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2015 HOT ROD POWER TOUR

CAR SHOW

COVERAGE

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..... BIG SHOW!

I cover car shows on the weekend and record any and all racing events on cable to watch during the week. I saw mentioned on Facebook about Jeff Gordon winning an IROC race on the weekend. It's been a while since they've held IROC races and I know that Jeff Gordon is retired. As it turns out, they decided to bring back the circuit after twenty years (!) and it was a support race for the FREEDOM 250 Indy Car race on the streets of Washington DC. The eight-car field included former NASCAR racers Kurt Busch, Rusty Wallace, Bobby Labonte, Bill Elliott and Jeff Gordon; former Indy Car racers Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves; and former IMSA/SCCA racer Tommy Kendall. The racer's ages range from 48 to Wallace and Elliott, both 70!

I joined a handful of Facebook Groups that post upcoming Houston and Texas car shows. I take the show flyers and put them in a folder by month and then by week. I plan the following weekend show coverages from them. This past

weekend it didn't work out. I saw and "filed" the flyer on the far left and showed up early to catch them coming in. Thirty minutes after the show start time (11 am), nobody was there so I left to

cover another show across town that afternoon. That night, I checked Facebook and saw that the flyer was changed to another location and unlike the participants, I didn't catch it. As it turns out, the two locales are only five miles apart! My apologies to the participants...I'll catch you at the next show! (I'm sure I caught some of those participants driving by)

.....DIECAST, PLASTIC MODELING, ARTWORK, ETC.

Above are the resin pieces I bought for the project on the left. I've already started detailing the engine (left) and the dropped front axle and huge rear tires are on order. I've added a roof

spoiler from spare parts, modified to fit and the front tires are from a resin dragster kit that I'm using different tires on. The rear wheels pictured will be used on another project. In the past, I've liked installing oversize tires, usually 1/24 scale on a 1/32 model. This kit is 1/24 scale so I'm taking a chance by ordering 1/18 scale rear tires and hope they're not too big; at least the size of the ones pictured!

...photographer's choice! (Exotics +)

Since I didn't cover any car shows in 2020 and very few in 2021, I decided to join several private and public Facebook Groups to share my old pictures, some going back 50 years! Below are the latest images I shared.

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Before heading out to cover the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion in Bowling Green (KY) back in 2018, I made some prints of a handful of pictures that I had taken of "Big Daddy" Don Garlits. He had made surprise appearances in the past so I was hoping that he would show and I could get the pictures

autographed. As you can see above and right, he did and so did I. My old images, now autographed, were taken years ago at Alamo Dragway in San Antonio and Green Valley Race City in Fort Worth (top row). Both bottom images were taken at Eastex Dragway in Porter just north of Houston. Now as far as the political bumper sticker above, Garlits ran for Congress in Florida back in 1994.

After a couple of years with a two-door 1962 Chevy Bel Air which I wish I still had, I bought my first brand new vehicle; a 1972 Datsun pickup (left). Once I got used to working the manual shift, I slapped on some big-meat Goodyears on Ansen wheels. It got plenty of attention

whenever I picked up my younger siblings at Junior High and High School.

Check out my admission ticket from Houston International Speedway (above). Not sure of the year but only $3.00, it had to be from quite a while back.

Right after the Pandemic shut everything down, I joined several Private Facebook Groups to share my old images. As I share, usually 8-16 per week, I also post them further above. Before the Pandemic, I

also had a "RACING" page where I posted my old racing images. I've decided to post a condensed version of that page below. What I'm trying to show is the variety of motorsports that I frequented back then and as you can see, it was quite a few!

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8 - Rear Engine Top Fuel Dragsters Aug 15, 21

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4 - Green Valley Raceway Drag Strip May 12, 21

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2 - ALAMO DRAGWAY SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS May 24, 20

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Yes, all the images above were taken by me over the years but this image was not. It's the only image I've ever seen posted that actually has me on it!

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Although I never use my camera's motor-drive feature, I do get lucky enough sometimes to get an action sequence.

That's me on the right side (w/beard) leaning on the trailer at Eastex Dragway when Don Garlits was there.

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GREEN VALLEY RACEWAY HISTORICAL AREA

Several years ago, I received an email from someone on the North Richland Hills (TX) City Council concerning a Green Valley Race City Historical site that was in the planning stages. They were asking permission to use several

of the images that I had taken at the track back in the '80s. I of course told them that it wouldn't be a problem. Below are the latest images of the site that were posted on a Green Valley Race City Facebook Page.

A quick check of the three information boards that are already put up (top, right) shows eleven of my images! I posted those images below and I hope I can make it up one day to check it out. (On the right image, you can see some of the original track that's still there)

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It was a lot more fun to be 20 in the '70s than to be 70 in the '20s!

Time is precious,

Don't waste it.

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2018 NHRA

HOT ROD REUNION

Before heading to the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion in 2018 (Bowling Green, Ky), I decided to make some enlargements of images I had taken over the years including some of "Big Daddy" Don Garlits and Tom "the Mongoose" McEwen in hopes of getting them autographed. They had both showed up in previous years so I decided to give it a shot. As you can see above (left) and below, Garlits did show up and I was able to get some of my personal images signed. Not sure if he had planned on showing up or not but sadly, McEwen passed away three days prior at the age of 81.

All the images above were taken at Texas tracks that I frequented when I was a lot younger. Left to right...Alamo Dragway in San Antonio, Green Valley Race City in Fort Worth and the final two were taken here (Houston) at Eastex Dragway in Porter. The tracks have been closed for years.