2014 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour Schedule Announced

The 2014 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour is still months away, but you can make plans now for the road trip of a lifetime led by Street Rodder Magazine’s very own Jerry Dixey in his ’59 RT Chevy Impala. Built by award-winning builder Dean Livermore, the lead road tour car is currently undergoing transformations into the road-worthy, head-turning machine it was meant to be. We covered the Impala story last month with a sneak-peek at the rendering.

Since ending the 2013 tour in September, Dixey has set his sights on making the 2014 trip even better and preliminary plans look promising. While the full list of stops and roadside sights is still being finalized, the dates, starting points and destinations have been determined. Road tour participants always enjoy first-class access to the nation’s most renowned automotive museums, hot rod shops, car shows and even the prestigious SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The open road awaits you, so check out the full list below and make plans now to join the exciting convoy that is the AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour. It’s a street rod enthusiasts’ dream that promises to be an unforgettable experience for the young and old alike.

For more information or to register for any of the 2014 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tours, call the Road Tour Hotline at 800-664-1362. Here's how Jerry Dixey has summed up the year ahead:

The Vintage Air Tour 
June 7-15
Vintage Air, San Antonio, Texas, to the 50th L.A. Roadsters Show, Pomona, California
Jack Chisenhall and Rick Love from Vintage Air lead the Tour to the golden anniversary edition of this Father’s Day classic.

Road Tour #2 
June 13-22
The 50th L.A. Roadsters Show, Pomona, California, to Back to the 50s, St. Paul, Minnesota
This cross-country trek will include stops in Las Vegas and Speedway Motors in Lincoln, Nebraska, home of the Smith Collection Museum of American Speed.

The Aeromotive Tour 
June 20-29
Back to the 50s, St. Paul, Minnesota, to the NSRA Rocky Mountain Nationals, Pueblo, Colorado  
Along the way, the folks at Aeromotive will once again provide a big welcome for us at their Kansas City area facility.

The Eastwood Summer Classic Tour
 July 18-26
The Syracuse Nationals, Syracuse New York, to the Eastwood Summer Classic, Pottstown, Pennsylvania
We will spend a full day in the Massachusetts area visiting shops on our way to the Eastwood Summer Classic car show.

The Autopalooza.org Tour 
August 9-16
A Week on Woodward Avenue, near Detroit, Michigan
Join us as we visit automotive shops and places of interest in the Detroit area, leading up to the world-famous Woodward Dream Cruise

The Shades of the Past Tour 
August 30-September 6
The 60th NHRA U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis, Indiana, to Shades of the Past, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
The big Labor Day race will kick off the Tour from Indy to the popular Shades of the Past Rod Run.

Road Tour #7 
September 5-14
Shades of the Past, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to the NSRA Nationals North Plus, Kalamazoo, Michigan
We will visit some great private car collections and street rod shops in the Ohio area on our way to K-Zoo

The Sherm’s Custom Plating Tour 
October. 31–November 8
Sherm’s Custom Plating, Sacramento, California, to the SEMA Show, Las Vegas, Nevada
We’ll make a return trip to the huge SEMA Show from a start in Sacramento, with a visit to Gene Winfield’s shop along the way.

The NSRA Nationals in Louisville is always a favorite stop on the Road Tour.

Park Your Vehicle Info at MyAMSOILGarage

Where do you park your vehicle information? Do you have a special place where you keep your maintenance records? Wouldn't it be great to bring a little organization to your vehicle maintenance info?

Even though AMSOIL is a synthetic oil company that offers products for all your vehicle lubrication needs, we also have some great online tools to help you as well. Being that this is Cyber-Monday, it seems like a great time to share our online parking garage... MyAMSOILGarage.

Currently vehicle information for more than 135,000 vehicles is stored here with reminders so you know when to schedule your next change your oil, along with records of every other kind. Whatever your make and model, we have a safe place for you to keep it... or rather, to keep your records. We've got Jaguars, Minis, Cadillacs, Alfa Romeos and even a Yugo.

