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2015 HOT ROD POWER TOUR

CAR SHOW

COVERAGE

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The 2026 GUMBALL3000 will be making sevens stops, starting in Miami and ending up a week later in Mexico City. They make a stop in Texas (Austin) and plan on swinging by the HOUSTON COFFEE & CARS gathering the first weekend in June. To accommodate the tour, HOUSTON COFFEE & CARS will be moving their normal first Saturday of month date to Sunday and their normal time frame of 8am-11am to 12noon-5pm. The GUMBALL3000 participants should begin arriving around 2pm. I plan on being there. (Sunday actually works for me. A Friendswood show rescheduled from last month is on Saturday!)

Besides the GUMBALL 3000 visiting the Houston COFFEE & CARS gathering, here are the currrent "feature" vehicles to date. I have one more update before the event itself, so I'll just continue adding on until then.

Wild mid-engine, twin-turbo, one-of-one custom 1963 Corvette came across the block at the Mecum Auction in Indianapolis a couple of weeks ago. The vehicle did not sale with a high bid of $100,000.

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.....DIECAST, PLASTIC MODELING, ARTWORK COLORING BOOKS

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I saw a "challenge" on a modeling Facebook Group to build a model of a car that was produced the year you were born. I'm an "old guy" so I started on this PYRO 1952 Chevy fastback. I also like "stuffing" 1/24 scale parts into a

smaller 1/32 scale model; in this case, the rear wheels and tires and the intake for the simulated engine. One final note...we moved from Corpus Christi, Texas in 1963 to Houston and have been here ever since. We made that move in a 1952 Chevy fastback! Didn't remember that connection until recently.

I think one of my next projects is going to be a BRINKS Hot Rod Truck. MONOGRAM already makes a kit (left), I'll just make some changes to it. I want to put a similar engine that I've used

before (above, center) and custom truck wheels that I have already (above, right). I just hope they fit! As I was searching the internet for images, I came across a real-life custom version (bottom row).

...photographer's choice!

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.