Hot Rod Power Tour 2023

[Frosty]

DAY TWO - continued

So after completing this stop, Ken headed to the hotel while I waited to meet up with a project manager that is part of my group. He lives here is SC, even though he is a contractor working for the State of Michigan. You gotta love remote work. Parmesh is a nice young man. We met up with Ken at the hotel and went out for dinner, but not before Parmest and I watched a few cars leave the fairgrounds.

 

We met up with Ken at the hotel. We parked our cars and Parmesh took us on a tour of the area. He took us to Lake Murray. A man-made lake created by an earthen dam. A newer, more modern dam lies behind the earthen dam. The lake is about 6,500 acres in area!

We returned the hotel after dinner. It was dark by then. We wish Parmesh well and then hung out with some of car folks at the hotel. We were talking with a guy who had a YearOne sticker on his windshield. Seems he is part of the YearOne entourage from Brazelton GA, where YearOne is located. As we were talking more of their crew came rolling in - including Kenny Wayne Shepherd, famous guitarist, in his Duster, Kenny is a well know hot rodder and Mopar enthusiast.

https://www.kennywayneshepherd.net/

 

[Frosty]

DAY THREE - Rockingham Motor Speedway

The morning of Day Three had Ken and I up rather early and ready to head out. Before we did, I took pictures of the YearOne entourage cars, including Kenny Wayne Shepherd's. The white Camaro and white Trans Am are the same cars you often see on their website or catalogs.

 

Kenny Wayne's car.

 

Ken and I hit the road early. We decided to ditch the official route after yesterday's epic disaster. We made up own route. We decide to take I-20 a short ways to Compton SC, pick up US 521 north a miles to get onto US 1. US 1 goes straight into Rockingham.

Once we got to the entrance gate, we had to wait for the venue to open because we were so early. So we parked alongside the road until we could get in.

Gates are officially open.

Ken finally pulls in....he got held up by the traffic cop, so I had to sit and wait for him.

Entering the speedway and coming through the fence in turn #3 and going to pit road to get onto the infield.

Parked - near the entrance to turn #2

 

[TWO LANE BLACK TOP]

Especially like the Cale Yarborough Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II....The Gran Sport  Buick Skylark is bad assed too...

Edited June 27, 2023 by TWO LANE BLACK TOP

[Wrongway]

What a great job with all the pics Frosty. Thanks again for taking the time to post them and share them with us.

[64 kiwi boni]

Loving all the pictures 

[Frosty]

DAY THREE -  Continued

The theme for day three at Rockingham was Throwback Day. To that end, they had some older NASCAR or race cars / replicas on display near turn one.

This one was particularly interesting. The famous country/western singer Marty Robbins (Texas El Paso fame) was also a race car driver/owner. I believe this car is now owned by Ray Evernham, who found and restored this car.

 

 

More cars as we were walking to the midway to get our credentials punched.

Ever see a Cummins 12-valve powered '54 Pontiac - complete with tear drop trailer before? Me neither.....

This was interesting. This dog owner had a special lid on this water bottle that allowed him to fill the top with water so the dog could get a drink of water but not have the hassle of a separate bowl or pan to carry around. Available on Amazon apparently. I thought you dog lovers might like that idea. The white plate is some french fries that the dog has happily eating up.

 

I bumped into Lucky Costa again. This time I got him to sign my T-shirt. On Monday, he and Alex autographed by Buick hat. I asked Lucky how he was enjoying Power Tour. He said "What's not to like, I'm getting paid to hang out. What could be better?"

Fair warning T-shirt

Scenes of the Rock itself. I understand the Rock to be about 33 degrees of banking in the corners.

Ken and I walk up to the steepest part of turns 1 and 2.

Leaving the Rock

The wind was strong this day. Ken and I put up my canopy and we weighted it down with 5 lbs weights on each corner. That didn't help. A wind gust pulled it up like it was nothing and almost crashed it into the freshly painted '57 Chevy we were parked next to. We caught it so it didn't do any damage to any cars, but the wind did ruin my canopy, broke or twisted some struts and made it useless for the rest of Power Tour.

[Frosty]

DAY FOUR - zMax Dragway in Concord NC

Day four saw Ken and I blowing off the meadering east/north/west/north route from Rockinghame to Concord (a 4 hour route according to Google). We opted for the quick route....US 74 to the US 74 bypass (a toll road which I will get a bill from NCDOT eventually) to I-485 to I-85 into Concord. This was less than 90 minutes. Heck we even stopped 15 minutes from Concord at a brand new Waffle House restaurant for breakfast, right off the expressway.