You can also store info on your powersports toys as well. And here are two bonuses: (1) it's free, and (2) you don't have to be an AMSOIL customer.

Here's an interesting stat. One quare foot of real estate in Manhattan is now $3,000. We're offering you as much real estate as you can possibly use for parking ALL your vehicles, and your friends' vehicles, too.

Visit MyAMSOILGarage and open an account today.

Whatever you drive, you can park it at MyAMSOILGarage.

AMSOIL Super Chevy Best of the Best Results from Rockingham, NC

The final Super Chevy Show of 2013 is a wrap, ending the season with five more show-stopping Chevys vying for the final AMSOIL Super Chevy Best of the Best title. These five vehicles hail from the Rockingham, NC event and complete the final voting roster. It’s left to readers to determine the overall Best of the Best in the Tri-Five, Chevelle, Full-Size, Nova and Camaro categories, earning each final winner bragging rights and $500 in AMSOIL products. After months of bringing out the best Chevys in the nation, selecting the overall winners can’t be an easy task.

For those just tuning in, AMSOIL and Super Chevy joined forces to find the best restored Chevys on the road today. Thus was the AMSOIL Super Chevy Best of the Best competition born. Held at Super Chevy shows around the country, editors from Super Chevy Magazine select the best-in-show finalists to go head-to-head in a public vote. From there, readers and spectators are handed the reins to determine the Chevys most worthy of being designated Best of the Best of their breed. At the end of the season each round of finalists competes in one final vote to determine the champions.

Stay tuned for the final results that will crown the 2013 AMSOIL Super Chevy Best of the Best class winners, coming soon.

Camaro

Butch and Bradley Zadio

Full-Size 

Ray Bleau

Nova 

Lee Bell

Tri-Five 

Frank Brewer

Chevelle 

Michael and Ann Boyte

Las Vegas Prepares for SEMA 2013

Preparations for this show begin months in advance.

Car w/AMSOIL both on and under the hood. 

Has it already been a year since SEMA 2012? Philosophers have long debated whether time is real or a matter of perceptions. Hence as we get older it seems that time is going faster than when we were young. Nevertheless, a year's worth of days have passed since the last year's crates were packed, and now we're here once again, unpacking crates, getting for another week of meetings, and when possible slipping away to see the glitz and bling that is all part of this incredible annual event put on by the largest collection of businesses in the world, each associated with the automotive aftermarket.

Las Vegas, where the rest of the world comes looking for luck, has become a center of commerce, and until the advent of the Internet age and electronics revolution no commercial enterprise has produced more jobs than the auto industry, the real heartbeat of America in the 20th century.

Tomorrow the Specialty Automotive Manufacturers Association, representing more than 6,000 companies, will commence once more to create an environment for commerce here in the city that never sleeps. Some of what we see and hear will be shared here.

We have a local auto dealer whose tag line is "Where the cars are." But once you've been to SEMA, you'll understand why THIS is where the real cars are. There are people for whom a trip to SEMA is a bucket list dream. If you're one of these, we're hoping your dream comes true. And when it does, be sure to visit the AMSOIL booth and say hello.

You can't miss us. Booth 24661 in the Central Hall.

SEMA Feature of the Week: 742 Marketing Goes Big at SEMA

Jeff Maldonado is a busy man with one eye aimed towards the future. As President and CEO of 742 Marketing, he’s a force to be reckoned with among car builders at SEMA, national-level car shows and beyond. It all started in room 742 at Westwood College back in 2001 amongst seven college friends with a passion for the automotive lifestyle. Since then Maldonado has become the last man standing and worked steadily at growing the company into what it is today. His hard work and perseverance paid off; he recently made the cut as one of SEMA’s prestigious “35 Under 35” young rising stars and shows no signs of stopping.

