The end of June (I know this is actually the July issue) is rapidly approaching, which means the R&C staff will be hitting the road for the Americruise. Tour stops are still being finalized and routes checked, but we have some good people and companies on board to help.
Painless Performance Products will be leading a tour out of Fort Worth, Texas, leaving the morning of Monday, June 25. After a snack and a quick tour of the Painless facility, the group will drive to the Texas Motor Speedway for a tour and maybe a surprise or two. The group will cruise through Elk City, Oklahoma, and stop for a tour of the Route 66 museum. The next major stop will be Dodge City, Kansas, for a tour of Boot Hill and the Long Branch Saloon. Many other stops will be planned at local side-road sites. The Painless Performance Products tour will cover about 800 miles, cruising on two-lane roads as much as possible, and arrive in Lincoln Thursday evening. Contact Dennis Overholser at Painless Performance (call (817) 244-6212, ext. 1008) if you're planning to attend so he can help you make the proper hotel and trip arrangements.
The West Coast tour is being led by the R&C staff. At the time this goes to press, we're planning on hitting the road Friday, June 22. We'll be heading north to Sacramento and visiting Sacramento Vintage Ford for a tour and some grub in the company's very cool diner. After a good night's rest, we'll be heading east, winding our way through the mountains along Lake Tahoe and into Carson City, Nevada. We'll eventually work our way to the Bonneville Salt Flats and through Wyoming into Nebraska.
The event gets started Friday, June 29 at the Nebraska State Fair Park in Lincoln, Nebraska, and concludes Sunday, July 1. During the event, we'll once again have an autocross course set up with cones in the parking lot, as well as a Go & Whoa contest to test your car's acceleration and braking.
If participating in these two events sounds like something you need to do, your car must have seatbelts and go through a quick inspection to make sure it has stuff like working brakes and throttle return springs. If you have a roadster or convertible and want to participate, you'll need to bring a helmet (you know how insurance companies get).
Stay tuned right here, or keep an eye on our Web site (www.rodandcustommagazine.com) for more details as they become available. To register call (877) 413-6515.
We're looking forward to another great cruise across the country and winding up back in Lincoln. Hope you can come along.
Rod And Custom Of The Year AwardsTime is running out to get your rod, custom, or classic truck ready to compete for one of the "of the Year" awards. R&C will be selecting a Rod of the Year and a Custom of the Year while Classic Trucks and Custom Classic Trucks magazines will be selecting Truck of the Year (early: pre-'49) and Truck of the Year (late: 1949-72).
Entrants who want to participate will need to be at the Americruise on Friday by noon so they can be parked in a specified area. The R&C, Classic Trucks, and Custom Classic Trucks staff will go around and select the Top Five in each of their respective classes based on the following judged categories:Exterior DesignFit and FinishInteriorEngine CompartmentUndercarriage
Once the Top Fives have been selected, each vehicle will be ran through a safety inspection, and then they'll make some timed runs through the autocross course, do a 0-40-mph acceleration test, and a 40-0-mph brake test on Saturday. On Saturday night, they'll be required to participate in a cruise (Reliability Test) to somewhere in Lincoln.
Such A Deal!Where else can you have this much fun for just $20? That's right, pre-registration is only $20 and includes a vehicle, a driver and co-pilot credentials (kids 15 and younger get in free), a goodie bag, and your chance to take part in any of the activities listed.
Americruise ToursGo & WhoaAutocross CourseRod & Custom Rod of the Year CompetitionRod & Custom Custom of the Year CompetitionTruck of the Year CompetitionsManufacturers' RowSuper Prize Giveaways