NSRA Golden State Nationals Headed to Sacramento

This weekend 2010 NSRA Golden State Nationals is slated for Sacramento, October 1-3. Held at the Cal-Expo Center, the NSRA Golden State Nationals is expected to draw over 1,600 street rods, muscle cars, custom cars and specialty vehicles from all over the country. Manufactured 30+ years ago, these rides have modern features added such as state of the art suspensions, four-wheel disc brakes and comfort features like air conditioning and cruise control.

In addition to the miles of cars available to view up close, several activities are scheduled aimed at people of all ages. A swap meet, live entertainment, tether car display and over $78,000 in Super Prize giveaways will round out the festivities, with the Circle of Winners ceremony to close out the weekend on Sunday.

If you're in the area this is a can’t-miss event. The usual Women’s World area and trade show offer a weekend full of something for the entire family. The NSRA Nationals always draw a large crowd. This is the region’s largest and most spectacular rod, custom and muscle car event.

What:
9th Annual Golden State Street Rod Nationals Plus

When:
Friday October 1st 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Saturday October 2nd 8:00 AM -5:00 PM
Sunday October 3rd 8:30. AM-2:00 PM
Where: Cal Expo-Sacramento, CA

Cost:
Adult $14.00
Child 6-12 $5.00
5-Under Free

Discounts available to NSRA members, Military personnel, Senior Citizens & UPS workers with valid ID

Summing Up: 2010 Hot Rod Drag Week

The event to determine the Fastest Street Car in America started at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, then went to O’Reilly Motorsports Park in Indianapolis, IN, Milan Dragway in Milan, MI, Pittsburgh Raceway Park in New Alexandria, PA, and then back to National Trail from September 14 through the 18. The 1200 mile long drive took everything from daily driven hot rods to street-legal race cars over Midwest highways and back roads, followed by a few hours of drag racing each day. When all was said and done, Larry Larson rose to the top as the overall winner.

Larson’s ’66 Chevy II runs a 565 cubic-inch, twin turbo engine and laid down an unbelievable 6.95 at 209 mph quarter-mile pass on the last day. Again, this is after driving 1200 miles in the rain, on the same tires and with the same equipment as what he used on the track. The rest of the classes provided just as much excitement with great performances, gut-check travails on the road, and an overall family feeling and atmosphere. If you’ve never witnessed Drag Week for yourself, make sure to come out and at least watch in 2011.

We'll list the winners of all ten classes shortly, each one on the receiving end of a case of AMSOIL synthetic motor oil. Congratulations, Larry!

Hot Rod Drag Week is anything but a drag...

In addition to the car shows, the AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge, this was also Hot Rod Drag Week... and pretty exciting at that. Drag Week has been described as the Road Tour on Steroids.

Day one took the racers to National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio where HOT ROD’s Drag Week officially began with the drivers meeting at 9:00 a.m. The racing action heated up immediately. In the race to the first 6-second pass in Drag Week history, Larry Larson and his silver and purple Chevy II posted a 7.12 at 189 mph time, while Jeff Lutz’s black ’57 Chevy ran 7.41 at 179. Then they packed up and hit the highway to O’Reilly Motorsports Park in Indianapolis, Indiana for day two.

HOT ROD Drag Week was scheduled to run at the historic O’Reilly Motorsports Park in Indy, home of the NHRA U.S. Nationals, a few years ago but they got rained out. The participants all wanted to come back, so that’s where they went for day 2. The weather was perfect and the performances were amazing, as was the carnage. A group of Australians blew the engine in their ’71 Chevelle and spilled oil all over the track, then performed a quick engine change with a long-block from a local O’Reilly's store and got back on the road. Amazing.

Yesterday's action was at Milan Dragway in Milan, Michigan. The day started off wet but the track at Milan was dried and the cars began running at about 11:30 a.m. It’s a long drive to Pittsburgh Raceway Park, site of Day 4 of HOT ROD’s Drag Week. For all the latest results and more photos, go to HOTROD.com/dragweek.

Meet the Star of the 2010 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour

The 2010 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour kicked off May 15, and has since logged nearly 20,000 miles throughout the summer. Leading the tour this year is a custom-built ’27 Shadow Rods XL 27 Roadster Pickup, with Editor Jerry Dixey at the helm. AMSOIL has been a proud sponsor of this tour since 2008 and naturally, AMSOIL is installed throughout to ensure the engine lives up to the many miles ahead of it.

Built by Zane Cullen of Cotati Speed Shop, the Roadster has been turning heads across the country in all of its shiny blue-painted glory. Cotati did an excellent job of creating the vision, and proved the point that a street rod can still be built using today’s industry products and driven anytime, anywhere. One of the main focal points is the pick-up bed made from wood featuring a ‘floating’ platform and a race-inspired nose that also adds to the unique end result. Countless tweaks, customizations, and attention to every possible detail turned out one of the best road tour vehicles thus far.

For all the details on the 2010 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour Roadster, pick up a copy of the November issue of Street Rodder Magazine. They feature story shows pictures of the shell they started with, and how they turned it into the showstopper it became. You can see the Roadster above as it just arrived in Burlington, VT for the NSRA event there this week.