Good thing we left early and got there early. We were near the front of the line going in. If you watched Lucky's video, you have seen how long the line was when he got there and how many hoods were up and cars that were overheating idling. Ken and I didn't have that problem.

zMax is across the street from Charlotte Motor Speedway too.

Driving to the drag strip.....

I thought this GMC van was ran prophetic - especially were Ken and I were headed.

Now we are in line waiting for the venue to open, so we had time to turn the cars off and walk around a little.

The guy in this '57 Chevy 150 Wagon was fun to talk to. I had seen him on Power Tour last year but I hadn't talk to him. It was the most complete 150 he had been able to find. It runs a stroked 383 SBC with a 700 R4 tranny. I like how his "lake pipes" are canoe paddles and his armrest is another small paddle. I like the '38 trolling motor on the back too. He found that at a flea market. I would later see him make a couple of runs down the drag strip too.

Finally we were let in and found our parking spot fairly close to the midway.

Here is another obscure and forgotten Michigan made car - the infamous Checker Cab. Checker Cabs were built in Kalamazoo Michigan until 1985, when the company closed. 

Truer words were never spoken....or written.

Lingenfelters electric El Camino and a cut away chassis of how they did. It is an electric motor attached to a transmission. The battery packs are in the bed.

Okay I think this guy gets the Rammed Air award. That thing is almost 6 feet tall! There is a cable running up the stacks to control the carb.

Ken gets ready to go drag race the Elco. You must wear long pants and have an approved Snell rated helmet to run the drag strip. More on that later.

 

Let's check out the track.....zMax is a 4-lane wide facility but we only used 2 lanes today.

The Hot Rod Power Tour bus. We hoped that we would get our picture next to it by the end of the tour.

Parked near the grandstand entrance, I came across this. This was not something I expected to see in the deep South. A South Carolina licensed '68 Beaumont SD 396. Beaumonts were their own marque, like Pontiac and Chevrolet, in Canada only. They are often associated with Pontiacs because Beaumonts were sold through Pontiac dealerships in Canada. Plus the cars do appear to be a cross between a Pontiac and Chevrolet. All Beaumonts, like most Canadian made Pontiacs, had Chevy chassis and drivetrains.

This car is the SD ("Super Deluxe") 396. The most desirable Beaumont since it is a big block car. The owner tells me that this car is on it's 3rd BBC. I can't imagine why. He was surprised how much I knew about Beaumonts. He has to school most people when they see this car.

 

 

Here is some of the drag racing action.

MVI_0458.MOV
MVI_0459.MOV  MVI_0460.MOV  

Here is Ken's drag race in the El Camino.....

MVI_0489.MOV

Now if you are thinking that a 16.65 at 80 mph is lame for a 454 BBC backed by a TK-O 5-speed transmission powered Elco, you are right. Ken missed 3rd gear and shifted into 5th instead. He tells me this is the second time in as many drag strip runs that he has done that. He has no problem driving it daily, but for some reason he screws up and misses third gear when he's on the drag strip.

 

One more thing. Ken and I entertained another guest after we got to our hotel in Concord. We ended up walking to dinner to a steak house around the corner from the hotel and spending the better part of 2 hours eating dinner and talking with fellow FP member........

 

Two Lane Blacktop

 

Yup. I finally got to meet the man, the myth, the legend himself. He had to work that day, so he could only meet us for dinner. We had a pleasant time. Ken and Two Lane hit it off since Ken had grown up in NC, so they shared a lot of old towns, places, and memories together. It was a very enjoyable evening to break bread with Two Lane.

Two Lane - thank you good sir for your time that night. I hope things at work settle down for you, so you can enjoy more things like this. I am sure our paths will cross again soon my friend. Stay in touch!

Edited June 29, 2023 by Frosty

[64 kiwi boni]

by geezus! soooo much eye candy to process !! .. fantastic coverage Frosty 

i have like a million questions about soo many cars that you have seen ! 

[Frosty]

Ask away bud! Always happy to answer questions, if I can!

[Wrongway]

With all the time you spend taking pictures I have no idea where you found the time to drive to the next location!  As always, great pics of some amazing cars Frosty, thank you sir.

