Clovis, New Mexico, combines their music festival with Draggin’ Main for a week of great tunes and cruising fun.
Photos By David Sanchez/Words By Todd Ryden
For being a smaller New Mexico town, there seems to be a pretty good car scene and music history in Clovis. The town is a couple hundred miles south east of Albuquerque and about 100 miles west of Amarillo, Texas. It’s not even on I-40, but the region hosts a solid run of cruises and car events.
One of their latest was the Draggin’ Main event held right downtown Clovis. The car show/cruise was brought to life about three years ago and has become a popular event bringing in a number of enthusiasts from the ‘neighboring’ towns (in the southwest, any town within 200 miles is a neighbor). For this year, Draggin’ Main was teamed up with the cities other largest event, the Clovis Music Festival.
The Music Festival is a tribute to the influential musicians that recorded their music in the Norman Petty recording studios located in Clovis. The ‘Clovis Sound’ was made popular by such greats as Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison among others that recorded at Norm’s Seventh Street Studio.
The original Norman Petty Trio consisted of Norman and Vi Petty, along with a young guitar player named Jack Vaughn. They soon became one of America’s top vocal and instrumental groups, and with songs like “Mood Indigo,” soared into the pages of musical history.
During the festival there were tours of the studio, special events and jam sessions at the Norman & Vi Petty Rock & Roll Museum and more. This year there were two full days of music even before the Draggin’ Main event started!
Earlier in the week there was a rod run that took participants to three classic drive-in food stands still operating in Clovis. The music fest took center stage for a couple full days followed by the Draggin’ Main show followed by a night of cruising up and down Main Street. Just like the old days before social media, malls and suburbs. It was a time to hang out with friends, make new ones, and enjoy the town’s heritage and traditions. Keep it going Clovis! SRL
The NSRA’s Rocky Mountain Nationals special awards winners
Words by Todd Ryden
The National Street Rod Association ran up to the mile high state with their Rocky Mountain Nationals during the last weekend of June. The setting is perfect, in the city of Pueblo, for a fun weekend of street rodding goodness.
During the weekend, numerous specialty awards are presented and Colorado was no different. For the Ford in a Ford award, obviously presented by Ford Performance, the honors went to Justin Manweiler and his 1963 Galaxie. The black on black Ford sports a set of poverty caps for the sleeper look but with a dual quad fed FE lurking under the hood.
With the crystal clear skies, colors tend to really pop and two Outstanding Use of Color awards were given during the show. A pair of Fords really stood out; a tangerine/black ’38 and a purple over yellow ’40 pickup. The early coupe is owned by Larry and Louise Teal of Walker, Louisiana, while the truck is owned by James and Lorie Warren of Colorado Springs.
The International Show Car Association also picks two of their favorite cars during each NSRA event. At Pueblo, the awards went to Ron DeArmond’s ’55 Chevy and to Dan Wathor’s ’37 Ford coupe who came all the way from Rio Linda, California.
Finally, there are the Pros Picks presented by Classic Instruments. CI gathers judges to scour this special parking area where they simply pick their favorite cars. There’s no formal judging or points, it’s really a matter of overall execution and the judge’s selection. The winners for the Rocky Mountan Nationals were:
Jack and Donna Linden of Prescott, Arizona, ‘32 Ford Coupe
Tracy Rufenacht of Monument, Colorado, ‘32 Ford Roadster
Gary Boardman of Lakewood, Colorado, ‘29 Ford Truck
Aaron Rhinehart, of Pueblo, ‘51 Willys Sedan Delivery
Barry and Eula Utsey of Amarillo, Texas, ‘32 Ford Coupe
Congrats to all the award winners and to the NSRA. Next on the event list is the big NSRA Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky! We’ll see you there.
Check out the cars and trucks vying for the Goodguys Street Rod and Street Machine of the Year
Words & Photos by Todd Ryden
The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association is going strong at their 20th PPG Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. Friday started off strong with plenty of rods, customs and muscle cars packing into the fairgrounds. As if the cars along aren’t worth checking out, there’s a swap meet, fast autocross course this year along with loads of manufacturers to help you with any parts or questions on your next project.
