SPARTANBURG, SC - Spartanburg has been selected as the first overnight host city for the Great American Race 2007 (www.greatrace.com), with the stop on Saturday, June 30, sponsored by Team Spartanburg, the sports council of the Spartanburg Convention & Visitors Bureau. The announcement of the city’s selection was made today (April 9, 2007) during a news conference at the CVB at the Magnolia Street Station.

The Great American Race 2007 is a two-week, 4,000-mile cross-country rally race for classic cars, hot rods and muscle cars, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. This year the race also will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Ford 1832 “Deuce” V-8 as part of the competition.

A field of more than 100 two-person driving teams and their classic cars will make Spartanburg their first overnight stop after beginning the race in Concord, N.C.

The Spartanburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, the City of Spartanburg and the Sparkle City Car Club are partners in the Great Race events, which will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. in downtown.

A family atmosphere will reign as Spartanburg residents and visitors will line the streets at the finish line – East Main Street at the Denny’s Plaza – down to Morgan Square, where the Great Race cars will be on display throughout the event as they arrive.

The Sparkle City Car Club will display their antique and collector cars beginning at 4 p.m. at the finish line. Live music and other fun, family-friend activities will be part of the celebration.

“We’re so excited that the Great Race has chosen Spartanburg as its first overnight stop,” Mike Shetterly (Ogletree Deakins), chairman of Team Spartanburg, says. “This event will give Spartanburg and surrounding areas an opportunity to see these beautiful classic cars up close and celebrate in old fashion style. With Spartanburg’s rich heritage in motor sports, it’s only natural that we be a part of the Great American Race.”

Visitors from throughout the region are encouraged to come to Spartanburg for the race, says Jules Bryant, executive director of the CVB. “There will be lots of fun building up to the excitement of the cars arriving, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity get close to these vehicles.”

“We are pleased to bring Great American Race 2007 to Spartanburg, South Carolina, during our 25th Anniversary,” says Bill Ewing, CEO for Rally Partners Inc., the event organizers. “The Great Race is a great community event that appeals to anyone who loves automobiles, plus it’s always free to the public. So we hope that the community of Spartanburg will enjoy the Great Race.”

Team Spartanburg’s mission is to promote Spartanburg as a destination for sports events; it recruits new events as well as provide assistance to existing sports events. Team Spartanburg is supported by its partners:

Champions – Coca-Cola, JM Smith Corp., City of Spartanburg
MVPs – Herald-Journal/Celebrate Community, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Wofford College
All-Stars – Ogletree Deakins, Radisson Hotel & Suites. Showcase Marketing, Spartanburg Marriott at Renaissance Park, Spartanburg Methodist College, University of South Carolina Upstate

For information Team Spartanburg, go to www.teamspartanburgsc.org or contact Jules Bryant at (864) 594-5051 or laura.corbin@wofford.edu or Nikki Harris at (864) 594-5050 or laura.corbin@wofford.edu.

The Great Race, presented by Interstate Batteries, which finishes in two weeks on July 14 in Orange County, Calif., is a recreation of the legendary “Greatest Auto Race” of 1908 that raced around the world from New York to Paris. For the past 24 years, Great Race competitors and their classics have raced over some of the most scenic roads in North America in a race of time and endurance. What was originally created to provide enthusiasts with an opportunity to drive their classics cars quickly became an American institution, attracting competitors from all over the world. Fans of all ages attend Great Race events to meet the competitors and view the timeless machines that annually take to the highways in the ultimate automotive adventure.

Rally Partners Inc. manages and operates the Great American Race 2007 (Concord, N.C., to Orange County, Calif.) and the Great Race 2008 (New York to Paris). Rally Partners is focused on bringing experiential automotive events to consumers both nationally and internationally through Great Race events. Rally Partners is a group of 14 businessmen, including Jack Roush, one of NASCAR’s leading team owners, and Corky Coker, CEO of Coker Tire.
Now in its 25th year, Great Race keeps the spirit of adventure and independence alive through family entertainment and community events in more than 900 cities, logging more than 9 million competitive miles on North American Highways.
Great Race by the numbers:
• 9,000,000 competitive miles
• 3 Countries visited
• 43 U.S. States and 900 communities visited
• $6,000,000 in prize money awarded
• 17,200 competitors crew and staff
• Reached more than 200 million people

For more information about the Great American Race, contact Mike Ewing, director of marketing and communications for Rally Partners Inc., at (714) 338-8883 or mike@greatrace.com.