LITCHFIELD, IL

E-MAIL

roddingandracing

Although I post images on my website of all the car shows we go to, sometimes I send extended coverage to HOT ROD HOT LINE. To visit their website, click on their logo above or to go directly to our images, go to hotrodhotline.com/leal-brothers.

Recently my younger sister "came home" after two spinal surgeries and is currently a quadriplegic. Not sure what the future holds but for now its life changing for everyone involved. I canceled our yearly "Road Trip" (May) and have cut down our weekend car show coverages quite a bit, usually sending my brother to get us some pictures (below). I was recently contacted by the Goodguys concerning my covering their March Texas event for Hot Rod Hot Line like I've done for years and I had to give them the bad news. Then our attention shifted to the April Lone Star Round Up in nearby Austin. As it turned out, both events were affected by the Corona Virus outbreak. After just one day (Friday), the Goodguys canceled the rest of the weekend activites for their Texas event up at the Texas Motor Speedway this past weekend and their next two events in Arizona and northern California. Then I got news that the Lone Star Round Up had been rescheduled to September. Hopefully we will all get over this soon.    

VINTAGE CLASSICS FIRST ANNUAL ROCKABILLY CAR & BIKE SHOW

GOE HARLEY DAVIDSON / ANGLETON, TEXAS

HOT WHEELS LEGENDS TOUR / Houston, Texas / April 18, 2020

Above are full-size Hot Wheels vehicles (Deora, Twin-Mill) that were on display at last year's Houston event and the Houston Hot Wheels "Pick of the Show".....(yes; its the same weekend as the Lone Star Round Up!)   

APRIL 17 - 19, 2020

Houston Raceway Park / Baytown, Texas

Don't usually post upcoming events this early (six months) but this is a big one. Burnout pits are already a big part of the CLEETUS & CARS events but this year three Australian purposely built burnout vehicles are coming up to show us Americans how its done. Its currently a phenomenon in Australia and now we can experience it first hand. The '65 Ford Falcon XP 

of Marc Waddington, the "Real Deal" '69 Holden Torana LC of Heath Waddington and Steve Nogas's "Killa-B" 2010 Camaro, all out of the Castlemaine Rod Shop, will be smoking it up at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis on April 18, here at Houston Raceway Park on September 26 and then at the Cleetus & Cars Grand Championship in Florida on November 20-21. I found a couple of pictures online of Nogas's "Killa-B" in action and posted them above. 

The ISCA 2019-2020 car show season is officially over and Category Champions (5) were crowned last weekend in Chicago. Texas based competitors won both the Street Machine and Custom Categories. Below are images I took of both vehicles at the 2018 Houston Autorama. 

STREET MACHINE CATEGORY CHAMPION

Loy McDonald / Weatherford, Texas / 1954 Chevy Pickup

CUSTOM CATEGORY CHAMPION

Jeff & Brandi England / Cleburne, Texas / 1956 Chevy Bel Air

If you've never visited my "RACING" page, here are a few examples. Actually ever since I've had my website, its my old racing images that get the most feedback. Incidently, the first picture (Jay Payne dragster) won me Third Place in an annual NHRA Photography Contest thirty years ago (1990). 

LUV THOSE FUNNY CARS! Below are a handful of my old Funny Car racing images. Top, left is the late Tom "the Mongoose" McEwen at Alamo Dragway just south of San Antonio. Just to his right is Houston's own Johnny White and his "Houston Hustler" Mustang taken fittingly at Houston International Raceway. Bottom row is Paul Gordon driving Bob Taylor's Mustang (left) and the Mustang of Dick Custy. Both images were taken at Green Valley Race City just north of Fort Worth. All three Texas tracks are no longer in operation.  

* DON'T LET AGE CHANGE YOU; CHANGE THE WAY YOU AGE. *