One more big thing going on in Columbus is the naming of the Street Rod and Street Machine of the Year. The field was set by Friday afternoon with the finalists being pulled into one big hall to await and awards ceremony on Saturday evening. They’ll also name off the new product winners as well.
When you look over the gathering of rods, you see quite a cross section of styles. It was cool to see a couple big blocks in the fray as well as one engine nearly capping at 700 cubic inches. Vintage styling cues were in abundance, incredible machine work, fit and finish of course. Deep, dark hues continue to be popular, though the green metallic 5-window really popped out of the group.
So how tough is the competition? Take a look at the Rod contenders:
As for the Street Machine finalists, there was quite a bit of selection. The C10 seems to be a favorite, especially with it’s best time on the autocross track (all the street machine finalists had to run a lap). There are two Great 8 finalists (the silver ’67 Corvette and the 1938 Graham Model 97. A VW Beetle with a mid-engine Nailhead was a bit out of place, but deserved to be in there shaking things up a bit. There were a couple Camaros, a classic Mustang and a big Hemi’d Cuda completing the mix. Here’s a look at the Street Machine contenders:
The Goodguys Rod & Custom PPG Nationals thoroughly rocked Columbus!
Words & Photos by Todd Ryden
Wow, what a weekend. It was simply a whirlwind of rodding craziness in Columbus, Ohio, with the 20th PPG Goodguys Rod & Custom Nationals. Big awards, big car show, and big after-cruises. Wow.
It was a packed house at the Goodguys Nationals!
It all started Friday morning as rodders converged on the fairgrounds just a click north of downtown Columbus. The morning started with blue skies and rodding fun, but storms blew in by early afternoon. Come Saturday AM, it was absolutely perfect for every aspect of hot rodding – which Goodguys delivered.
Cars and trucks rolled in and just kept on rolling in. The grounds were packed with the coolest customs, muscle cars and rods from across the country. Once settled, you could fill your day simply by taking in the show, or you could catch some autocrossing action (or even run your car), head to the swap meet, or shop through some of them biggest names in street rodding parts.
All of the top name manufacturers and builders were on hand. If you needed parts or direction on suspension systems or setups, tires and wheel recommendations, chassis, wiring and more, Columbus was the place to be. Action on the autocross track was tight with Danny Popp racing his C3 Corvette to another title with in the Sponsor Shootout. Also, kudos to Ryan Mathews (Pro), Matthew Braun (Street Machine) and Aarik Gualt (Truck) on the course.
Big awards were handed out on Saturday during a festive banquet with the title of Street Rod of the Year going to George Poteet for his Johnson’s Hot Rods built ’32 sedan while the Street Machine of the Year went to John and Nicki Wilkus with their 1969 Camaro built by the Roadster Shop.
Another exciting finish was the winner of the Goodguys 2016/2017 ‘631/2 Galaxie built by Legens Hot Rod Shop. The winner was a Dennis Brazer of Vallejo, California! And, with one car gone to a new owner, it was time for Goodguys to unveil their next give-away car, a stunning, butternut yellow ’67 Camaro.
It was a wild week that was full of even more cool rodding fun! Check out more upcoming events at Goodguys.
The St. Paul Street Machine Nationals are kicking off this week, and we’re your best source for on the ground coverage. Editors from several of our Xceleration Media publications will be in attendance, and we have a booth setup for you to stop by and get your copy our latest print magazine. You can also see our Gearhead Giveaway winners for Street Rod Life, Power & Performance News, and Gearheads4Life.
The event is running from July 14th, through July 16th at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. It is packed with burnout contests, autocross, a massive car show, dyno showdowns, a bikini contest, and more.
