Lawrence Auto Club members driving cross-country in a 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air were running in third place this morning as they started the last long stretch in the Great Race.

The team includes 13 Lawrence area students and graduates. They are vying for the $10,000 prize. They started earlier this morning in Walla Walla, Wa. and were on route to Tacoma, Wa.

“They’re just now getting in their comfort zone and it’s almost over,” said Dave Tenpenny, a Lawrence High auto instructor.

The team has averaged 350 miles per day for the last two days. They faced adversity when their support bus broke down in Nebraska. They abandoned the bus, and kept running.

There is still time for the team to move up in the ranks, Tenpenny said. But that won’t matter too much.

“We will all leave here winners,” he said.

The transcontinental race, which covers about 4,200 miles, began on June 25 in Harrisonburg, Va.