Hot Rod Power Tour 2022

[Fitzy]

Ah, Pensacola Beach...it was summer and I had hired a convertible Mustang and was thirsty, so on a Sunday night I pulled into this little bar in a joint called Milton. I'll keep this short. After meeting someone and going back to her place we spent the next week together. She was a hopeless alcoholic and so we filled an esky with beers and spent the day on Pensacola beach chugging beers and going for swims. Fun times. She was a Walmart checkout chick and the next time I saw her (after a 2 week absence) she had managed to lose her licence for drink driving. Hopeless. Sexy, but hopeless.

[64 kiwi boni]

1 hour ago, Fitzy said:

Ah, Pensacola Beach...it was summer and I had hired a convertible Mustang and was thirsty, so on a Sunday night I pulled into this little bar in a joint called Milton. I'll keep this short. After meeting someone and going back to her place we spent the next week together. She was a hopeless alcoholic and so we filled an esky with beers and spent the day on Pensacola beach chugging beers and going for swims. Fun times. She was a Walmart checkout chick and the next time I saw her (after a 2 week absence) she had managed to lose her licence for drink driving. Hopeless. Sexy, but hopeless.

That’s pretty cool mate 🍻

[Frosty]

4 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Frosty !!! you should pop around the coast and see Jim!! 

I would have loved to have met up with him. He couldn't get away - we already tried to hook up either here or in Atlanta prior to me leaving. It just didn't work out.

From this point on, everything is north bound for me and BB.

[Ringo64]

6 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Frosty !!! you should pop around the coast and see Jim!! 

 

1 hour ago, Frosty said:

I would have loved to have met up with him. He couldn't get away - we already tried to hook up either here or in Atlanta prior to me leaving. It just didn't work out.

From this point on, everything is north bound for me and BB.

Yep. Tried to make it work but between work and other things going on, couldn't make the 6 hour drive up to see him. Super disappointed  

[Frosty]

The Hot Rod Power Tour wrapped up today. It was our longest day of driving for the entire tour, about 5 hours and a little over 300 miles today. It was mostly boring expressway driving too. Ugh. Plus a time zone change was thrown in for good measure, from Central back to Eastern time zone. I just finished downloading my last days of photos and I am beat. I will post the details of Day #5 tomorrow. Suffice it to say It was another hot and humid day in Hot Lanta and if you weren't hiding in the garage area or if you didn't bring your own pop-up tent, then there was no shade to be found! Heat index was well over a 100 degrees F.

I'm heading further north tomorrow. I have one sightseeing stop planned in the morning, north of Atlanta. I think you guys will like it. Then I am off to Dayton where I will spend the night. I am not cannonballing home like I did coming down. I will finish driving home from Dayton on Sunday. Fortunately, Monday is a state holiday, so I get one last day off - to sleep in and chill -  before heading back to work on Tuesday.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Frosty

[JUSTA6]

Safe N uneventful cruise home buddy.  

[64 kiwi boni]

You have done well frosty !!!

Heaps  of great coverage ! 👍

[Ringo64]

Nice! Drive safely, bud!

[notallthere]

Wow the space camp has not changed that much since I was there.  Good travels buddy.

[Frosty]

Day #5 - Atlanta Motor Speedway (Final Day)

The drive from Pensacola to Atlanta was not the most enjoyable. It most mostly the way we came from Alabama, take I-65 North until we hit Montgomery and then take I-85 North to Hot Lanta. Then take a crap load of side roads to get to the speedway once you get off the expressway. 

I still managed to squeeze off a few pictures going to Atlanta.

I noticed this old abandon gas station and restraraunt going into Pensacola yesterday. It is right at the exit as you get off I-65. Today I made sure to take a look before jumping on the expressway.

The Painless Wire guys drove their products all week.

How often do you see a '57 Chevy towing a tear drop trailer?

This Firebird reminded me of Finnegan's Firebird - when he did the One Lap of America in. Not be confused with the Rubber Duck Firebird.

Welcome to Atlanta!

This '71 Lemans Sport convertible was recently purchased by a gentleman who traded in a '38 Ford for it, so it was something his 30+ something daughter could drive Power Tour in. They are first time Long Haulers too.

I pity the fool! I pity the fool that thinks this is the original A-Team van! Nice clone though!

Nice Lemans in Judge clothing. I checked the VIN, it's not a 242 car. 

Black Beauty and I became Long Haulers. We made each stop on the Power Tour and had our credentials checked.