These Street Machine Nationals events are a celebration of horsepower and torque that brings out the baddest street cars from all around the country. Throughout the weekend, St. Paul will be overrun with high performance muscle cars, pro-touring cars, and street cars — and we’re going to be updating each day with coverage from all of the action.
It was three full days of non-stop street machine chaos in St. Paul for the annual O’Reily Auto Parts Street Machine Summer Nationals
Photos: Shawn Brereton • Words: Todd Ryden
Summer in Minneapolis and the surrounding northern states goes by quickly so when it comes to putting some miles and time on your rod, July is go-time. This is just one reason the annual Street Machine Summer Nationals is such a huge event!
For anyone that thinks this is just another lawn chair car show, you need to think again. As a matter of fact, you may as well just leave the chairs in the garage because there is plenty more than just sit next to your car during the Summer Nationals. We’re talking an autocross track, stop box challenge, burnout contest, a sprawling vendor midway where you get to talk one on one with the experts, a bikini contest, and if you’re up for it, a dyno challenge!
All of this street machine fun took place in the huge Minnesota State Fairgrounds, located right between St. Paul and Minneapolis. Rodders converge from Wisconsin, the Dakotas, Illinois and of course Canada to take part in the annual summer event which brings in a varying array of different cars to enjoy. From restorations to modern takes on pro street badness, classic rods and cruisers, you get to see it all.
One of the great things about the Minneapolis fairgrounds is the number of streets within the grounds that allow you to load into the car and take a cruise around the complex to check out the other cars and wave to friends. There’s a couple lakes in the back to cruise around, take in the trees, grass and the outdoors before heading back to the thick of horsepower and steel.
We had a great time, as always, at the show and will have more updates throughout the week. For now, here’s a look at just some of the great street machine action.
This is a road tour that we may have to put on our schedule for next year. New Orleans, Cajon food, Natchitoches, scenic Louisiana highways…did we mention crawdads and Cajon cuisine? Sprinkle in a bundle of street rods and you have a win-win deal.
This was the second year for the Louisiana Tour sponsored by Vicari Auction. Last year, the tour was kept at a one day drive, but this year doubled up for another day of fun for participants.
The Tour kicked off at the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Nortwest LA History Museum in Natchitoches. The group traveled south on the back roads and scenic byways with an overnight stay in Baton Rouge. The next morning, rodders saddled up for more cruising and touring of side towns and history lessons before wrapping up in Avondale, just outside of New Orleans.
Our intrepid regional photographer and car-guy, Chopper, caught up with the tour as they were leaving the parking garage in Baton Rouge which happens to overlook the mighty Mississippi. The group stopped for lunch and a tour of Pellergrini Performance Group Motorsports, a full-service performance and climate controlled auto storage facility.
Eventually the tour ended at the NOLA Motorsports Park which hosts karting, autocross, road racing and motorcycle racing. The participants even were treated to a cruise around the road course before a traditional Louisiana crawfish boil.
The Hot Rod Industry Alliance, a committee within SEMA, is hosting Education Days during the NSRA Nationals!
Words & Photos: Todd Ryden
The annual HRIA Education Days, a series of tech seminars, take place Thursday and Friday, August 3-4, in the Kentucky Expo Center. Seminars begin promptly at 9am and run through the day. This gives you an outstanding opportunity to get first-hand knowledge and information directly from the manufacturer! Did we mention the seminars were FREE?
There are six seminars held each day from leading hot rod manufacturers for you to select from. Each seminar lasts an hour and is given by an expert in their field. Have questions about routing A/C lines or a wiring harness? How about selecting shocks, the right alternator, driveshaft balancing, or programming a modern electronic overdrive? Stop by Education Days and you’ll get answers!
Following is a schedule with topics from the presenting companies. See you there!
“I look forward to talking chassis, suspension and car building with the attendees. There are many different approaches but we will start with the basics and work through some vehicle dynamics right and wrongs.”
“Any chance to get together with enthusiasts and help them navigate the pitfalls of wiring their vehicle is a good one. There is so much to learn when it comes to proper techniques, planning and execution with all aspects of rod building.”
