Riley’s Road Show: Tales from the Great Race

Editor’s Note: Riley Schlick-Trask has built a dedicated following on her Riley’s Rebuilds YouTube channel, but she’s always thinking of new ways to reach younger or aspiring automotive enthusiasts. That’s why she’s hitting the road for the 2025 Great Race, along with a few friends.

The Great Race is a nine-day, controlled-speed endurance rally that takes competitors on a designated route through the U.S. This year’s event kicks off in Minnesota and finishes in South Carolina. Competitors much complete each leg of the event in as close to an established time as possible–sort of like a dial-in!

YoRiley will be joined by different content creators throughout the trip. Riley will be competing in the Rookie class in a 1972 Stingray; some of her friends will race in the X-Cup class in a 1966 Fairlane. Learn more about the classes on the Great Race website. You can see regular updates on Riley’s Facebook and Instagram channels throughout the journey. Riley and friends will also be providing more in-depth updates here throughout the event.

Great “Content Creator” Race: Trophy Race

Submitted by Riley Schlick-Trask: “There’s no better way to end a grueling but rewarding day than with an “ace.” We, Riley Schlick-Trask (carb-building extraordinaire and influencer), and Jo Bejar (automotive restoration student) set out on the Great Race 2025’s Trophy Run. Racing in Coker Tire’s 1972 Corvette for the Hemming’s giveaway, we were thrown into the tidal wave of information of navigating and driving this rally. 

A 20-minute crash course on navigation later, four hours on the road, one missed turn, and two time-allowances later, we were at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds with an “ace” on our car. An ace is a sticker which represents perfect precision in a time-distance rally, where we reach checkpoints at an exact (and unknown) time. This ace is hopefully the first of many! 

While some of us were on the road, others were wrenching away on the X-Cup Ford Fairlane. 

Today started with hope, determination… and a non-running car.

We showed up ready, but the engine wouldn’t fire. Thankfully, the spirit of The Great Race showed up too—two experienced mechanics saw us struggling and jumped in to help. Together, we troubleshooted everything until we realized cylinders 3, 4, 5, and 7 weren’t firing.

After some digging, we learned there was a brief run in the early ’90s when the Ford 302 had a different firing order. Sure enough, that’s what we had. Once we swapped the plug wires to match, the engine fired right up like a champ.

With the car finally running, the real work begins—tuning the carbs, breaking in the rear end with short drives and cooldowns, and double-checking the transmission.

We went from stuck in the pits to gearing up for the start line. Let’s go.

We are excited to keep telling this story as the race takes us to unexpected places and challenges. We’re happy to have you along for the ride!”

–Riley, Jo, Christina, Ashley

…

“We spent the day in the incredible Great Race surrounded by amazing classics and passionate enthusiasts. We’re driving a 1966 Ford Fairlane as a group of female content creators in the automotive community, aiming to inspire younger generations to chase their dreams and know they belong in this space. Despite making a few wrong turns, we bounced back quickly and had a great time learning and improving our driving and navigation skills.

Later, we ran into brake trouble. The system overheated and started to smoke. Luckily, the sweep team towed us back to the hotel, where we discovered the booster rod was just a bit too long. After spacing out the booster, everything seems to be working fine. We ended the evening with dinner and reviewing all the awesome content we’ve captured. It’s been an unforgettable journey so far, and we’re excited for the adventures still to come!

Make sure to follow along! Lots of racers are next to join us as we go. You can find their instagram socials below!

@rileysrebuilds @annies_vw @miss_shift @designmuse @crazy.k.kustomz@christinalardie @therealtamararobertson @reelcaroline @_rustic_beauty @a_car_gal @racinpayton_ @emmasforgottenfalcon @thejessicombsfoundation”

…

Great “Content Creator” Race: Day 1

Submitted by Riley Schlick-Trask: “Today officially marked Day One of the Great Race 2025, and wow, what a ride!

We kicked things off bright and early, departing from our hotel and rolling straight to the Minnesota State Fair for check-in and launch. After some quick prep and adrenaline-fueled moments at the start line, Joe and I hit the road in the 1972 Corvette, the official Hemmings giveaway car—and what a machine it is.

Navigation is starting to click. The car’s feel is coming alive in our hands, and the energy on the course is unlike anything we’ve experienced before. We did make one wrong turn, but thanks to rookie rules, that 1:05 mistake got dropped from our time!

Here’s the final breakdown of today’s five stages:

    •    Stage 1: 2 seconds

    •    Stage 2: 1:05 (dropped!)

    •    Stage 3: 3 seconds

    •    Stage 4: ACE!

    •    Stage 5: 2 seconds

That leaves us with a razor-sharp 7-second total for the day, earning us 14th place overall—a huge win for day one, especially as rookies.

None of this would be possible without our amazing sponsors:

Hemmings, Coker Tire, Zip, and Corvette Central. Thank you for making this journey a reality—and for putting this dream car together for one lucky winner.

We’ll be updating daily, so follow along as we push through more checkpoints, chase more aces, and hopefully climb higher in the rankings. Let’s hit the road!”

Great “Content Creator” Race: Day 2

Submitted by Riley Schlick-Trask: “Day 2 was no joke.

Our morning started at the World Clock, where each team syncs up to official rally time. From there, we received our route instructions—just 30 minutes before our start time. With the clock ticking, we raced back to the hotel to gather our gear, spent 5 minutes getting set, and then launched straight into our calibration run.

Why the calibration run? In a rally where every second counts, it’s the only way to ensure our car’s speed matches time perfectly. We’re running this race in a 1972 Corvette Stingray, and every click of the speedometer has to be just right.

Next up was the most intense part—Jo’s math sprint. With just 20 minutes on the clock, she calculated all of our speed segments using a custom sheet we created the day before. These values determine when and how fast we drive each stretch of the course. GPS? Not allowed. It’s all old-school rally gear, timing, and trust.

The rest of the day was a battle through 95-degree heat with no A/C, in a tight car running hot on asphalt. Despite the conditions, we held our line and focus, crossing checkpoints with minimal error. Yesterday, we ended with 59 secondstotal and a 17-second drop, pushing us up to 6th in class. That’s a major and we’re just getting started.

We’re proud of the grind, the sweat, and the strategy that goes into this race. It’s not about speed—it’s about precision. Two girls, one car, and a whole lot of math.”

Meanwhile in the X-Cup Fairlane:

Submitted by Ashley (@rusticbeauty) Christina (@christinalardie): “We had an absolutely wild and crazy ride on the first day of the race! Things started off strong. We were making good time on our very first timed portion, and the car was running great. But things took a turn not long after we began the second leg.

Out of nowhere, we lost air to our rear air shocks and had to pull over to fix the issue as best we could. Just when we thought we were back on track, we realized we had locked our keys in the trunk. Yes, really.

That led to a full-on operation…we pulled out the rear seat and climbed into the trunk to search. After 20 minutes of crawling around and searching every inch, we discovered the keys were in someone’s pocket the entire time. It was frustrating in the moment, but honestly, hilarious in hindsight.

We also took a few wrong turns before finally crossing the finish line. But despite all the setbacks, we had an absolute blast. These are the kind of memories that make this adventure unforgettable. We’ll just keep getting better and better from here.

On to the next leg!”