Drivers in pre-war cars are once again racing up an 1,800-foot hill in the small town of Newport, Indiana this weekend, as the Newport Antique Auto Hill Climb returns for its annual run on Main Street. Vehicles from 1942 or older — along with some discontinued makes through 1955 — are making timed runs from a standing start up the steep course, part of a tradition that has drawn car lovers to the Wabash Valley for generations.
A Weekend of Racing, Flea Markets and Fireworks
The event takes place Saturday and Sunday in Newport, Indiana, according to WTHI, and includes a flea market, a parade, and fireworks alongside the main hill climb competition. Automobiles, trucks and motorcycles from various eras are on display throughout the weekend, giving attendees plenty to see even between timed runs. Andrew Clawson, quoted by the station, explained part of the appeal for the drivers themselves: there is no place where people can bring old cars and run them as fast as they want outside of an event like this one.
The hill itself has a storied history. The 1,800-foot-long Main Street course features a 140-foot vertical rise and once served as a proving ground for early 20th-century automobile designs, according to the Clinton County Daily News. The hill later became a weekend spectacle rather than an engineering trial.
A Century of Fits and Starts
Newport businessmen first organized hill climb races in 1909, but that original series ended after 1915 as fans shifted their interest toward circular track racing and financial returns shrank, per records kept by The Historical Marker Database. The Newport Lions Club revived the event in 1968.
The modern annual festival traces its roots to 1968, when the newly formed Newport Lions Club organized a revival race and designated the first Sunday of October as race day, the Prairie Press reported. That Lions Club stewardship has continued ever since, with the club overseeing the event's growth into one of the state's signature motorsports weekends. In 2019, during the 52nd annual event, the Indiana Racing Memorial Association and Automotive Heritage Group unveiled a special historic marker, according to the Clinton County Daily News, cementing the race's place in state history.
From 500 Residents to 100,000 Visitors
Newport itself is home to roughly 500 people, but the hill climb draws more than 100,000 visitors annually, making it Indiana's third-largest annual motorsports event behind only the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard race, according to event details reported by Supercars.net.
Raffle and Admission Details for This Year
This year's raffle gives attendees a chance to win a 1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe, with proceeds supporting the Newport Lions Club's community work.
Spectator admission runs $10 per vehicle for parking and entry, while car show registrants pay a $25 to $30 vehicle entry fee. With pre-war machines once again lining up for a standing start on Main Street, the weekend keeps alive a tradition that has outlasted a world war and more than a century of changing tastes in motorsport.