[Frosty]

To be honest Wrongway, this is the first chance I've had to thoroughly review the pictures and videos that I took. I see something I like...bang - take a photo. Look at it later to see how it came out. I was seldom without my camera the whole time. There is soooooo much to see that you can't see it all, even over 5 days. I am amazed at some of the various YouTube videos I've seen from PT. There is a lot of stuff that I saw, and still a fair amount that I didn't see that I probably would have liked to have seen.

[Frosty]

DAY FIVE - FINALE DAY - Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol TN

Today was finale day. The last stop, the last destination for this year's Power Tour. Concord to Bristol Motor Speedway. Again Ken and I avoided the published route but I suspect we still ended up doing a very large portion of it.

I called up fellow FP member, GuitarsExtreme (GE), for advise on what was the most efficient, yet scenic route from Concord to Bristol. He suggested taking I-77 north to US 431. Then in the town of Boone, NC, pick up US 321. 321 will take us all the way into Bristol.

I had hoped to catch up with GE since he lives between Rockingham and Concord, near Monroe NC. However, he was in Dayton Ohio on business that week and we couldn't hook up. Dang it. However, GE did recommend going to the Daniel Boone Inn Restaurant for mighty fine vittles. They serve food country style (all you can eat). Breakfast from 8:00 am to 11:00, Lunch/Dinner from 11:00 to close.

Looking the map, judging the driving distance, and where Boone was, it was going to take Ken and I a good 2 hours to get from Concord to the restaurant. Then another hour-ish to get to Bristol. 

We hit the road at 6 am, so we could be in Boone when the restaurant opened. I think that was a great move in hindsight. I'll explain why in a bit.

On I-77 North

Sunrise over Lake Norman, while on I-77

Now headed west/north on US 421.

I'm glad Ken and I hit the road so early as I said. Looking back at these photos, we had US 421 to ourselves. Not another Long Hauler in sight!

This route, unbeknownst to me, went through Wilkesboro NC, close to the infamous North Wilkesboro Motor Speedway! NASCAR just returned to this track to host the All-Star race in May. First race there in over 13 years! We were two thirds of the way to Boone!

Just outside Wilkesboro, we passed over the eastern continental divide. All water that falls on the east side flows to the Atlantic, all water that falls to the west flows to the Mississippi River.

 

Welcome to Boone, NC and the Daniel (Dan'l as the sign spelled it) Boone Inn Restaurant. We got the restaurant just a couple minutes after 8 am. We were the third group to be seated. Good thing too.

This old garage with a gas pump and a Model A stored inside, we had to get photos!

Here is a look at what they served us, family style!

There was:

Scrambled eggs, stewed apples, bacon, ham, sausage patties, biscuits and sausage gravy, pancakes and syrup, red eye gravy, and grits. Milk, OJ, and coffee too.

This is my plate, I wanted to prove to JUSTA and Indyman Joe that I do know how to eat grits! With lots of butter and cheese! LOL!

As Ken and I left the restaurant (we hadn't been there even 45 minutes), there was a long line of people was waiting to get in! There were more people waiting outside! As we posed for the garage shots, two buses filled with what appeared to be some college athletic team rolled in! We were getting out of dodge while the getting was good.

So in Boone, we jumped onto US 321. By now, early cruisers from PT had caught up to us. Still we had a very scenic drive, but now we were down mostly to a two lane road though the hills.

Welcome to Tennessee with a GTO parked next to the state line sign. Is it Karma? 

Local spectators!

More locals.

The Power Tour motorhome. All of us Long Haulers want to get our picture next to it. More on that later.

Welcome to Thunder Valley Dragway and Bristol Motor Speedway! It's Bristol Baby (insert Darrell Waltrip accent while saying it)!

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Frosty

[Frosty]

DAY FIVE - FINALE DAY - continued

The last day of Power Tour is sorta weird. The day is what you make of it. For a lot of Long Haulers, all they want to do is check the place out, get their last stamp, collect their Long Hauler award, and then starting heading for home. It was clear by how empty the parking lot was after 1:00 pm that a lot of people opted for this. You can't blame either if they have a long distance to get home (like me!).

Now, at 3:00 is when a lot of the giveaway drawings take place. Tremec and American Powertrain had teamed up to give a new manual 5-or-6 speed TK-X transmission, with all the additional parts needed to hook it up in anything. A package worth about $7k!

Welcome to Bristol. If you've never been there before and just see it on TV, you cannot proper appreciate that this 1/2-mile track is complete banked, except in the pits. The track is essentially a bowl! Even the start/finish line is banked 7 degrees and the corners are 32 degrees.

