Hot Rods I know it sucked last year but anyone going to indy?

I think there is a growing percentage of HAMBers that are morphing into old women, really.

The last three threads I read were a bunch of people hating on The Rodders Journal for failing to get one of their lifetime memberships (no good deed goes unpunished it seems), moaning about how crappy a show might have become and an extended discussion on what is and is not a hot rod...

I posted a video of a TV interview held in Indy showing three bitching Model As and the first comment was that the Good Guys representative had given a incorrect definition on what a hot rod is...sad times. Good Guys were at least trying to promote their show to the general public and rather than get into some description as to what a hot rod is that would confuse or lose 90% of the man in the street they gave a simplistic description to encourage people to get out and look at the cars.

Looking through HAMB of a few years back I don't see the same ratio of bitching/moaning...I wish I had been here then and I look forward to when the moaners retreat to their sofa so normal service can resume.

I went to GG Indy last week with the Hilton Hot Rods/Ross Racing Engines crew last week and had a great time. Not THE biggest show I have ever seen but it was fun. Spent a cool day participating in the Hot Rod Of The Year event, saw the Chip Ganassi/John Force operations, had lunch in a 50s town diner, did a (pretty bad...) trip down the Lucas Oil drag strip, met some cool guys like Jason Graham, RickyBbby (and Baby Cakes!) and got a little sun burned. It is what you make of it, period.

Were there cars there I didnt like? Sure, lots of them. So, I spent my time looking at cars I DID like and at least had appreciation for the craftsmanship in the cars that didn't do it for me.

Bottom line: There are copious amounts of rubber being scraped up off of roads around the Marriot in Indianapolis this week after some unnamed Model A owner (he drinks a lot of red bull!) showed a bunch of people sitting in the parking lot what hot rodding is all about...driving the car and not sitting about moaning because everything isnt perfect...the show is too quiet, you didn't manage to get a super cheap lifetime membership or someone put a non traditional piece on a car.

 

^^^^Well said^^^^

 

^^^^^^^^ X2

 

Well said Paul

 

I know Henry Dana is burning the midnight oil trying to complete his '32 pickup,,it's gonna be a knock out! HRP

 

I went with a few buddies as spectators and we had a good time. Even had an 11 yo grandson along. "HE" liked the cars. was about the 'right size' for a youngster as far as walking distance. weather looked bad, but the clouds kept us from getting sunburned.
RE attendance=The jump from fall to EARLY june probably does not help as this time of year there are graduations/weddings (at least according to my "events co-ordinator") and I can't blow all of those off.
I had time to go and watch, not drag my junk down and display/clean it up/etc.
saw some nice cars.

 

I went to that show when I was 20. Took my 37 Chevy pickup and parked it in the "Young Guys" section and me and my girlfriend put our lawn chairs in the bed and watched front engine drag racing. I loved it. Drove the truck around the speedway next to my Dad's 47 coupe. I'll never forget that trip. It's too bad this is what it's come to. Somebody said earlier in the thread that the grass roots movement is where all the kool kids hang out. I agree. However, the Frog Follies is still the only non corporate event that I know of that has a good swap meet, a few big manufacturers and no Goodguys or NSRA corporate mud. The Hod Rod Renuion is the place to be next week. There is of course the HAMB Drags and the Meltdown Drags. They're out there but you won't find it advertised in your Street Rodder Magazine. Stay tuned to the HAMB...I don't kiss ass, except my wife's, but this is truly the center of the universe for traditional Rod 'N Custom stuff.

 

freeflynstl X2. Six days until the Hot Rod Reunion, can't wait. Theres been several comments on this thread about eBay ruining swap meets. Frog Follies still has one of the best swap meets which shoots down that theory. I believe the real reason corporate event swap meets are down and no longer relevant is due to event holders gouging the swap meet vendors with excessively high fees.

 

gman0046 well said. as much as ebay gouges you on fees its nothing compaired to gg. gg makes it real easy to decide how to sell parts. as for those thinking the indy gg show was so great you must not have been going to that show 15 years ago. back then it was truly a show. racing big swap meet lots of show cars with something for everyone. as stated above just walk past what you dont want to look at.. yes thats true and i do. now with the car count down and more cars that i would pass by its not worth looking at a small handful of cars. i saved my spending money for the hot rod reunion next week. its one of the last things the nhra continues to get right.. the reunions draw more than a national event..

 

Well said, Wex65...

 

racer-x has it right. The swap meet at IRP years ago was pretty decent except for walking through mud as it always seemed to rain.

Gary

 

Many Years Ago , I Joined Good Guys after giving up my many years of NSRA membership because in the beginning they seemed to be doing it for the membership and now it is to gouge the vendors and the participants. Now all I Have Is The HAMB for membership (Alliance) and am I grateful every day to be steered to the REAL car Shows.

 

i would like to see a gg or nsra show were everyone parked in the spectator parking area. that would be funny and send a message. for me its not always the show but the drive there. i have parked on the other side of the fence many times the grass there is much cheaper.

 

I was a vendor at York NSRA Swap this year and it looked more like a yard sale. Gets worst every year. More cars for sale than vendors. Not like the old days when they had the barn stalls. Killed it when they cut out camping and built the Toyota building. Sad.

