Success Stories
Connor Miller
My involvement with the Great Race started my senior year of high school building a 1948 Ford Coupe for the 2023 Great Race. My involvement deepened through the X-Cup Program, with an X-Cup division win in 2023 and a full rebuild before the 2024 race. After competing in the 2024 Great Race as in the X-Cup division, I graduated to the Sportsman division in 2025.
During my involvement with the Great Race, I have done the majority of the preparations and repairs – both roadside and in a shop – which has both taught me and given me confidence with my own cars. While I was brought up in car culture my unique experiences in X-Cup introduced me to new mentors and have taught me skills that I use everyday in my career as an engineer in the aftermarket automotive field.
Matt Norman
My journey with the Great Race and the X-Cup program began at 18, the summer after I graduated high school. From the very start, veteran racers welcomed us with open arms, and the X-Cup program’s commitment to engaging young participants in the hobby was both evident and inspiring. At the conclusion of the 2017 race, I was honored to receive the X-Cup Scholarship—perfect timing as I was preparing to start college.
Seven years later, I’ve had the privilege of competing in four Great Races—twice as a student and twice as a driver and mentor—earning the X-Cup Division victory twice along the way. In 2021, I was fortunate to receive a second X-Cup Scholarship, which helped me complete my final year of college and earn my engineering degree.
The Great Race and X-Cup have given me more than just racing experience—they’ve provided lifelong memories, friendships, and connections that have shaped both my personal and professional life. Since graduating, I’ve begun my career as an engineer at an automotive OEM, focusing on new model development, while continuing to mentor and race alongside the next generation of Great Racers.
Caryl Koch IV
I competed as a competitor in 2019 from riverside to Tacoma. We were driving a 1956 mercury medalist because the PowerWagon and blown the engine in 2018. The team managed to finish the race and overcame the many different problems that the mercury gave us. The whole trip was 18 days and 8000 miles for us which was by far the longest roadtrip I had ever been on. After competing I knew that I wanted to be involved in the great race again if I ever got the chance.
After graduating Alfred University with my bachelors degree in mechanical engineering and graduating Alfred State with my degree in motorsports technology I started working on a variety of different race teams. Then shorty after graduating Alfred State they asked me to start teaching in the automotive department.
Fast forward to this year, I am the freshman motorsports teacher and have been teaching for 5 years. I have lead two teams on the great race now with the power wagon, in 2024 and 2025. Both years we finished the race and I am hoping to make it 4 for 4 in the 2026 race.
The great race meant the opportunity to travel outside of my comfort zone and do a long trip that I never could have imagined myself doing. Now to me the great race means giving students the chance to take a crazy trip, meet amazing racers, join a caring car community and hopefully have just as much fun as I did on my first great race.
The Power Wagon is such an iconic great race vehicle and I am honored to keep its legacy alive and be able to teach students along the way.
Jack Pontius
My involvement with X-cup began through the National Automotive and Truck museum where I had been a volunteer for about 9 years. Through the hours I had cataloged, I was chosen to be part of the race team. We built two cars: one being a 41 Ford and the other a 48 Ford. These cars would then take us on 4 Great Race adventures with a win in the X-cup division in 2023. My navigator and I then moved to the sportsman class.
Outside of X-cup I have a bachelors in management and run a Napa store with my dad as well as restore cars.