AMSOIL was approached by Maldonado in 2012 with some of the most impressive SEMA project vehicles we’ve ever seen. We hooked him up with some product, and then marveled at the end results when we saw what he was working with up close and personal. For SEMA 2013, the AMSOIL and 742 Marketing partnerships expanded with 20 show-stopping vehicles running AMSOIL and bearing the logo. Even at a show the magnitude of SEMA, 742 Marketing rides always manage to catch the attention of spectators constantly surrounded by eye candy. We caught up with Maldonado as he was tying up last-minute SEMA preparations, gaining insight into the mind of the man who knows his way around an industry full of cutthroat competition. How did he get there? His motto says it all: #DOWORKSON.

AMSOIL: Why do you think SEMA has become such a destination for vehicle builders like yourself?
JM: As a builder, a driver & enthusiast the SEMA Show has become more than an exhibit to display our work; it’s now an outlet to meet new clients for our business. Getting chosen by such companies like AMSOIL to feature at the show is such a privilege and accomplishment to a hard work that goes into building a show/race/exhibit ride. The SEMA show is not a destination...it’s a builder’s ultimate goal to be able to attend.

AMSOIL: It’s hard to stand out among all the impressive show cars at SEMA and on the car show scene. How does 742 Marketing manage to stay ahead of the game?
JM: "If you don't look ahead you won’t get ahead"- Jeff M. That'S our staff's mentality in this game. Being able to be different in our builds, our crew, our styles and the way we market our vehicles is what makes us different. Keeping positive and not letting the negative get to us is what puts us one step ahead. It's not always about the car.....it's the driver and what drives us to stand out.

AMSOIL: What made you choose AMSOIL as the go-to lubricant for these high-performance, high-profile cars? Any favorite product?
JM: This is our 3rd year working with AMSOIL and we haven't heard any complaints from their sponsored rides. AMSOIL is a company that understands our marketing efforts and knows the amount of work and exposure that comes from our builds in the show scene. That only puts us in position to represent AMSOIL 100% not only at SEMA, but throughout the year. All AMSOIL products are and have been the best.... but if we had to pick 1 it would have to be the synthetic oil.

AMSOIL: You see a lot of amazing show-worthy cars in your daily job. Any stand-outs or all-time favorites?
JM: In the 5 years we have been doing this we have encountered some clean, mild and just out of this world builds, but the builds that have made the most impact for 742 and its movement have to be: SEMA 2010 both Widebody tC's, SEMA 2011 Sonoma truck with Chrysler 300 front end, SEMA 2012 KONIG FRS - TEAM REVO'S CARBON Z - FUSCION'S SCION IQ. As for 2013…you will need to wait till SEMA to see what we have in store.

AMSOIL: We're looking forward to it! If you could choose any vehicle in the world to customize and make your own, what would it be and why?
JM: A long time goal for me personally has to be a Maserati.

AMSOIL: What do you consider your biggest accomplishment in the “automotive lifestyle” realm you’ve created?
JM: That's a trick question (laughs). I have a few but in different aspects of the word. Business-wise I have to say being awarded the SEMA’ 35 Under 35’ award has been my biggest accomplishment. Personal-wise I have to say creating a good track record of my work that has led to the awards the cars and the future of the Lifestyle brand.

AMSOIL: Lastly, do you have a favorite quote or motto that describes you?
JM: Yes! #DOWORKSON

AMSOIL can be found installed in the following 742 Marketing show cars headed to SEMA 2013. 

2005 Suzuki GSXR 600
2013 Silver Scion FRS
2013 Red Scion FRS
2012 Toyota Tacoma
1993 Honda Civic CX
2005 Scion xA
2014 Mitsubishi Lancer EVO
2012 Scion IQ
Scion TC Custom Turbo
2011 Scion XB R58.0
2013 Subaru BRZ
2013 Subaru WRX Sedan
2004 Infinity G35 Coupe
2010 Scion Xb
2012 Chevrolet Corvette
2007 Infiniti G35X Sedan
2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
2010 Hyundai Genesis
2008 Scion XB

Stay tuned for photos and updates from the SEMA show floor, and come visit AMSOIL booth #24661 if you are attending SEMA 2013.