 

Wex65, you got it right. I was with you guys on the hot rod of year tour. Best event in hot rodding, period. I won the first one in 2006. Was the event better at the drag strip some years ago, yes.Seeing you guys running hard up Rt 31 was a blast. I had my 32 glued to Ricky Bobby's bumper at 105mph for miles. This forum ain't what it used to be. Too many haters and know it alls that know nothing. But, still some great guys contributing. 596 miles on my car, hanging with great people, having fun. Thats what its all about.

 

Greg32 ..... That seamed to be the sweet spot for us as well..... Lol .... This was my daughters instgram pic....
Some can't help but to piss and moan about everything...... An event is what you make of it....

 

I went to the Indy show all 3 days Talked to a lot of people about their cars my car & just car things in general I had a good time Enjoyed the weekend I enjoyed the people , cars & Fairgrounds I didn't make it last year 1st time in 20 something years ( Left Monday for LA Roadster show ) so I decided to stay home & get ready for it I don't like everything about Goodguys shows or NSRA or Frog Follies ( really not much to dislike there ) or fill in the blank I thought the show was small but I knew that going I thought there was some really nice cars Did I set in my chair Yes I did but at 66 years of age I needed to do that for awhile I will keep going as long as I enjoy it The one's that don't enjoy it shouldn't go but I don't understand why they have to blast everything so much Oh well I had a good time Hope meet some more people next year

 

If they bring it to the Drag Strip again our whole club will go!! Don

 

I went to the GG show on Saturday,arrived about 9am and left about 4pm.I was trying to get a count of registered cars but decided it wasn't worth my time although I did find #001.My take on the show at the fairgrounds is it is smaller than IMS,not sure if the area has anything to do with that or not.Was also told that there is 1 year left on the lease and from there who knows,I stated to a GG vendor that I would like to see it go back to IRP and at a later date so the weather would be more co-operative,again I got a we'll see. I also agree about the Frog Follies show,just an incredible show and being a spectator where else you going to pay 5 bucks to get in and see quite an array of hot rods,always look forward to the first weekend of August.Anyway here are a few pics and the link to my album....enjoy









One of my top 5 at the show



And another



Yet another



And these 2 round out the top 5



Here is the link to the rest of the pics

http://public.fotki.com/62704/good-guys-car-shows/

 

2015 Frog Follies August 28-30

 

Strange, the 'pro GGs guys' use the most name calling. On this last page. Nothing like the over used 'haters' to stereotype any critical, honest opinions.

 

The GG Colorado show was moved from the Pikes Peak Raceway a few years back to the Fairgrounds in the Fort Collins area. That change added about 300+ miles round trip from anyone coming up from the south (NM, TX, etc) I did it once, no more. Driving south you have to drive thru 2 major traffic areas at Denver and Colo. Sprgs. Just not worth it for me anymore. I was told at the show the reason for not picking a spot like the Pueblo Fairgrounds (where the nsra show is in 2 weeks) is that it was too small. Maybe it'll be a good thing if the GG gets smaller, they won't be stuck with huge unshaded parking lots and parks with no place to sit and no shade. Yep, I'm bitching about it, but public bitching is the best way to get their attention.
Someone asked about the GG show at the Texas Motor Speedway this year. Very low number of cars, but it was probably due to the weather. There probably wsn't more than a few hundred cars there. I walked around in the rain for 3 hours and left. That's about a 6 hr. drive each way for me.

 

Hey Muscle Cars, Thanks For The Photos. Looks Like There Were A Lot Of Parking Spots Available!!!

 

Hey Muscle Cars, Thanks For The Photos. Did you shoot one of every car there?

 

Right on! I've thought this for years, (since 1954) My 2 pals, Pat & Mike Donahue used to attend the Autorama (San Jose) and walk the entire parking lot before going in. The cars the spectators drove were more interesting (in unfinished state) than most of the shiny stuff inside!
...and they were driven...

 

If people don't attend there won't be any cars in the parking lot to see... Like this Indy show....

 

For the Record: There is no 2016 Goodguys Indianapolis...

https://www.good-guys.com/pdf/GoodguysSchedule2016.pdf

 

Had to see this coming! I have been going to the goodguys shows for close to 25 years and have always had a good time until the last 2 years. the decline could be seen after it left the drag strip.

 

I used to only attend the GG events that had drag racing. That's what I like to watch. When they moved from Bowling Green and stopped the Nostalgia Drags I stopped going. I did not attend any GG event for over 4 years, until last year when they brought back Nostalgia Drags in 2015. I also went to Columbus Ohio last year 2015 it was packed with any kind of Hot Rod, Custom, Muscle Car, Truck, you could possibly want to see. That being said the best bang for your buck is and will continue to be Frog Follies Indiana, Pumpkin Run Nationals Owensville Ohio, Hot Rod Reunion bowling Green Ky., all have low entrant fees and draw excellent crowds. Joe

 

I myself and Buddies had been going to Indy every year,, when the racing stopped, we stopped, Along way from Texas but was always worth the trip, I sure miss those days but been doing HRR Bowling Green and it is as good as Indy once was..