On June 30 amid a full day of festivities in Historic Downtown Concord, 100 classic cars will line up for the Official Start of the 2007 Great American Race. The celebration starts at 10am and includes meet-and-greet opportunities with the racers, a classic car show, children’s activities, live entertainment and an evening fireworks display. However, all eyes will be on the starting line at 1pm when the first race team crosses the starting line, followed by the other Great Race cars – one by one at one-minute intervals – as they embark on the legendary 4,000 mile cross-country race that ends July 14 in Anaheim, California.
On Friday, June 29, the race teams, race officials, sponsors and other VIPs will attend an invitation-only reception at the Embassy Suites Hotel Resort. The next day’s Official Start in Downtown Concord is expected to draw 12,000 spectators. The entire Great Race entourage – numbering over 600 racers, navigators and support crews – will stay in Cabarrus County hotels.
“We estimate the direct economic impact of the activities surrounding the Official Start of the Great Race will be over $800,000,” notes DeSales Wagster, CEO of the Cabarrus County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CCCVB). “In addition, because this prestigious event is known internationally, it will focus national and international media attention on our area. The value to our area’s hospitality industry for this kind of exposure is immeasurable.”
The Great American Race is a re-creation of the legendary New York to Paris “Greatest Auto Race” of 1908, and this year marks the race’s 25th Anniversary. Over the years Great Race competitors and their classic cars have raced over some of the most scenic roads in North America in a time and endurance test that has become an American institution that attracts competitors from all over the world. Each year as the race progresses from city to city, fans across the country line up to meet the racers and view their timeless machines in this ultimate automotive adventure.
Concord’s Great Race celebration on June 30 – co-sponsored by the (CCCVB) and the City of Concord – is free and open to the public. For information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Cordelia Anderson at the CCCVB, 704-782-4340, email cordelia@cabarruscvb.com
The CCCVB is a destination marketing organization whose mission is to promote Cabarrus County globally as a premier, all-season visitor destination. For more information about the CCCVB’s programs and activities, visit www.visitcabarrus.com.