“Our seminar will help our customers better understand the basics of how a performance aftermarket air conditioning systems functions and the proper components necessary to have it operate at peak efficiency.”
“Wilwood Engineering will focus on the general makeup and design of brake systems as they apply to the popular styles of street rods and muscle cars. The components within the complete brake system, their function, influence, and tuning options for each will be reviewed.”
“Pick the brain of The Spring Guru. Here is your chance to sit down and get the answers from a company that has been manufacturing springs since 1937. We are not here to sell, we are here to educate you so when you do buy, you do so with knowledge.”
“We plan to discuss powertrain vibrations and troubleshooting. We’ll cover the four types of driveshaft disturbances, their sources and how to deal with them. Bring your questions because we will all learn from the suggestions for fixing your particular problem.”
“We hope you’ll join us as we go over weatherstrip installation tips, finding the right solution for your project, and how we work with you on custom jobs. We get to provide information on what we do, how to do it right and to get feedback from builders and enthusiasts.”
“We will provide you with correct answers to many common myths, misconceptions, and misunderstandings surrounding most of the popular transmissions being used today by providing clear and accurate knowledge on proper transmission set up, operation, and care.
“Louisville sets the stage for us to be able to get the latest advancements in starting and charging system technology out to our customers. At the same time we get to share the things we have learned over the years.
“In today’s ever changing world of environmental and chemical regulations, education is critical for protecting your vehicle, and that is why we believe in the HRIA Education days. From Ethanol to ZDDP, we’ll help you understand changes to the fuels and lubricants available today”
“We will be discussing how to weigh your car, measure for shocks, choosing the appropriate shock travel and spring rates to help set up your car properly. It’s a great venue for rodders and manufacturers to get together and discuss the best technology available for their projects.”
“The NSRA Nationals in Louisville is the best place to meet with customers and have a conversation about where street rodding is headed. Our seminar will be a bumper-to-bumper look at the new innovations, conveniences and upgrades that are available today.”
Thousands of cars and rodders roll into Louisville for the NSRA Nationals
Words & Photos: Todd Ryden
We kicked off the first day of the 2017 NSRA Nationals and it was a hoot! Great crowds, street rods as far as the eye could see, a few really helpful tech seminars, swap meets and loads of cool new parts!
The Street Rod Nationals hosts thousands of cars and a sky-high number of participants and enthusiasts. If you’ve never been, picture over 10,000 street rods pulling into one sprawling fairground. The entire complex is packed with everything you can imagine from classic rods to muscle cars and up through the early ’80s. Some may scoff at the ‘later model’ cars, but come, they’re 30 years old!
We like to see a Grand National, Fox Body or square body truck cruise by or be parked next to a ’40 Ford or a tri-five Chevy. Speaking of square body trucks, there are plenty of them cruising the grounds alongside a lot of sweet C10s. Also noticed quite a few F100s making their way around the grounds.
Greens of all shades are also breaking up the pattern of reds and blacks along with a number of different sky blues. Seems like we can thank water-based paints for a lot of these vibrant new hues! There’s of course a number of LS engine, but it’s great to see some vintage Ford engines, Nailheads, some straight-8s and -6s around as well. In short, you’ll see it all at the NSRA Nationals.
This was just day one – there’s three more to go and we’re in Louisville for the long haul. We’ll have more galleries and updates covering the whole show throughout the weekend. Be sure to check out a few of our videos on Facebook as well.
We take a stroll for deals on parts and cars at the NSRA swap meet Friday morning
One of the areas every street rodder strolls through during any big event is the swap meet. Typically, early in the morning to scope out either a great deal on something, or a piece that’s priced too high that you want to come back for later in the day.
The Nationals brings out a little bit of both and we spied some good deals on half-finished projects as well as a few part that we could find something to do with. Also, there was some prime Americana pieces for sale that we may have to go back and check out over the weekend. The tough thing about traveling to these events is having to find a way to get the parts – or a vehicle – home!
