On Monday, Stockyards City got a full-throttle blast of roadside history when about 140 antique cars rolled into the historic district as part of the Hemmings Great Race. Exchange Avenue filled up with prewar classics, muscle cars and customized rigs, while families, collectors and curious passersby stopped to snap photos of chrome and tail fins. The stop was one leg of a nine-day, roughly 2,300-mile rally tied to the Route 66 centennial, giving locals a rare, up-close look at machines that span more than a century of automotive design.
Great Race Rolls Through Stockyards City
According to KOCO, the Hemmings Great Race, presented by Coker Tire, began in Springfield, Illinois, and is scheduled to finish in Pasadena, California. Event documents from the Great Race organization show the 2026 run covers roughly 2,300 miles across nine days and is an official Route 66 Centennial activity, according to the Great Race event regulations. Organizers said the Stockyards City stop was free to the public and designed so spectators could meet drivers and inspect the cars up close.
The Cars And The Crowd
Vehicles eligible for the rally must have been built in 1974 or earlier, and Oklahoma Gazette reported that around 140 cars were expected to process down Exchange Avenue starting in the late afternoon. The lineup featured century-old entries and postwar classics, from an early 1910s Chevrolet to midcentury muscle, which kept spectators lingering for photos and conversation. The Gazette also highlighted the Great Race's time-speed-distance format, which rewards precise navigation and timing rather than pure speed.
Part Of The Route 66 Centennial
The Stockyards City stop is part of a statewide slate of centennial programming outlined by the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, which has been coordinating events and community showcases all year. The association and its partners say centennial activities are meant to shine a spotlight on the towns and landmarks that made Route 66 a national draw in the first place. For local businesses and museums, the rally offers a turnkey way to bring visitors into neighborhood storefronts and historic sites ahead of the highway's November anniversary.
Where The Rally Heads Next
After Oklahoma, the field is scheduled to continue west through Texas and New Mexico on its way to the California finish, according to host-town coverage in The Penny News. Visit Oklahoma City encouraged residents to watch the procession in Stockyards City and called the stop one of 17 official host venues along the route. Organizers and local chambers often use Great Race appearances to promote nearby Route 66 attractions, from diners to museums, that benefit when fans roll through town.
Why It Matters Locally
For Stockyards City merchants and Route 66 advocates, the parade of rare cars is both a celebration and a business boost, bringing extra foot traffic and media attention to the district. The free, family-friendly stop offered photo ops, informal tours of the vehicles and a reminder of Oklahoma City's deep connections to the Mother Road. Organizers said the event showcases community preservation work and gives local residents a front-row seat to a century of American automotive history.
