rick crossed Route 66 in their 1930 Speedster, a Buffalo-built car and a driver tied to Springville helped show the world what automobiles could do.
That history makes next year’s event especially interesting for this region. The 2027 Great Race is scheduled to start in Mobile, AL on Saturday June 19th and finish in Buffalo, NY on Sunday June 27th. While the full route has not yet been publicly announced, the Buffalo finish will give Western New York residents a reason to watch closely. Rick & Sean are working with The Great Race organizers and Village officials on a possible lunch stop in Ellicottville on Saturday June 26th from 11am-3pm. Stay tuned for further details on how our community can become a part of the 2027 Great Race!
For now, Sean Lowes and Rick McIntosh have already given Ellicottville a connection to the Great Race legacy with a strong finish in 2026. Their success was the result of steady driving, careful navigation, mechanical persistence, and support from the people traveling with them. To Finish is to Win!