Be sure to check out our Facebook page for more live updates and videos!
Street rods rule in Louisville with the big one for NSRA Nationals
Words & Photos: Todd Ryden
We just wrapped up a solid four days at the 48th NSRA Street Rod Nationals surrounded by well over 10,000 street rods and thousands of enthusiasts. Quite a swing from when the first event hosted about 600 vehicles in Peoria, Illinois! This was the 23rd year for the Nationals to be held in Louisville and the entire city gets behind hosting the show.
Not only were there thousands of cars to comb through, buy inside the Expo Center were nearly 400 vendors and manufacturers displaying the latest in gearhead parts, tools and components. Having the manufacturers on hand is the best way to learn about new products as well as the technology and the right way to setup and use the components. If you’re shopping for rod parts, there’s just no better place to come!
Speaking of new products, our congratulations to Advanced Plating for being honored with the NSRA Company of the Year, to CAL Custom Automotive and winning the Elite Builder of the Year award (which is voted on by 40 different builders), to Joe Petlick of Motorstate Distributing who was named Person of the Year, and to the New Product winners: Watson StreetWorks, Dakota Digital, Cooling Components, and Brookville Roadster.
If you haven’t been to an NSRA event in a while, you really need to check one out again. There’s a great swap meet and recently they added an autocross event to test out your rod, or just sit back and watch the action. This year, the SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance hosted 12 technical seminars brought to you by some of the top names in the industry. The HRIA also presented their Pinewood Builders Challenge where builders and manufacturers pull out all the stops and create the most advanced pinewood racers you’ll ever see. Better yet, these cars are raffled off later in the fall (at the SEMA show) to raise money for the SEMA Cares Charity foundation.
As you can tell, there’s a lot more to the NSRA Nationals than just hot rods. Also, if you think it’s just a bunch of street rods, think again. The NSRA allows vehicles that are 30 years old and prior, so these days it’s not rare to see a Grand National sitting next to a ’32 roadster. We spied loads of great looking square bodies, mid ’70’s Monte Carlos and Grand Ams, and a lot more. Be sure to check out their schedule to find one near you.
The Tri-Five Nationals prove the popularity of the three most prominent years of Chevy production
Photos: Shawn Brereton • Words: Todd Ryden
When it comes to Tri-Five Chevys, it seems that the third time is the charm. Not just because the ’57 is such an iconic car, but also the fact that the third annual Tri-Five Nationals was such a great event this year!
Congratulations to Matt Martinez for winning the Tri-Five of the year with his stunning ’55 sedan.
For starters, it still boggles the mind that three consecutive years of production based Chevrolets are so popular. You would think it would have all been done by now, but that’s just one of the cool thing about these cars, not to mention the ingenuity, innovation and skills of hot rodders, is that they work on so many levels. We’re talking complete restorations, pro-touring, pro-street, gassers, cruisers and any other name you can put to a hot rod build.
These three years can simply do it all, and that’s exactly what we saw in Bowling Green – a lot of everything. Plus, there’s a huge swap meet and vendors galore with their eyes fixed on the Tri-Five Chevy. The show had plenty of cool things to take in, one of which was to witness the unveiling of reigning Drag Week champ, Jeff Lutz’s latest ’57 Chevy – this time a bright yellow sedan. Plus the Soff-Seal ’57 drag car, Shake Rattle, and Run and other historic race cars were putting the power to the pavement. Our own contributor, Zack Straits was piloting Wayne Jesel’s vintage Yoo-Hoo ’56 Sedan Delivery down the strip!
Fiano Guzzo was the lucky gent to win the ’57 gasser built by Woodyz Hot Rodz.
