On the road again -- This 1928 Ford Speedster and about 60 other classic cars are headed for Eureka for the second year in a row as part of the Hemmings 2008 Challenge. The cars will be on display downtown on Friday, June 27 at lunchtime. If the lunch stop is a hit, Eureka Springs might win a $5,000 prize.

EUREKA SPRINGS -- Race crews aboard about 60 classic automobiles will be visiting Eureka Springs on Friday for a lunch break as guests of the city.

  The drivers, navigators and crew members are competitors in the Hemmings Challenge 2008 series, a five-day event associated with the Vintage Car Rally Association.

  The racers are headquartered at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers where each day's race begins and ends.

  On Monday, the competitors travelled to Van Buren with pit stops in Stilwell, Okla. and Mountainburg. Tuesday they raced through Joplin, Mo. by way of Neosho and Seneca, Mo. Wednesday, the caravan lunched in Claremore, Okla. with stops in Salina and Langley, Okla. Thursday's route will take them to Muskogee, Okla. via Westville and Kansas, Okla. Friday, the cars will stop in Washburn, Mo. on their way to lunch in Eureka Springs before returning to Rogers.

  The race's $65,000 top prize won't go to the fastest car. Instead, event rules will require them to follow exact routes and drive at predetermined speeds for prescribed distances in order to arrive at their destinations in a specified amount of time.

$5,000 lunch tip

  The $65,000 award isn't the only prize up for grabs in the competition. The drivers and passengers will vote to determine their favorite lunch stop among the five host cities. If Eureka Springs' hospitality wins, the city will receive $5,000.

  Jim Williams, CAPC executive director, encourages residents to come downtown Friday and welcome the racers. A fried chicken lunch will be catered for the competitors by Myrtie Mae's restaurant at the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks and served in Basin Spring Park by Eurekans in Victorian dress.

  Special Events Director Janet Alexander has arranged luncheon music in the park. Performers will include The Hogscalders at 11 a.m., Maia Archote at noon followed by Shotgun Party.

View the classics

  Eurekans will be able to view the cars from 11:30 a.m. to about 1 p.m. The classic vehicles will be parked along Spring St. from Pendergrass Corner all the way down to Main St. Additional display parking will be provided in the lot at 1 N. Main St.

  Racers from throughout the nation will compete. This is the second year in a row that Hemmings Challenge racers have visited Eureka Springs.

  Vintage cars will include: 1934 Dodge Panel Truck; three 1929 Ford Speedsters; 1916 Hudson Sport Touring Car; 1920 Essex Roadster; 1916 and 1917 Hudson Indy Racers; 1934 Ford Pickup; 1953 MG TF; 1917 Peerless "Green Dragon"; and a 1917 Chevrolet Submarine, among others.