First Photos from Hot Rod Drag Week

Mahatma Gandhi once said that there's more to life than simply increasing speed. But going fast sure is fun, and there have been a lot of drivers having a heart-pounding good time here.

Tonight is the culmination of the 2009 Hot Rod Drag Week which began in Muncie and has returned today after touring tracks in Michigan and Ohio. As you can see here the weather is simply gorgeous at Muncie Dragway.

More than 109 cars have made the trek and a big turnout of locals to watch things wind up and wind out. Our man on the scene noted that one guy running AMSOIL has 1700 horsepower and is having a lot of fun in the process.

Next week we'll do the wrap.

Next Stop for NSRA Street Rod Nationals: Springfield, MO

This coming weekend be sure to attend the 26th Mid-America Street Rod Nationals event at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield, MO. For the 15th year, Springfield will be host to a weekend of excitement and activities for street rod enthusiasts and their families. As with all previous events, the NSRA gathers hundreds of pre-1949 manufactured vehicles and makes them available to admire up close and personal. With nearly every make, model and style on display, the estimated total value of cars is over $80 million. Combined with the usual Women’s World (arts and crafts) for others in the family, this event will also feature the special “Streets of Rods” area and trade show.

Springfield is also home to a wide range of museums, historical attractions, entertainment and kid-friendly activities. Officially recognized as the birthplace of the famous Route 66, Springfield promises that you will never have a dull moment. Plan on taking a quick weekend vacation with the family and head on over if you're in the area.

Details
When: Friday May 22-Sunday May 24
Where: Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, Springfield MO

Times

Friday 8:30AM-5:00 PM

Saturday 8:00AM-5:00 PM

Sunday 8:30AM-2:00 PM

Tickets

Adults $14
Children 6-12 $5

Under 5 Free

AMSOIL Lubricates Three High Profile Cars in the Big Apple

The 2009 New York Auto Show is underway at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. This is one of the world's premiere events for showcasing the latest and greatest in the auto scene. Though some of the glam has been muted due to the rocky economic terrain for U.S. automakers, it's still a prestigious ten day event.

This year, John Pangilinan’s aggressive wide body SCION TC struts up front in the SCION booth running a full line of AMSOIL products. SCION introduced the new iQ at the show which is making this booth a huge media draw.

Over in the Lexus booth is the Fox Marketing/Artisan 625hp Twin Turbo Lexus IS F. Hip Hop Artist Jadakiss was on hand to promote his new TV show on MTV which comes out this summer, the IS F as a background. Jada then took a few shots with the car, hopped inside, and fell in love all over again.

A major source of buzz at the New York Auto Show this year has been the National Guard Black Ops 350Z. Here's the backstory on this tuner's dream car.

Sgt. Nicholas Ashby of the California Army National Guard (CAARNG) became part of the 2007 Hot Import Nights Tour with a rolling memorial he built for three fellow Guardsmen who lost their lives in Iraq. The Fallen Heroes car was a very popular attraction at the National Guard display among attendees and won more than 23 trophies throughout the season. In 2008, the National Guard and Sgt. Ashby built a tuner car that used the Citizen Soldier as an inspiration. "I built and designed the new Citizen Soldier Tuner to show the fine line of being a Citizen and a Soldier," said Ashby. For 2009, Sgt. Ashby is back with the Black Ops 350z that combines the spirit of The National Guard with the performance of a race car. At the heart of this striking beast you'll find AMSOIL synthetic motor oils lubricating all the moving parts to provide optimal performance throughout.

The Black Ops 350Z will be attending Hot Import Nights shows around the country throughout the year. If you get a chance, ask the personable Ashby how he combined his Passion for Cars and his Service to Country to create the Official Guard Tuner.

