All those who will be attending the 7th annual Coker Tire Challenge next week will hear this in person, but for those who cannot make it I want to remind you that the discount for the 2013 Hemmings Motor News Great Race presented by Hagerty will end Sept. 30.

You have until the last day of this month to get a $500 discount by paying a deposit of $2,000 toward the 2013 entry fee. You must pay the balance by Dec. 31, which will make you paid in full before the first of the year.

The entry fees are $4,500 for a private entry and $5,750 for a corporate entry. With the discount, the Private entry fee becomes $4,000 and the Corporate entry fee becomes $5,250, but they must be paid in full by Dec. 31. There will be no discounts available after Jan. 1, 2013.

With the corporate entry, you are allowed up to 400 square inches of advertising on your vehicle, and, most importantly, you are moved to the front of the field each day along with the other corporate entries.

The prize money has been increased for 2013 as well, with a total of $150,000 on the line – including a cool $50,000 for the winner. The prize money is based on 100 entries.

The route for 2013 – following the Great River Road from Minnesota to Louisiana and then over to Alabama – is perfect for the Great Race. It is expected that more than 50,000 spectators will witness the start of the event at the “Back to the 50s” show in St. Paul, and from there the participants will head toward some of the best rally country in America – the plains, fields and rolling hills of Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.

And in the South – where the average high temperature at that time of year is only 89 and not the 100-plus degrees you heard about last year – we will rally in the great states of Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. As I have said before, the biggest surprise will be Mississippi – it’s a great rally state and prettier than anyone realizes.

Get those deposits in and get set for a fantastic event in 2013.