This morning, we hit the road once again, leaving Vermont and rolling into New Hampshire during our morning route. Farm land and tiny towns made up route, leading to a lunch stop at the Mount Washington Auto Road. The idea was to host a lunch stop at the base of the mountain, and then racers could elect to drive their vehicles up the extreme incline to the summit of Mount Washington. The road is a bit treacherous, and it actually has a rich auto racing history, dating back to 1904. Located in Gorham, New Hampshire, the summit of Mount Washington has an altitude of 6,260 feet and an average grade of 11.8 percent over the course of 7.4 miles. It’s intense, so it wasn’t a mandatory part of today’s route. Many racers climbed part of the mountain, while about 30 Great Racers went all the way to the Summit. We set up camp to photograph the cars as they approached the Summit, capturing the amazing scenery around us. It was truly awesome.

As we headed down the mountain, we spotted a couple of our racers against the rocks. It was in the gravel portion of the road, at approximately 4,500 feet of elevation. Carl Schneider and Jack Juratovic lost the brakes in their Buick station wagon, sending them on a wild ride. Luckily, Scott Henderson was right in front of the Buick, and he sacrificed his beautifully restored 1964-1/2 Mustang to bring the Buick boys to a halt. Everyone was alright, but the two cars had some cosmetic damage. Scott and Mallory finished the day’s route with some excellent scores, but the real accomplishment was helping out a fellow racer who was in a scary situation. Both the Buick and the Mustang will be able to continue competition!

After our Mount Washington Auto Road adventure, we had a pretty direct route to the evening stop in Gardiner, Maine. The town was absolutely packed with people who came to welcome the Great Race to town. There was a lobster feast available to all of the racers, and plenty of great local food for all of the spectators. EJP sponsored the dinner, and it’s a meal that will have Great Racers talking for a long time. Gardiner also had a great cruise in on site, adding to the fun of the stop. John and Scott Hudson took home the daily win in their 1940 Chevrolet coupe. Their score of 2.55 seconds was untouchable, and it helped elevate their overall position to 2nd place behind Jeff and Eric Fredette. We’ll be staying in Maine for the next couple of days, so stay tuned to see what kind of adventures we encounter. For now, let’s take a look at our favorite shots from the Mount Washington Auto Road, as well as photos form our awesome stop in Gardiner, Maine!