"The Guard can help you to find your passion in life. It's where I found mine." ~Sgt. Nicholas Ashby

'52 Chevy Gettin' Ready For Road Tour

It won't be long till we see the 2009 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour criss-crossing the Continent in another eight-leg adventure led by the ever enthused Jerry Dixey who seems specially anointed for this task. Dixey, who's company Classic Automobilia features pedal cars and other nostalgic wares, somehow manages a remarkable quantity of details in assembling travel routes and station stops for the Road Tour. The kickoff for this year's tour is just a month away.

Street Rodder magazine is the host of the Road Tour, with AMSOIL title sponsor. The first order of business each year, even preceding destinations and travel routes, is selecting the year, make and model of the car that Jerry Dixey will drive as leader of the pack. For 2009 it will be a 1952 Chevy and as you can see from the photos, it is coming together nicely.

Some have asked how Street Rodder decides what car to build each year. There are several considerations in the decision. First, the editors are always trying to expand the street rod universe. Certain vintage cars have received so much attention that it is near impossible to break into the rodder scene with these cars because they're priced beyond reach, or impossible to find in their "raw" condition.

The choice of this year's 1952 Chevy was designed in part to give the editors a feel for learning how to work with newer cars. This selection also opens up a new breed of affordable, fun cars, pushing the envelope and opening new horizons.

From the initial conceptual drawing (below) to completed build there has been a lot of excitement being generated for this year's lead car in the 2009 AMSOIL Street Rodder Road Tour.

NSRA Kicks Off New Season in Oklahoma City

For street rod enthusiasts, Oklahoma City will be the place to be April 3-5 2009 for the 26th Southwest Street Rod Nationals event. There will be thousands of vintage automobiles of pre-1949 manufacture gearing up to assemble there this weekend. AMSOIL is excited to be associated with these enthusiasts.

AMSOIL has been a National Street Rod Association (NSRA)sponsor since 2006. The NSRA is an organization dedicated to the vintage street rod market and is the core of the sport by connecting enthusiasts coast to coast. With a membership across the country that truly loves their sport and the people they meet along the way, these events are an experience unlike any other.

A weekend event the whole family can enjoy, an anticipated 1,500-2,000 street rods will be on display. With the Women’s World corner, trade show, vintage auto parts swap and more, it is a great way to beat the winter blues. Thousands of spectators and enthusiasts alike will descend on Oklahoma City to see some of the most beautifully restored vehicles of their time.

Details:
26th Southwest Street Rod Nationals
State Fair Park, Oklahoma City, OK

Dates & Hours:
Friday April 3 -- 8:30 A.M-5:00 P.M.
Sat. April 4 -- 8:30 A.M.-5:00 P.M.
Sun. April 5 -- 8:30 A.M.-2:00 P.M.

Dream Cars Get Dreamier With AMSOIL

You can hardly turn around without running into a car show these days it seems. This week both Houston TX and Harrisburg PA are hosting auto shows. Some very hot AMSOIL lubricated vehicles can be found at each.

But first it only seems right to highlight John Pangilinan’s Scion, which had a featured location at the king of car shows in Detroit a couple weeks back. The cobalt blue Scion first appeared at SEMA in November and was also spotted at the L.A. Auto Show later. It's one beautiful car that is catching a lot of eyeballs.

In Houston you'll see some pretty snappy AMSOIL lubed cars including this Twin Turbo Lexus IS-F put together by Fox Marketing and Artisan Performance. This subtle, yet aggressive, golden gem includes several muscular bodywork lines. The Nissan booth features another miniature miracle tuned by Artisan and Fox, a white 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe. And according to an informal survey of passing eyeballs, it's even more exciting than the new GT-R. Maybe because it's dressed for the occasion, and lubed with AMSOIL.

