Check Out This Killer Photo Coverage From The Sandhills Open Road Challenge! Fast Street Cars On Public Roads!


Check Out This Killer Photo Coverage From The Sandhills Open Road Challenge! Fast Street Cars On Public Roads!

The Sandhills Open Road Challenge is one unique event that EVERYONE who attends swears is one of the coolest and most fun things they have ever done. The stories of the locals are arguably more prevalent that the racing itself, and that is saying something considering this open road even has been going on for decades and features street cars HAULING ASS on public roads. We dig it, know tons of people who insist on racing at it each year, and can’t wait for our turn behind the wheel in something on the road. We’ve got great photos thanks to the folks at Optima, along with a great write-up by “Optima Jim” McIlvaine right here.


You’d never need to know where Arnold, Nebraska is, were it not for the Sandhills Open Road Challenge. This small town of 572 residents has played host for the last 20 years, to one of only a handful of open road races that takes place in North America. A non-profit organization runs the event and more than $1 million has been poured right back into the community.

That doesn’t include what racers spend on fuel, food and lodging when they come to town for four days in August each year. In a normal year, many residents open up their homes, RVs and hunting lodges to guests, which effectively turns the event into a $300-$500 economic stimulus for those hosts. So why don’t more communities host open road races?

You need a remote location and it doesn’t get much more remote than Arnold. Seas of confields surround the tiny town in every direction and the landscape allows for vast expanses of open roads with very light traffic, that can be closed down once a year without major disruptions. You also need community leaders who see the value in hosting such an event and buy-in from most of the community (there’s always that one guy), because volunteer support is crucial. You also need strong, dedicated leadership, which this event definitely has in spades.

What you don’t need is a killer website, huge social media following or massive PR campaign to promote an event like this. If you run it, they will come and competitors snap up all the available entries on the first day of registration each year. The week’s events include a 23.2-mile race on Thursday, a half-mile and one-mile shootout, car show and burnout contest on Friday and a 55.3-mile race on Saturday.

The format of an open road race doesn’t require a high-dollar or high-horsepower car, as evidenced by entries that include a bone-stock 2017 Ford Fiesta and a 305-powered GMC Sierra. You just need to be consistent in your average speed, which can be as slow as 85 miles per hour or as fast as 120 mph. You can find all the information you need on how to sign up for this event at www.sorcrace.com


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One thought on “Check Out This Killer Photo Coverage From The Sandhills Open Road Challenge! Fast Street Cars On Public Roads!

  1. Gary

    Dang that Volare Road Runner is clean! They sure didn’t look that nice when they were new, and I’m damned sure they didn’t run as good as this one does.

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