roddingandracing
.PHOTOS




CAR SHOW COVERAGE










TOURQ'D - HOUSTON
CARS & COFFEE
SPRING, TEXAS





























































































PECAN HARVEST FESTIVAL
of RICHMOND

















































A date late posting this update but wanted to get it in before this weekend's HOUSTON COFFEE & CARS Annual Toy Drive at POST/HTX. I've posted below just a few of their scheduled "Feature Vehicles". Also wanted to post it since we won't be covering it this year. We'll be in nearby Katy covering two "Toy Drive" car shows just 3.5 miles apart. I also want to visit a Hobby Shop in Katy.
















Another "Toy Drive" event scheduled for this coming weekend is the CAR CULTURE HOUSTON gathering in Sugarland. This show was scheduled in late November but got rained out and since they already had a show scheduled here in Houston last weekend, it's this weekend also. Below I've posted a "Sneak Peek" from that Houston show.








.....DIECAST, PLASTIC MODELING, ARTWORK COLORING BOOKS
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Just finished my '55 Chevy "Street Machine" project (right). The Corvette bullet grill I ordered came in last week and the also ordered custom, "personalized" Texas license plates ("55 CHEVY") just got here so ON TO THE NEXT ONE! (see below)




Just received the four diecast I wanted from the CAR TUNED Series 7 release. They're usually hard to find, especially all in one place, so I just ordered them straight from the factory (MGA). I was surprised they had them in stock! They include a Pro Street 1973 Toyota Stout (Pickup) and three Customs...a 1954 Grumman Step Van, a 1992 Chevy Suburban and a 1950 Chevy COE (Pickup).













I ordered the above Polar Lights SNAP DRAGGINS Anglia Gasser for a rear tire I needed to complete another project, but the Anglia will be my next project. I've posted a few "visuals" above including the rear tires I'll be using (not wheels or front assemblies) and wheelie bars; all from spare parts boxes. Below are two sets of rears that I checked out, one set a little taller than the other. I opted for the taller tires but had to radius the rear wheel wells a little for a better fit. I also ordered resin, 1/32 scale wheel and tire sets just for the fronts and hope they fit the small wheel well good. I also ordered a 1/43 scale resin hood scoop. Hope it fits and looks good. Finally, I posted a paint job I'll be attempting on the car. I saw the Hot Rod at a Goodguys Texas event a few years back.





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.













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.