In Harrisburg, Paul Caparello’s ’68 Camaro is a power mad example of emotional exuberance. The current version of the car is 1800 horsepower. The previous alcohol injected version threw off 3500 horses. Both expressions of the Camaro were lubricated throughout with AMSOIL synthetics.

To the left here is a Jeep Wrangler TJ and in the CarDomain.com booth (below) a sweet Ford Focus.
Tomorrow will be a big day in Harrisburg where they will be announcing the winner of the “Xtreme Ride Revamp” contest, in which some lucky person will drive home with the 2009 Honda Fit we mentioned yesterday. In the hands of Brian Fox of Fox Marketing and his team, the revamped ride went from stock to cream-of-the-crop in just over eight weeks. The Pennsylvania Auto & Boat Show, Faulkner Honda and HOT 92 FM teamed with the local car builder to create “somebody’s dream car”…but just whose dream car it will be remains to be seen.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE

SEMA Show Razzles and Dazzles

It's election day, USA, and simultaneously the opening day of the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas. SEMA has announced that 120,000 attendees pre-registered, and when the doors opened the show floor aisles were quickly congested. Despite the negative flavor of news media reports about the economy, you can see here that business is thriving for many and despite concerns in the auto industry, there's plenty of enthusiasm on display here this week.

No matter who gets elected, people will continue to be passionate about their cars. That's why AMSOIL is present at SEMA 2008, because nothing is more exciting than performance and style.

If you can't be here in person, you can be sure plenty of these cars will be appearing in magazines in the months ahead, so you'll still get a chance to see what we're up to. These are showcase examples of what the performance market is all about.

Today AMSOIL announced the introduction of 148 AMSOIL/Injen gasoline air intakes for 150 new applications as part of the start of today's show.* In addition, nearly two dozen tuner vehicles are on display wearing the AMSOIL emblem including cars featured by Lexus and Nissan. When it comes to performance, AMSOIL delivers and here in the heart of the performance scene it is exciting to see AMSOIL recognized as an integral part of what it means to bring a car to its optimum.

At the end of day one, despite the economic hardships endured by some, there is a vibrant mood on the show floor. People will continue to own vehicles and will continue to desire that their vehicles express their values.

Tomorrow... the show continues.

* Check out the Injen/AMSOIL announcement here

Street Rod Nationals Just Around the Corner

If it isn't one thing, it's another. No sooner have we finished our 35th Anniversary Convention here than we have to get our head out of the clouds and feet back on the ground preparing for the next event. The street rod scene it is the 39th Annual Street Rod Nationals that a lot of folks are gearing up for. Louisville's the place. July 31 thru August 3 are the dates. If you love the cars, bring along a lawn chair and get up close to the curb because all day every day it's a parade. An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 vintage cars will be on hand this year for the largest show of its type anywhere in the world.

This will be the fourteenth year the NSRA Nationals will be held in Louisville. The first event was held in Peoria in 1970 featuring 600 rodders. Since then the nationals have been hosted by Columbus OH, St. Paul MN, Oklahoma City OK, Memphis TN, Tulsa OK, Detroit MI, and Syracuse NY. But Louisville's become the major center of this gathering.

There will be more than 300 manufacturers of specialty equipment as well as an AMSOIL presence. If it has moving parts, nothing protects and performs like AMSOIL synthetic lubricants.

The images here, taken last year, offer a pretty good flavor of what's about to take place in the week to come.

More Road Tour Scenes

Along with lots of smiling faces there were many cameras on hand Wednesday night, and far too many pictures to share here, but for those who missed, you can see we had quite an outing when the Street Rodder Road Tour rolled in. Thanks again to all who made this such a great success.

The following morning, the Road Tourians, as they call themselves, gathered in front of the product center for coffee and doughnuts before heading south. What follows is the morning line-up, a Wisconsin scene from "on the road again" and Jo Coddington in the front seat of Jerry Dixey's lead car at Culver's where we gathered in Vadnais Heights for a late lunch.