Small Town USA Car Shows: The Future of Hotrodding

 

 

The Bountiful, Utah “Coats For Kids” Car Show was just another example of small town USA and the car nuts that make up this great hobby/pastime. 

Personally, I think its crucial that towns big and small keep hotrodding alive and passing the automotive genes onto the next generation by supporting and putting on car shows and cruise-ins like this one in downtown Bountiful, Utah. 

 

 

 

 

Looking over these pictures again, I thought about how events like this create a sense of community and make family memories for years to come.  Nothing more american, or human, than a good car show with your friends and family. 

 

Here are some of my favorite pictures I took while hanging with my family.  How else can you teach your kid to hang his arm out the window like a true hotrodder than by owning a ’32 roadster?  How else will he know what a 4bbl carbed big block V8 sounds like unless he can stand next to it and feel the ground shake! 

Shoot me an email at hechtspeed@myrideisme.com and I’ll post up your “small town USA” car show pics and info.  Let’s keep this hobby alive and growing.  My sons should be restoring a 2005 Mustang GT or a 2008 Challenger in about 25 years as long as I keep taking them to car shows and working on project cars in the garage with them right?!  Right! 

When is the next car show?!

Hechtspeed

Ashley Force Hood Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

MyRideisMe.com is a big fan of John Force and John Force Racing.  Combine that with the idea that we’ll help worthy causes and this is a win-win.

This food drive is Saturday,  May 9th, so help out any way you can.

John Force Racing Press Release:

ASHLEY FORCE HOOD ASKS FANS TO JOIN HER AND STAMP OUT HUNGER
YORBA LINDA, CA (May 7, 2009) — NHRA Funny Car superstar and 2007 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future winner Ashley Force Hood would like fans to join her in helping “Stamp Out Hunger.” Please join her in the fight to end hunger on Saturday, May 9, 2009, by leaving non-perishable food donations in a bag next to your mailbox for your letter carrier. Stamp Out Hunger is the nation’s largest single-day food drive. Last year, over 73 million pounds of food were donated to food banks.
“I found info about the Stamp Out Hunger event in a magazine a few days ago and jotted it down in my organizer since it’s such a simple thing to do and yet a very important cause. When I got to work I emailed it to a couple of close friends and then realized I should just send it out to every person I’m in contact with so I hit pretty much my whole email list which includes racers, family and friends from all over the country,” said Force Hood. “It’s a small act of kindness but when a lot of people do a small act it makes a big impact on those in need.”

In addition to Saturday’s national program Ashley Force Hood as well as John Force Racing are partnering with the Orange County Food Bank on a monthly basis with their wildly popular Cruise Night Car Show events.
“John Force Racing is also involved with the Orange County Food Bank during our Cruise Night Car Shows at our shop in Yorba Linda. People from all different places and backgrounds come together for some fun and donate to one common cause while they’re at it.”

The first John Force Racing Cruise Night Car Show brought in 550 cans of food for the OC Food Bank. The next event is scheduled for Saturday, May 30th from 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. and the goal is to greatly exceed the April events total.
The Stamp Out Hunger event was created by the National Association of Letter Carriers, in conjunction with Feeding America, and is sponsored by Campbell Soup Company and the United States Postal Service.
Learn more at www.HelpStampOutHunger.com . Learn more about John Force Racing Cruise Night Car Shows at www.johnforceracing.com and click on JFR events.

Somebody tell us about the cruise night. Good? Bad? Nice cars? John’s a riot?? Let us know…

10 Nissan Cube(s) Stack into Scottsdale Car Show

Someone asked me, “How’d you get 10 Nissan Cubes?” I said, “Well I broke the first Cube 9 times.” Figuring I didn’t answer his question, I continued… “I asked and they said yes!”

They is Nissan and they’ve got 10 Nissan Cubes being prepped for release to the media for evaluation, write-ups and sometimes criticism. That’s what the consumers read in print and online magazines like MyRideisMe.com.

