roddingandracing
roddingandracing
.PHOTOS
2015 HOT ROD POWER TOUR
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CAR SHOW COVERAGE
PEARLAND (WEEKLY) FRIDAY NIGHT CRUISE
Highway 105 up in Conroe is a pretty busy thoroughfare and while I was parked catching vehicles entering the Shark & Sons event above, these drove by.
As you can see, this posting of my "on the ROAD" is a little different. Lifted trucks I post regularly but an Unlimited Hydroplane? Driving between two shows up in Montgomery (TX) just ten miles apart, we spotted both the trucks and Hydroplane.
It's been a while since I've posted a "STAR CAR" but I believe this one deserves it. Nicely done 1957 Chevy (?) has been around a few years down here in the Houston area.
Whenever I plan on covering an event at a locale I've never been to, I check Google Maps to get directions. Since I like to get there early, I also check Google satellite images to check the layout to find a place I can park to catch the vehicles coming in. If I need more info, I check the available street views. This past July, we covered an event in Beach City (TX) and I noticed one of the "Camera Vans" driving by. I recently checked Google Maps and there we are! My brother looks like he's getting into my truck and if you notice, both his face and my license plate are blurred. SMILE!
.....DIECAST, PLASTIC MODELING, ARTWORK, ETC.
Here's my latest shots of my Chevy truck project (above, left). It's currently on hold waiting on an oversize engine I ordered. That's in case I need to modify the frame and/or body for it. The Corvette Dragster project (above, right) utilizes a 3D resin nostalgic dragster frame and engine, wheels and tires from spare parts and a 1963 Corvette body that's going to need quite a bit of modifications and body work. The engine came with zoomie headers but that's not going to work here. I guess I need to check the spare parts box again.
As they usually do, whenever any one of my immediate family sees "car stuff" that I might like, they pick it up for me. My brother just got me a new CAR TUNED double release called "Salt Racers". They took two previously released vehicles and painted them to look like Bonneville Salt Flats race cars. I never thought I would like any type of rerelease of the legendary "Hirohata Mercury" (above, left), but the Mercury Salt Racer looks pretty good.
...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.
I mentioned previously that I had just joined the Facebook Group "Texas Drag Racers and Drag Strips". I also mentioned that I'm trying to organize my thousands and thousands of old rodding and racing images to make it easier for me to post them. Since most of my old drag racing images were taken here in Texas (99%), I'll be posting quite of few of them to the new Facebook Group and above for a while.
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!
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!
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.
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)
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.
2018 NHRA
HOT ROD REUNION
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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.