The Great Race stops in Monticello

Nearly 100 of the rarest vintage cars in America pulled onto North Main Street in Monticello Thursday for a brief stop on their trek toward Mobile, Ala. The cars, participants in The Great Race, left St. Paul, Minn., on June 22 for a nine-day, 2,100-mile rally criss-crossing the Mississippi River toward Mobile.

Small crowds lined the sidewalks braving the triple-digit temperature as the vehicles arrived in one-minute intervals and parked on North Main Street for a brief stop before heading to Vicksburg, Miss., for the night.

While in Monticello, spectators met with the drivers and navigators, kids were encouraged to climb in the cars, and lots of photographers snapped photos.

After leaving St. Paul, the Great Race stopped in La Crosse, Wis., on Saturday night; Davenport, Iowa, on Sunday night; Hannibal, Mo., on Monday night; and Cape Girardeau, Mo., on Tuesday night. After Vicksburg tonight, the racers stop in Baton Rouge, La., on Friday and Covington, La., on Saturday before the finish line in Mobile on Sunday afternoon.