roddingandracing
roddingandracing
.PHOTOS
2015 HOT ROD POWER TOUR
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
CAR SHOW COVERAGE
roddingandracing.photos
I can't remember posting this many photos (above) from one event. From my initial "sorting", I used almost 200 photos and even with that, I still have over 130 that I didn't post. I used to live just seven miles away from the Niftee 50ees weekly gathering and made it almost every weekend. I now live south of Houston, 43 miles from the show, but I always make it to their Halloween show. My wife buys candy for the kids a month before the show.
Although it's still seven months away, the 2027 HOT ROD POWER TOUR schedule has been released (right). The Power Tour logos posted above are the tours that we covered. Back then, it was seven cities but after Covid, they reduced it to only five. Also after Covid, we stopped our yearly "Road Trips", especially out of state, mostly due to our having to care for a sibling.
After a 65-year run, it looks like the Houston Autorama is coming to an end. I haven't seen an official "word" but it's all over the internet. I started
taking pictures (35mm) at the show back in 1972 (left) and every year since (right, 2025). I actually started attending the show a few years before that (55+ years).
We saw all of the vehicles below "on the ROAD!" on our trip to Galveston to cover the LONE STAR RALLY Motorcycle event. As it turned out, with all the motorcycles in town and some construction projects in the area, parking was at a premium and after an hour or so, I headed to Alvin to cover a large show there instead. Maybe next year!
Straightening out my "stuff", I came across my diecast pedal car replica of a John Force Funny Car. It reminded of a photo I took of his Funny Car (right) quite a few years back.
Most of my builds are challenging, but FUN! Case in point...stuffing a 1/24 scale, souped-up VW engine into a smaller, 1/32 scale VW Beetle (right). I ordered a resin distributor and wiring and need to install that before the turbo, intake system. I only placed that on the engine to get some pictures. I originally cut open the engine door but as you can see, I had to cut a lot more! Once the engine is
complete and installed on the frame, I'll clean the body up and go from there.
I painted this van a little over a year ago, didn't like the way the design came out, so I put it up. I pulled it back out a week or so ago, stripped the paint and tried again. Again (left), not happy so I planned on another design. My wife had just bought me some paint markers and since I was going to strip the paint any way, I decided to play around with them. As soon as I painted (white) a little over the mid-line, there it was (right)! The design that I wanted hoping to resemble the So-Cal logo, was there. I just ordered more paint remover and the masking shapes I need to try again.
...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.
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
.jpg)
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.