If that wasn’t enough, the crew at Woodyz Hot Rodz built a beautiful ’57 Gasser this year that was given away to one extremely lucky winner on Saturday night, but not before some drama. One extremely unlucky showgoer left the grounds a little too early as her name was called as the winner. An agonizing five minutes was put on the clock for her to make her appearance, but unfortunately for her, she did not arrive and another number was drawn. This time a scream came from the crowd and Fiano Guzzo – an Aussie who now calls Waterboro, Maine, his home – and his fiancee emerged from the stands to claim the prize. We’re oozing jealousy about their new car.
Another big event is the 50/50 drawing each day, which half of the money raised going to Cruisin’ for a Cure. On Saturday, Garland Wiggins won $13,000 and donated $3,000 back to the charity foundation.
We’re not sure how they’re going to top this year’s event, but we’re going to be there to find out in 2018. Check in with the Danchuk Tri-Five Nationals for more details.
Take a look at the Classic Instruments Pro’s Picks from the NSRA Nationals
At each National Street Rod Association event, there’s a special parking area called the Pro’s Picks. Anyone can pull a rod in and park for the day plus they get to have their car checked out by a group of professionals. We say ‘checked out’ because there’s no official judging, points scale or form, it’s just whatever the pros like making it a fun hang out and gathering for the day.
The Pro’s Picks from the NSRA Nationals include:
The Pro’s Picks special area is sponsored by Classic Instruments, and they even designed a unique trophy for each of the winners. Next time you’re at an NSRA event, consider parking in the Pro’s Picks area on Saturday – you’ll see a lot of cool cars and meet some great people and builders. NSRA , Classic Instruments
Plenty of pics from the Great American Rockabilly Riot
Words & Photos: Todd Ryden
Do you like rat rods and nice rods? How about tattoos, local art and the kustom culture? Don’t forget the rockabilly, psychobilly, Texas rooted blues and a mix of punk. When you add it all up, it’s a riot – the Great American Rockabilly Riot as a matter of fact!
All of this fun and action was rolled up into a big ball that rolled into the El Paso County Coliseum over Labor Day weekend. Cars and fans of the culture scene cruised in from all over the southwest including Albuquerque, Tucson, Lubbock other isolated western towns.
The show is hosted by the Hardknocks Car Club which define themselves as, “a motley crew of your average hardworking Americans who live the Kustom Kulture lifestyle…we work hard, we also LOVE to PLAY HARD!” Which is exactly what their weekend turned out with a pre-party Friday Night, an after party and cruising the region on Monday before heading back to the reality of day jobs and responsibility.
The Woodward Dream Cruise is a spectacular classic car event that takes place in Metro Detroit, along Woodward Avenue, on the third Saturday in August every year. There is nothing like the cruise as it is the largest one-day automotive event that draws tens of thousands of cars from around the globe, and an astounding number of spectators.
Most of the rides that you’ll see during the Woodward Dream Cruise are street rods, muscle cars, custom builds, and collectibles. This is a major event for Metro Detroit, and we had a front row seat to see some of the most amazing cars we’ve seen in 2017.
The Goodguys Rod and Custom Association wrapped up their 20th Colorado Nationals with loads of outstanding cars and trucks.
Words & Photos: Todd Ryden
The show is held at The Ranch Expo Center in Loveland, just about 50 miles north of Denver. Typically, there would be a tremendous view of the Rocky Mountains to the west and the plains to the east, but the sky was hazy due to all of the wildfires out west blocking the view. Fortunately there were plenty of hot rods, customs, and muscle cars to check out instead.
As usual, one of the first places we jetted towards was the swap meet where we instantly found about half a dozen cars we wanted for projects. There was a ’60 Pontiac post that really had us thinking, An all original ’37 Chevy, a ’30 Ford coupe, and loads of sweet collectibles for the garage. Alas, no space, lack of funds and little time kept us in check.
The autocross had some great action in the hot rod and street rod categories which always gets us wound up to go out and invest in some better shocks, tires and suspension parts. It’s fun to see the pros, but it’s just a hoot to see a rod or first timer get out there and drag door handles and squealing belts.