For those of you lucky enough to live in Arizona, you’ll get a sneak peak of the new Nissan Cube. And.. if you haven’t seen one in person, check out the Nissan GT-R.

Except for inside national super-shows like the Los Angeles Auto Show where the Cube first occupied equal space on all side 6 sides last year in November, this is the first time the geometric, love-hate styled Econo-box (couldn’t resist) has been seen in the wild with other shapes.

Where: Scottsdale Pavilion at Indian Bend and 101
When: 4:30 to 9 PM on May 2nd, 2009 (This is a one-time only deal!)
What: 10 Pre-release, totally new Nissan Cubes, plus 1 rockin, bad-to-the-bone Nissan GT-R!

Since I haven’t driven it yet, I’ll have to let you know what I think, but I can tell you there’s a handful of creative features in the Cube not found in other Nissan. I especially dig the kooky, ripple-waved head liner. The mood lighting and accents are covered at length by everyone already, so I won’t go there.

Let me have my drive of the Moss Green 1.8L SL with all the “Sport” goodies and tell you what I think, what others, customers and non-customers think about and then you can love it or hate it for yourself. For my review, I’ll give you nothing but the oppisite over the adjacent side for this Cube and not go on a tangent.

Fine, criticize my writing… do you know Thesaurus.com has no words with similar meaning to geometric?

Customize your own Cube

Cool Nights in Phoenix – Cruise on Central

Info about the October 2009 Cruise and the $5 Charge

Carbon footprint size 12 triple E, but that was fun!

For those of us living in Arizona, April’s not necessarily the START of the cruising season, but it the sure is nice! After some ill timed rain canceled the cruise on April 11th, we got treated to some especially nice weather for April 18th. Wow, enough BS about the weather!

So how was it? PACKED! I showed up late after a busy day of honey-do’s and sports with my boys to find a packed house! At 8PM, about when I got there, some of Arizona’s finest hot rods, customs and lowriders were found cruising to the delight of the packed sidewalks along Central in front of the Park Central Mall just south of Osborn. I didn’t get a chance to cruise into the parking lot, but from the street it looked packed with cars and people and even the mandatory kettle corn vendor.

For about 2 miles, it was a rare treat to actually enjoy “stop and go” traffic cause you were surrounded by cool cars and folks having a good time. The police were out in force, but I didn’t see anyone pulled over. From what I saw, a very well organized cruise that would have probably been even bigger if not for the rain delay. I can’t wait for the next one!

After a mixup with my main photographer, Swanee, (the cruise is on CENTRAL, not in the Main Street Cruise in Mesa!!) I showed up to take some amazingly blurry night shots, as usual. The only decent one I shot was this one of this straight six powered roadster parked with my car’s kiss’n cousin 27 Roadster with 2.0 Pinto power in the Burger King parking lot.

The cruise was also somewhat of a “coming out” party for E-rock’s dually. He recently put 22′s on and sill drops it down on the pavement thanks to an air ride system fabbed by the guys at Lowboy Motorsports in Mesa. Erick was so jazzed about getting these wheels for his own dually, he’s made a couple other sets. He’s got them for sale, so get with him in his garage if you want some. Erock’s Garage

Anyone get any decent photos? If so, leave a reply to this blog and let me know how to get in touch. Also, anyone else with comments about the Cruise on Central, please leave them below. You don’t have to be a member to leave a comment, but you can join at any time… it’s free and we’re packed with folks from Arizona.

4th Saturday Cruise in Mesa is Catching on

Just a reminder! The regular Mesa Cruise is the 4th Saturday of every month including this Saturday, March 28th. This is one of the cool shots my man Swanee took at the cruise that followed the Home Runs and Hot Rods show. I left out the “Hot Dogs” part cause Lance didn’t save me one.

More of Swanee’s pics of the Saturday Mesa Cruise here.

MyRideisMe.com members get free entry and free parking at the cruise. Such a deal!

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