Great Race countdown: Race is now less than a week away.

I will be on the road covering the 2011 Hemmings Motor News Great Race from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Bennington, Vermont, from June 11-17, with daily updates posted here on the Hemmings Blog. I will also be acting as half of our support crew for Publisher/driver Jim Menneto and his navigator Mari Parizo as they compete against the 60-plus other entries for Aces and bragging rights in addition to more than $90,000 in cash prizes. The seven-day race will cover more than 1,500 miles and will test the mettle of many race teams and vintage race cars, including a 100-year-old 1911 Velie that will be competing.

For those of you along the East Coast, check out the Great Race website for daily overnight stops and lunch locations near you. (The actual route of each day’s leg of the race is kept secret so participants can’t make a pre-run.) All of the entrants will be showing their cars after each day’s racing in a Parc Fermé at the finish cities before checking into the hotel for the night. The Hemmings Car Show crew of Matt Williams and Jeff Chao will also be following along to greet attendees and sell Hemmings publications and other Hemmings products.

It all kicks off with a pre-race parade lap around Chattanooga on Friday with the actual race for the cup beginning at 9:30 Saturday morning from Coker Tire.