Once again, the show season started off with a bang as the Chevy/GMC Truckin' Nats went off without a hitch. As usual Seth Doulton and the crew at Horsepower Promotions put on a great show for all of us west coasters. We were treated to great trucks, good music, tons of giveaways, and, of course, the world-famous Santa Maria tri-tip. This was also the first time that I was able to drive Project Old School out of SoCal and to an event-so I jumped at the chance and geared up for my four-hour Friday afternoon drive in a truck that is still running the old Powerglide. Still, the trip seemed too short and soon I was rolling into the show at the Santa Maria Fairgrounds.
Many of the usual suspects were there; a lot familiar faces greeted me, and a whole lot of new ones were excited to see the truck in person. I, myself, was excited to see several recently or soon-to-be-completed classic trucks- several of which were of the '60-66 variety (a couple were even longbeds). In addition to having a record number of pre-registered vehicles this year, Saturday and Sunday saw more spectators pass through the gate than ever before. I'm sure this brought much joy to the field of swap meet participants, not to mention the many vendors on hand. American Racing, No Limit Engineering, Classic Parts Depot, Sir Michaels, Tire Pros, Master Image Customs, and Classic Performance Products are just a sampling of the vendors that were on-hand hawking their wares. For a special treat, the stadium was transformed so spectators could test-drive a course over simulated rough terrain, courtesy of 3 Way Hummer of Bakersfield.
With a safe trip home in the truck and another action-packed Santa Maria weekend in the bag, I look forward with anticipation for the two new shows that are being put on by Horsepower Promotions this year. Both will be held at the Orange County Fairgrounds. The first is on April 18th, the West Coast All Truck Nats, which hopefully you all attended with me. If not, check out the rebirth of the famous Chevy Madness Show that started at Magic Mountain way back in 1981. For more information, give Horsepower Promotions a call at (805) 686-2007 or log onto www.horsepowerpromotions.com.