roddingandracing
roddingandracing
.PHOTOS
2015 HOT ROD POWER TOUR
CAR SHOW COVERAGE
PEARLAND FRIDAY CRUISE
Busy days this coming weekend. Friday we'll be at the Pearland Friday Night Cruise and Saturday we'll be in Beach City just east of Baytown for a car show there. Sunday we'll be at the NRG Center for two shows...the Texas Elite Auto Showcase and the Texas Trucking Show (right). This year they're on the same weekend, at the same location.
(They're talking about a tropical depression coming into the Gulf Coast that could impact the Houston area this coming weekend. Luckily, the two events on the right are both indoors)
I posted an old black and white image (left) of a Corvette race car that I took at the old Houston International Speedway on a Facebook Page dedicated to the track. One of the Group Members reposted it in color (right)! With the thousands and thousands of old pictures I have, if I could do that, I'd never leave my computer!
.....DIECAST, PLASTIC MODELING, ARTWORK, ETC.
Starting with a 1/32 scale, resin 1955 Chevy Modified Dirt Car, I used AMT's 1/24 scale 1965 Chevelle Modified Stocker as a donor kit for parts. A lot of modifying, scratch-built pieces and custom lettering completed the project.
Got the donor kit in for the engine intake (left). This is the fourth time I've used that kit for the engine and/or intake. Need to build some type of roll cage and then start working on the body.
SOMETIMES THINGS JUST WORK OUT! I ordered the first dragster above for a future project. They sent the second one instead. I was going to send it back but after placing the body and dual engines on it, I liked what I
saw. I found some oversized drag slicks with Cragar S/S wheels on them in my old parts boxes, placed them on the dragster along with newer front wire wheels and tires and I was sold! Another future project! Even the dual slicks and big front tires gave me an idea.
...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.
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.