Great Race Route 66 rally stops in Gallup for centennial tour

The Great Race rolled through New Mexico on June 24, putting Gallup on the map of a nine-day Route 66 centennial rally that linked Springfield, Illinois, to Pasadena, California. The vintage-car event brought rare antique vehicles, low riders and other Route 66-themed attractions west through the state, then continued toward one final New Mexico stop in Gallup before heading out of the region.

About 130 cars, ranging from model year 1911 to 1974, were expected to take part in the Route 66 Centennial Great Race. The rally was scheduled to make promotional stops in 17 Route 66 cities, turning the old highway into a moving showcase of automotive history and roadside culture. In Albuquerque, Visit Albuquerque said more than 120 pre-1974 cars were set to stop at Balloon Fiesta Park, with cars arriving beginning at noon, staged by 2:30 p.m. and kept on display until 7 p.m.

Gallup’s place on that route carries local weight well beyond the spectacle of classic cars. The City of Gallup and McKinley County unveiled New Mexico’s first Route 66 centennial monument on Nov. 5, 2025, in front of the George Galanis Multicultural Center at 201 E. Hwy. 66. The 16-foot monument, topped with the classic Route 66 shield, was meant to build community pride and attract visitors as centennial tourism built across the state.

That effort fits a larger downtown strategy that local leaders have tied to the Mother Road for years. Gallup MainStreet says Route 66 remains a vital artery bringing people into downtown Gallup, where more than a dozen murals already line the streets. The city’s tourism identity also leans on the Gallup Cultural Center, historic downtown murals, the El Morro Theatre and the chamber-operated visitor center on West Highway 66.

The cultural center itself gives the rally stop added meaning. It houses Route 66 exhibits alongside the Storyteller Art Museum, Code Talker displays and Fred Harvey exhibits, placing Gallup’s roadside heritage next to its Native and railroad-era history. For McKinley County, the Great Race stop was not just another pass through New Mexico. It landed in a place that has already staked its claim as a Route 66 destination and has been building the public space to prove it.