There was drag racing on pit road. I have video of that but I will have to wait until I get home to upload those videos. The hotel(s) internet speed and connects leave a lot to be desired.

Did I mention that there was the opportunity to do cruise laps around the track? I took advantage of that too.

BB waits for her turn to go out onto the track.

What an awesome experience it was to do two laps. It is banked 28 degrees in the turns. It's a weird feeling for sure. I have a new set of respect for the NASCAR boys that do that every Sunday.

So ends Hot Rod Power Tour 2022!

[64 kiwi boni]

Come on frosty 

did you get to go really fast on the track ????

[Fitzy]

A thoroughly enjoyable journey for us at home scrolling through your pics. First class work. I reckon you should head off to Hooters for, um...a beer and you know, a good look around.

[64 kiwi boni]

9 minutes ago, Fitzy said:

A thoroughly enjoyable journey for us at home scrolling through your pics. First class work. I reckon you should head off to Hooters for, um...a beer and you know, a good look around.

Yeah frosty you know how we love pictures around here 

[JUSTA6]

Very cool.....  No pic's while driving round the track?   

[Ringo64]

Get some good ole Varsity chilli dogs while in Hotlanta? 

[Frosty]

20 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Come on frosty 

did you get to go really fast on the track ????

I got up to 60 mph at the fastest point. These were cruise laps, not qualifying laps!

19 hours ago, Fitzy said:

A thoroughly enjoyable journey for us at home scrolling through your pics. First class work. I reckon you should head off to Hooters for, um...a beer and you know, a good look around.

After a week of this heat, a pool or a shower, cold beverages, and non-carnival style food were the top priorities. If Hooters was next door to my hotel, I would have gone there.

18 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

Yeah frosty you know how we love pictures around here 

Kiwi you should already know what Hooters look like. 

11 hours ago, JUSTA6 said:

Very cool.....  No pic's while driving round the track?   

Nope you definitely have to have two hands on the wheel driving on a 28 degree banking. No way to hold a camera and drive at the same time.

I have dash cam video instead. I just have to wait until I get home to upload it since hotel internet speeds really suck.

11 hours ago, Ringo64 said:

Get some good ole Varsity chilli dogs while in Hotlanta? 

Nope, but I did get a decent hot dog at the track. The hot dog, a Powerade, and a cup of ice cream only cost $16! 

Edited June 20, 2022 by Frosty

[Ringo64]

9 hours ago, Frosty said:

I got up to 60 mph at the fastest point. These were cruise laps, not qualifying laps!

Not with that attitude!  

9 hours ago, Frosty said:

Nope, but I did get a decent hot dog at the track. The hot dog, a Powerade, and a cup of ice cream only cost $16! 

Coulda got a chili dog, a hot dog, and a hamburger at Varsity  

[Frosty]

I see BB made opening day photos from Power Tour. These guys were behind me in line in Memphis.

https://www.motortrend.com/events/day-1-move-in-gallery-hot-rod-power-tour-2022/

[64 kiwi boni]

16 hours ago, Frosty said:

I see BB made opening day photos from Power Tour. These guys were behind me in line in Memphis.

https://www.motortrend.com/events/day-1-move-in-gallery-hot-rod-power-tour-2022/

wow! that brings back memories of pushing my 56 !!!

i had headers that would over heat the factory starter motor and we pushed it a few times before i made a heat sheild !!! hahahaha

[Frosty]

Hot Rod staff writer and Car Craft series host John McGann took these photos. This was when I got to talk to him at some length.

[Frosty]

One last treat from Hot Rod Power Tour. Here is the video from my dash cam for the two cruise laps around the track at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sorry, there is no audio. I thought it had a built-in microphone but it either doesn't have one or I didn't enable it. It does give the vehicle speed at the bottom of the video. You definitely needed two hands on the wheel with the 28-degree banking. This video was something I could not upload from the hotel with the crappy internet.

 

 

 

[64 kiwi boni]

that is very cool mate. BUT ! i could see they where keeping you all going slow as !

i would have .... once out on the track, back of the gas..... wait wait wait and make a nice big gap between you and that car ahead of you .... THEN 

hit the go pedal!!! all the way till you catch up !!! 

[Frosty]

Tempting though that was Kiwi, that was against the rules. It would get you tossed off the track early. As it was explained, these are cruise laps, not qualifying laps! That sort of thing can be dangerous with 40 other cars on the track at the same time. The concern is running into the car in front of you should something go wrong. Again - these are cruise laps. I was thankful to actually been on the track to begin with.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Frosty