A Guinness World Record was set in Tulsa on Saturday for the largest classic car parade.
In the end, 3,596 classics were counted for the record as part of the Route 66 Capital Cruise.
The event was hosted by Visit Tulsa, an arm of the Tulsa Regional Chamber.
Jonathan Huskey with Visit Tulsa told KRMG drivers came from across the country, and some from other nations, to be in the parade.
“We had registrations from 42 states… and then we had registrations from Canada and one from France.” Huskey said.
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols served as Grand Marshal.
“This achievement belongs to every driver, volunteer, organizer, business owner, and spectator who helped make today possible. It also belongs to the Tulsans who have invested in the Mother Road for more than 20 years and to the community partners – from private businesses to philanthropic organizations – who have worked tirelessly to make Route 66 and Tulsa among the very best in the country.” Mayor Nichols wrote on Facebook after the record-breaking event.
Visit Tulsa said 5,100 drivers registered for the event, 4,760 checked in on Thursday and were given credentials, and about 4,300 actually drove in the parade.
Many were unable to participate in the parade after organizers stopped letting vehicles through the gates at Expo Square before all registered drivers arrived.
Dallas Miller from Pryor told KRMG he waited several hours in standstill traffic trying to reach the staging area, only to lose out on driving in the parade.
He said he was in that line of cars by 7:30 a.m. and did not reach Expo Square until 11:00 a.m.
“About the time we got down there they started pulling the gate closed.” Miller said. “Really frustrating to all of us that we didn’t really get to participate after we’d already paid our money.”
Timothy Tyner was another driver who did not get to participate.
“It’s a debacle. Such a black eye for Tulsa, a town I really love.” Tyner told KRMG. “Refunds don’t matter. They can never pay us back for excluding us the opportunity to be part of this event.”
KRMG received the following statement from Visit Tulsa in response to our questions about those who were turned away from the parade.
“The window for drivers to arrive at Expo Square and stage for the parade was between 6-10:00 a.m. At approximately 11:00 a.m., the flow of cars arriving at Expo had slowed to the point that continuing to let them on the route would have created large gaps and jeopardized the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt. At that point, the decision was made to cap the Cruise entrants and place the final car at the end. Everyone who registered is still a full participant and world record holder, and we are incredibly appreciative of each and every driver who took part in this unprecedented event.” -Visit Tulsa
In another statement issued on Sunday, Visit Tulsa provided more detail on the decision to cap the parade.
“Staging time was extended until 11 a.m. in an effort to accommodate late arrivals. Once the last checked-in cars exited staging and Expo Square was fully purged, event organizers and law enforcement ensured the record attempt’s protection by decisively ending the parade. Unfortunately, checked-in drivers continued to arrive for staging after the parade concluded.” -Visit Tulsa
Organizers initially said those who did not get to drive in the parade would be able to get a refund of their registration fee, but by Monday afternoon, the decision was made to issue refunds to all registered drivers.
“Tulsa’s Route 66 Capital Cruise: World-Record Classic Car Centennial Parade was an unprecedented event in scope, size and complexity. An undertaking of this magnitude presents unique challenges, and those challenges unfortunately resulted in negative experiences for many valued participants.
As such, every registered Capital Cruise driver will receive a refund of their base registration fees. Those will be physical checks mailed by the end of the month with no action required by registered drivers. Additionally, any drivers who purchased Capital Cruise merchandise and were unable to pick it up on-site will have it shipped to them, free of charge.
On behalf of the entire Capital Cruise team, we apologize to any driver who registered and checked in but was unable to participate. Thank you for your participation and passion and for being an integral part of this historic moment on Route 66.” -Visit Tulsa
