Jeff Stumb grew up in Birmingham, AL, and was into old cars before he had his driver’s license in the mid-70s. Of course, old cars then were used up ’69 Camaros and ’55 Chevys, two of Stumb’s first cars. He has had over 50 since then, including an even dozen currently which range from a 1916 Hudson to a 1973 Chevelle SS.

After graduating for Auburn University and taking his first job in the newspaper business, Stumb saw the Great Race for the first time in 1987 in Orlando, Fla. In 1994, he participated for the first time as a driver and turned in the lowest daily score of the race that year at 4 seconds. As his family grew (he and his wife Karen have five children) and the cars in his modest collection got older, the one thing that seemed to remain constant was his annual participation in the Great Race. He competed through the years with friends, his father and his wife.

In 2011, after leaving the newspaper business after almost 25 years, Stumb became the Director of the Great Race. In the five years since, the event has grown to unprecedented heights, from a record number rookies to the overall number of teams. His favorite parts of the job are the people, the cars and places he gets to visit.