The show itself, as usual, was loaded with amazing cars and trucks. During the Colorado event, Goodguys announces finalists for their Early Truck, Muscle Car and Custom categories. We’re glad we weren’t put to that task as it was tough to pick just one. Early Truck went to an amazing home build ’34 Dodge truck with an extended cab and late model Hemi, Muscle Car was a 1969 428 Cobra Jet Mach 1 Mustang and Custom went to a phenomenal ’57 Fairlane.
If you haven’t made it to a Goodguys show this year, you still have a few left. Just check out their schedule at Good-guys.com. Maybe we’ll see you there!
The 4th annual Downtown Showdown packs the streets of Albuquerque
Photos: David Sanchez
The streets of Albuquerque were packed with great cars, bikes and cruisers.
Albuquerque, New Mexico, plays host to a number of great events from the largest balloon fest in the country to local chilli cookoffs! A couple weeks ago, it was time for street rods and customs to take over the town for the fourth annual Downtown Showdown!
The show is put together by Cecilia’s Cafe and Gary Aragon plus there’s a pre-party at Joez Shop, owned by Joe and Chris Martinez with an after party at US Kustoms. Special thanks to the Odd Fellas Bike Club of Albq for handling a killer custom bike show as well.
It was a great weekend, right in the heart of New Mexico – we’ll let the pictures do the talking.
Take a look at just a few of the special award winning cars from Ka-zoo
The National Street Rod Association just wrapped up their 2017 season last weekend with their event in beautiful Burlington, Vermont. Just prior to that, they were on the west coast of Michigan for their Street Rod Nationals North held in Kalamazoo.
Ka-zoo has always been a great show, at a nice time of the year, and of course, in the Motor City State! Just check out the Pro’s Pick awards:
Another coveted award among participants is the Outstanding Use of Color and you can’t argue with these two picks.
One of our favorite awards is the Ford in a Ford selection which is sponsored by Ford. It’s always cool to see a rod carrying the blue oval from the inside out. At the Nationals North, the honors went to Tim and Chris Lies of Warrenville, Illinois, for their 1956 Ranch Wagon and its detailed engine.
One more special award is presented by the International Show Car Association with their ISCA Pick. For a group that specializes in show cars, this is quite an award to earn! At the Nationals North, the picks went to two more wagons, a ’54 Ford and a ’46 Ford Woody.
The NSRA hosts 10 huge events across the nation each year. We haven’t seen their entire 2018 schedule yet, but we’ll have it posted as soon as it becomes available. Also, you can check back at NSRA for updates and more information.
If you’re into hot rods at all, then you’ve no doubt heard about or have the Lonestar Round Up on your bucket list of events to hit. The Round Up has been going for 16 years now and was originally launched by the Kontinentals car club in Austin, Texas. The show is simply one of the best traditional and custom hot rod shows on the planet (see our coverage from 2017).
Which leads us right up to the Bayou Round Up, which was held last week in Lafayette, Louisiana. As you may have surmised, the Bayou Round Up is an outreach of the same Austin crew so you already have an idea of what to expect: Amazing cars, great music, fantastic food and one helluva time! Don’t forget to add in a swap meet full of vintage performance pieces, sheet metal and collectibles.)
This was the third year for the Bayou event and it has established itself as a fantastic tradition for locals and visitors alike. The show takes place at the Blackham Coliseum so there’s an indoor area for some of the historic rods to show as well as a nice area outside. The University of Louisiana is right down the street along with the historic downtown.
Combining the hospitality of the people, the scenery, sweet music, the food and culture should be enough reason to visit, but when a few hundred vintage rods, customs and car-guys and gals roll in, it’s a win-win situation.
Our pal Chopper was on the grounds all weekend with his camera and sharp eye tuned in on the action. Check it out, and mark the Lafayette Round Up for the fall and Austin for spring on your 2018 calendar.
The 2015 Bourbon Blitzkrieg Run was an epic drive through the cross country roads of Kentucky and beyond. An 1,100 mile round trip, click here to see the festivities and the custom cars that were in attendance.