Believe it or not, there is an official (and legal) moonshine of Bristol Motor Speedway, Sugarlands Shine! OMG!

Let take one last look at the Bang Shift Cougar - shall we?

Did anyone notice the sound proof ear protection head gear in front of the shifter? Even with Cherry Bombs, this sucker must be really, really loud!

Having a closer look at the engine bay, I noticed a few things. Like how hacked the wiring in the engine bay was! And zip ties, gotta have zip ties and our zip tie moments (as Freiburger often says)

Cobwebs? Really? I wonder how bad the rabbit turds, rat poo, and spiders on cars parked at the Dulchich farm in Bakersville? Amazing.....

One last look at Project X

 

Folks that were waiting for the drawings....

Neither Ken nor I won the transmission. Damn it!

Here is what the Long Hauler Award looks like!

Last batch of cars in the parking lot and exiting Bristol...

A Dodge Charger turned into a Ute. License plate says WANABEE!

Three very different '70 GTOs. Love the Orbit Orange Judge though.

A Hudson???? Wow.

This late model Yukon is a real sleeper!

Did Dual Quad Pete show up and not tell me? Wishful thinking though. I would have recognized Sherman or the wagon if he had.

 

One last shot of the Roadmaster on my way out.

I did find the Power Tour motorhome. It was literally on the exit road, next to the autocross course, almost to the road. I had my picture taken with it. I am suppose to get an email with a link to a website where I can get my photo. That email probably won't come out for awhile. I also ordered two professional photos of my car. One was a shot coming out of the tunnel at Atlanta. It will have "Long Hauler 2023" on it. The second is a picture of the Roadmaster and I on the track at Atlanta. I can't wait for those to show up.

Ken and I said goodbye around 1:30. He only lives 3.5 hours away, so he'd be home by dinner time. I had booked a room in Bristol VA, and I had a 10 hour drive home. Fortunately, I was going through VA, WV, OH, my usual route too and from Hilton Head and Charleston. Had I thought about it, I should have booked a room in Charleston WV for the night, where I have friends and make a shorter drive for myself.

Ken and I had fun on Power Tour. I'd like to think we will do it again next year, but I am not so sure. Ken's wife's health is starting to fail just enough that she is becoming more dependent on him. So this might have been his last Power Tour. Time will tell. Even it if is, I will find other friends to go out on Power Tour with and new friends I will meet on the road. Power Tour is an experience. Don't put off going on Power Tour guys, because if you do, you will only be one more year older when you do go!

 

 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Frosty

[Wrongway]

Damn it man, I can't stop thinking about that breakfast! So any idea how many miles in total? And again great pics bro, thanks.

[Frosty]

Power Tour is about 1,000 miles (roughly) from beginning to end. Individual road trip mileage varies from person to person. For me, it was a 2,100 mile round trip from Michigan and back this year. Last year's Power Tour was closer to 3,200 miles for me because we were in the "deep" south last year, with one stop in Pensacola FL. I was literally standing with my feet in the Gulf of Mexico last summer.

There was some talk on the main stage this year about possibly returning Power Tour from a 5-day event back to a 7-day event, like it was originally. While 7 days is cool, having 5-day events allows most people to travel the weekends to get to the starting point and home from the end point. That way we have to use less vacation time.

[JUSTA6]

Damn it man, I can't stop thinking about that breakfast!

Me too.................

[Frosty]

JUSTA must be coming schizophrenic! 
 

Roses are red,violets are blue! 
I’m schizophrenic, and so am I!

Edited July 2, 2023 by Frosty

[TWO LANE BLACK TOP]

Frosty...

Thank you for the kind words and great photos....I'm certain that our paths Will cross again in the future...Look forward to it...

TLBT...

[Andy H]

A little bit late but finally got some time sitting here watching all you amazing pictures, what a great trip .

Power tour is definitely on my bucket list but I wich they could run it a little bit closer to the west coast.😆

Thank you for the story and great pictures.

[Frosty]

The first few were nearly coast to coast. I remember one Power Tour went from Pontiac Michigan to the Santa Monica Pier in California in 7-days. PT use to 7-days but has been reduced to 5 days the last several years.

For what its worth, PT has been to 37 states over the last 20+ years.

Perhaps we can meet up out on Power Tour in the near future, justa like Two Lane and I did this year.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Frosty

[wdl182]

On 6/23/2023 at 4:32 PM, Ringo64 said:

I don't know if anyone told them but... the car is upside down.

When they first did that they drained everything but forgot the Torque Converter!! What a mess!