BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – The Hot Rod Power Tour kicked off its 30th anniversary at Beech Bend Raceway Park; promising a full day of automotive excitement and activities in Bowling Green. The tour will spend a day in a different city throughout the next week, ending at the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday, June 14.
“It started with Hot Rod Magazine editors 30 years ago and they did an event in Ohio called The Power Festival, it was a drag race. The editors said ‘Hey we’ve got all these cool cars, let’s drive them cross country and you know what if anybody wants to come with us, come on we’re going to call it the Hot Rod Power Tour,” said Mike Galimi, Network Director at Hot Rod Magazine.
The original event started in Los Angeles and ended in Ohio with just 20 cars. Since then, the tour has grown exponentially to include thousands of cars from all over the world, spending a week traveling to different cities, with a little bit of everything for car enthusiasts from all walks of life.
The Beech Bend Raceway segment of the tour included an exclusive ride-along opportunity with MotorTrend’s 75th Anniversary Factory 5 Type 65 Coupe, the unveiling of a limited-edition HOT ROD die-cast Matchbox car, autocross, drag racing, food trucks, and parts vendors.
“Obviously it’s a car show with over 7,000 vehicles on site but we offer drag racing, and autocross, and later today we will have a shred fest which is a big burnout contest and exhibition style driving,” Galimi said.
Participants can choose to follow the tour for its entire 5-day run or purchase a pass for one or two of the tour stops. As hot rod fans travel from all over the country, many of the drivers following the tour have made the adventure a week-long family bonding event.
“Me and my sons drove down from Rhode Island over the weekend and got here Sunday and we checked in yesterday and just hung out at the hotel with all the people and then we’re going to go from here to Tennessee,” said driver John Beebee.
A love of automobiles, and the community of fans, inspires people to make the long, cross-country trip. Those following the tour are able to create friendships and bonds with one another over their passion for hot rods.
Bob Ashton, who has attended fourteen Hot Rod Power Tours, and his son came from Michigan to drive in the autocross event and follow the tour.
“For me, it’s a real honor because I’m able to do it with my son. Once a year, we get together and make a point of doing the power tour. We just have a blast and we get to have some good quality time for a whole week,” Ashton said.
Other fans come for the races, reveling in the roar of the engines, the smell of burning rubber, and the adrenaline rush that comes with them.
“America has a love affair with the automobile and we encourage you to come out and drive,” Galimi said. “For a lot of people, it’s a bucket list they’ve been talking about doing for many years.”
Those registered to compete in the races don’t have to have a high-performance vehicle or hot rod to enter.
“You can bring any car, it doesn’t matter. It’s all about the event and the tour. That’s what it’s about. Who you meet, things you see… it’s not about what you drive,” Beebee said.
The tour will be leaving Bowling Green on Tuesday morning and heading to the next stop at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon Tennessee.
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