21 trips to the Rock Island Grand Prix

As I sit here behind my laptop on a Monday evening, it is a different feeling for the first time since 2004. I’m not exhausted from the five-hour drive home, the two days of beating up my body from racing, or the three nights of off-track activities to celebrate the Labor Day weekend. Rather than talking about what another amazing weekend it was at the Rock Island Grand Prix, I spent much of the weekend reading the social media posts of those who are like me, missing what became an annual tradition.

(Photo: Joe Brittin)

Throughout this year, I have continued to say through conversations and the many podcasts on the EKN Radio Network that the 2026 season would be a turning point in our sport. The landscape of karting has been changing over the last few years, but it started even before that. One element that has changed is the view of street racing within karting community. At the forefront of this unique discipline since 1994 has been the Rock Island Grand Prix.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, street racing was at its peak, and Indiana was the unofficial home. The Elkhart Grand Prix became the premier street race event during its run with coverage on ESPN up until the event came to an end by 1994. That same year, a group of people from Rock Island, Illinois came together with an idea of hosting their own street race. The concept of the Rock Island Grand Prix was set to begin in 1993, however, the Mississippi River flooded and low numbers forced the cancellation. (Rock Island 1994 article).

Since the Rock Island Grand Prix got its start in 1994, it has provided 30 years of history and memories. My memories of RIGP began from reading about the event in magazines up until I went for my first trip in 2004 as part of the crew at Super Kart Illustrated. From then on, I was hooked. There was an atmosphere of danger, fun, excitement and camaraderie I had not experienced before. It was a combination of drivers from both coasts and everywhere in between, along with drivers from other countries coming in to take part in this unique event. The paddock was full of major teams you would see on the SKUSA ProMoto Tour or the Stars of Karting program, as well a lot of privateer competitors looking to etch their names into the history books.

RIGP provided the opportunity for myself and Rob Howden to get behind the wheel and compete against each other

It is tough to really put into words what my 21 straight experiences at the Rock Island Grand Prix mean to me. It was the unofficial start of my now 21 seasons of covering the sport for eKartingNews.com. I began my tenure with HCI, now Howden Media Group, and that weekend helped to forge the connection that EKN publisher Rob Howden and I have today. Each year, Rock Island Grand Prix was a trip we would both take, which began with him not only racing, but providing the play-by-play with his voice beaming from the speakers at the six different corners around the streets of Rock Island. Our last time together in 2024 helped close that chapter of our career and friendship, both of us racing and enjoy the fun off the track together that we had done since 2004.

What the Rock Island Grand Prix really did was connect me with people; racers, industry members and karting groupies. Through the event, I’ve been introduced to some amazing racers, many of which sit in the top-10 of the event’s all-time win list. And those who may have never of won a Rock trophy, but year after year, continued returning to the Labor Day weekend event.

That first year at Rock Island Grand Prix, Howden was competing in the TaG Master class with Margay Racing. I had met owner Keith Freber before, but that year helped to establish what is now a 22-year relationship with the American manufacturer. Their eventual introduction of the Ignite Karting spec program focused on the Briggs & Stratton 206 engine platform helped rejuvenate the event and provided the building ground for what has become a great category for clubs around the country. The seven times I was able to compete in the Ignite class at the RIGP provided me with many special memories. It’s been a great honor to work alongside Keith and the Margay brand.

What really stood out about the early editions of the Rock Island Grand Prix was the fans. At every corner around the six-turn street circuit were people looking to catch a glimpse the action. My first time racing in 2007 really helped me to understand what that sensation really felt like. No where else do you get the chance to race with the general public taking in each lap, watching you come inches from the wall or haybale that separated them from you. Walking around to different corners taking photos those first years, I got to get a sense of what really was an experience for the fans who stood around, set up camp and took in the hours of action over the two days of racing.

There is no other feeling than waiting on the grid for the green flag to wave on Sunday at the Rock Island Grand Prix

That connection went further as the city and public welcomed the karters. It was evident on Saturday and Sunday nights when everyone would leave the racing activities and hit up 2nd Avenue, or ‘The District’. Live bands, bars, and just enjoying the Labor Day weekend fun you probably see at towns and cities across the country. The karting community would mix in with the general public, and each night would be a party. The Thirsty Beaver, the Daiquiri Factory, RIBCO. All of it fueled by the sounds of The Travoltas. The disco tribute band had me locked in every year and continues today with my Rock Island playlist on Apple Music and even inspired our 30th birthday celebration for me and my wife.

When the Travoltas stopped coming to Rock Island over Labor Day weekend, the nightly adventures turned to the legend that is Steve’s Old Time Tap. The bar just outside the Holiday Inn hotel became our annual stop and was the site where my connection with many of the racers, fans and those within the karting community took part at the Rock Island Grand Prix. A lot of bench racing, bets, celebrations and more were witnessed there each night.

This past weekend, I just felt like I was supposed to be somewhere else. Since 2004, I haven’t known anything else. This was my first Labor Day weekend not at the track. In 2020, when COVID shut down the Rock Island Grand Prix, I was covering the United States Pro Kart Series event at Road America – my second favorite location next to RIGP. One word – Siebkens. I don’t know any other way to spend Labor Day weekend during my tenure at EKN. I can’t even remember what I would do over the holiday weekend before the Rock Island Grand Prix.

Travoltas

Not only was this weekend a transition in the sport of karting, but it was also at home as well. This past weekend my family helped to move my son into DePaul University to begin his college studies. The move into the dorms on Saturday with him brought on a lot of emotions. Rock Island Grand Prix was his first karting event I brought him to, back before he even turned one year old in 2008. That picture has been on my desk for the last 17 years.

Much like sending a kid off to college, we have to say goodbye to tracks, clubs, and events in the sport of karting. I’ve seen two tracks go away in my area of Michigan. I saw the disbandment of the Michigan Kart Club that I put many volunteer hours into after numbers dwindled in the road racing community. And now, heading into the final months of the 2026 season, we see the Rock Island Grand Prix on the verge of extinction. Everything in life evolves, and karting is no different. Street racing is not dead. It can continue, however, the Rock Island Grand Prix needs to evolve if it wishes to continue past 30 editions.

For now, I will just say thank you Rock Island Grand Prix for the memories.

All the hours of work by the hundreds of volunteers, led by Roger Ruthhart, Debbie Duffy, and Becky Rasmussen. Please know the first 30 editions of the Rock Island Grand Prix will live on through the pages of magazines, on EKN, through social media memories and within our hearts.

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