And We Have A Winner

The results are in! The AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Engine challenge has come to a close. MRL performance and Promax Performance were the last two contestants on the dyno this afternoon and when the dust settled it looks like last year's winner Shurbon Performance has come out on top. His modified 340 made 511.3 HP which gives it the top honors at 1.504 HP per cubic inch. MRL and Promax put on a great show. Both put up very respectable numbers but just couldn't quite compete with the Schurbon team. Congratulations to all the competitors and thanks to the folks at Mopar Muscle Magazine for once again putting on a great event.

LEADER BOARD TELLS THE FINAL STORY...

AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Challenge: Day 2

The engine challenge started day two with another return competitor, David Bruns of Mid-America Racing engines. David always brings a very strong bullet to the challenge, and this year was no exception. His 408 inch small block made an impressive amount of power, and as always, performed flawlessly throughout it’s dyno session.

David even got some help from his wife Diane during some of the tuning performed. At the end of the morning session, David’s engine proved itself a strong contender, but we’ll have to wait until the end of the day tomorrow to know for sure.

The afternoon featured a new comer to the challenge, B&G Machine. Bill Hess and his crew have never attempted participating in a dyno challenge like this, but after a slow start, caught on to how things work, and proved that they could build a good running engine. Their 367-inch small block runs a flat-tappet cam, and made a respectable amount of power after some electrical gremlins were fixed. We suspect Bill and his crew will definitely try to return next year now that they have a taste for the challenge.

The AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge Is Underway

The engines arrived safe and sound, and the teams were on hand for the AMSOIL Mopar Muscle Engine Challenge yesterday at Comp Cams in Memphis. You can see from the pictures that they are already hard at it.

Up first was Schurbon Engine and Machine, last year’s winner with Scott Schurbon eager to retain his title. According to editor Randy Bolig, "Scott, Bob Seigwarth, and Larry Griffen had a large challenge facing them, as they planned to do a cam and intake swap during their allotted time. With a small block Mopar, that’s a daunting task." After their Third qualifying pull, the thrash was on, and the parts swapping began. They made it with time to spare, but the results weren’t what they expected. Power and torque were down after the swap, but there wasn’t enough time to change it back.

Next on the dyno was the team of Chenoweth Speed & Machine and LaRoy Racing Engines. Right after the engine was fired up, something didn’t sound right. Apparently there was a dead cylinder, and water was running out of the left header. This was definitely not a good sign. After some thought, it was determined that they would not continue on for risk of damaging the engine. Perhaps we will get a full report once the engine has been torn down.

Tuesday will start off with Mid-America Racing Engines in the morning and then MRL Performance. We'll keep you posted.

Next Stop for NSRA Nationals: Burlington, VT

If you are on the East Coast, next weekend is your chance to attend the 17th Annual Northeast Street Rod Nationals Plus event. Over 1,600 vehicles will descend on Burlington, VT, bringing with them a weekend of fun for the entire family.

In addition to the street rods, this year’s event will also include customs, collectors and muscle cars for the public to view up close and personal. Not many events are open to such a wide array of vehicles, which makes the NSRA Northeast Nationals an event not to be missed if you live in the area.

The three day event includes a trade show, swap meet, Women’s World arts & crafts area and more. Daily entertainment will ensure there is never a dull moment, and there is something to do for people of all ages. Make plans now to attend the 17th Annual NSRA Northeast Nationals September 17-19.

What:
17th Annual Street Rod Nationals Northeast Plus

When:
Friday September 17 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Saturday September 18 8:00 AM -5:00 PM
Sunday September 19 8:30 AM-2:00 PM

Where:
Champlain Valley Exposition, Burlington VT

Cost:
Adult $14.00
Child 6-12 $5.00
5-Under Free
Discounts available to NSRA members, Military personnel, Senior Citizens & UPS workers with valid ID

Off to Kalamazoo

Autumn is a very special time of the year in the Northern tier states as the robust colors of autumn emerge. No doubt residents from east to west will claim that their neck of the woods is the most beautiful on on a brilliant fall day. This might be one reason the Street Rod Nationals North moves into Kalamazoo each year in early September, this week for its 31st annual gathering.

Kicking off on Friday, September 10, the Street Rod Nationals North features a wide array of street rods, muscle cars, custom cars, trucks & more. NSRA National events always draw a huge crowd of enthusiasts. Over 2,900 vehicles will be on display over the weekend, cumulatively worth an estimated $81 million.

In addition to the miles of cars available to view up close, several activities are scheduled aimed at people of all ages. Special features such as the Streets of Rods, 29 Below Rodders & Pro’s Picks will feature rods in areas unique to each group. Live entertainment, a country cruise and over $78,000 in Super Prize giveaways will round out the festivities, with the Circle of Winners ceremony to close out the weekend on Sunday.

If you're in the area this is a can’t-miss event. The usual swap meet, Women’s World area, and trade show offer a weekend full of something for the entire family. This is an excellent way to usher out the summer with friends, family and some of the most spectacular vehicles you might ever see.

What:
31St Annual Street Rod Nationals North Plus

When:
Friday September 10 8:00 AM-5:00 PM
Saturday September 11 8:00 AM -5:00 PM
Sunday September 12 8:30 AM-2:00 PM
Where: Kalamazoo County Expo Center & Fairgrounds- Kalamazoo, MI

Cost:
Adult $14.00
Child 6-12 $5.00
5-Under Free
Discounts available to NSRA members, Military personnel, Senior Citizens & UPS workers with valid ID