Hot Rod – Timing Tower

45th NSRA WESTERN NATIONALS, April 29 – May 1, 2022

admin — Sun, 24 Apr 2022 00:10:10 +0000

45th WESTERN NATS, KERN COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS, BAKERSFIELD, CA Sunday was the last day of the event. In the morning the award winners gathered in the winners’ circle at 10:00 am and were on view until the award ceremony which started at 1:00 pm. (All the award winners have been posted and can be seen below). As usual a lot of future hot rodders came to the show with their families. Below is a young fellow named Ford – but it does look like he’s a Chevy man Also having fun were (from left to right) Adrian, Michael, Julian, Adalize, and Mariana. And this is Victoria – we predict someday she’ll trade that Radio Flyer in for a Ford. Not to be outdone by the kids, there were some very beautiful cars in the fairgrounds: And there were unusual cars – a stretched ’55 Chevy. – a Model A towing a trailer with a buffalo. The Safety inspectors worked Friday and Saturday providing free inspections looking at 23 different pieces of equipment on each vehicle. Among other things the fuel system, steering, exhaust system, tires and brakes are inspected. This year 64 vehicles were inspected, 47 passed and 46 of those received a Safety 23 sticker. After the awards were given on Sunday, numbers were drawn and the Super prizes were given away. Addison drew the numbers: At the end of the awards ceremony, Addison made three individuals very happy when she drew their numbers and they left with an extra $2,000. Alfred Paredez, Karl Russell and Carolyn Raidor, received their checks from Mike Adams, the NSRA Western Nats program director. This year the attendance was 1,135 – not quite back to pre-pandemic standards. Next year this event will be held on April 28, 29 and 30. As always the Western Nats was a great week-end but it did have to end. Following below are photos of the award winners. This 1967 Corvette owned my Mike and Diane Ferola is the timingtower.com pick. We’ll have a feature on this beautiful Stingray posted soon. More to come Monday evening. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SATURDAY, APRIL 30 Saturday was a busy day at the Western Nats. First thing this morning the safety inspectors got busy going over the cars that lined up for this free and very important service provided by NSRA. This is also the time when the kids games were set up. The kids put together puzzles, colored, and played ring toss. It was a fun time. The adults had some fun too connecting with old friends, meeting new ones and looking at all the fine cars at the show. There were some pretty unique cars at the fairgrounds. In 1958 this ’32 was the first roadster to travel at 200 mph at Bonneville. The car was owned by Chuck Edwards, driven by Tony Waters and is now owned by Doug Edwards. This car not only had FLAMES but the color scheme was outstanding. This early Vette has a custom front end. The highlight of tomorrow will be the awards ceremony and the super prize giveaway. Over $54,000 worth of prizes will be given way this week-end. We’ll have an article with photos of all the award winners posted on Monday evening. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FRIDAY, APRIL 29 This was the first day of the show. So far 1,050 cars are registered for the event. Since Saturday is always the “big” day, more are expected. If today is any indication, the fairgrounds is going to be filled with a whole lot of nice vehicles. It’s hard to beat the classic lines of a tri-five Chevy. We saw everything from fins .. to “in the weeds”. There were trucks and … panels. Also on hand were depot hacks … and a customized Giha. There will be plenty of cars to see tomorrow as well as other activities such as a swap meet, the Streets of Rods, commercial exhibits, a crafts fair, kids games, and the safety inspectors will be hard at work again. We’ll be back at the fairgrounds tomorrow and will post again tomorrow night. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ An anticipated 1,700 street rods, hot rods, muscle cars, customs, rat rods, and classics will be on hand on April 29-May 1 for the 45th NSRA Western Street Rod Nationals in the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield, CA. This will be the 35th time the event has been held at Bakersfield. An all time high number of spectators are expected to attend over the week-end. Additionally, many vendors will fill the buildings in the fairgrounds in addition to those that will set up throughout the grounds. Like past years, this will be an event you do not want to miss. Event registration will be held in the Doubletree Hotel, 3100 Camino Del Rio Court, Bakersfield. Hours: Thursday, April 28 at 12 noon to 6:00 pm, Friday from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Timingtower.com will be at the event all week-end and will post coverage on Friday and Saturday nights. In addition, we will post an article and photos on Monday evening, including photos of the award winners. Check back here throughout the week-end.

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THE 72nd GRAND NATIONAL ROADSTER SHOW, Jan.28-30, 2022, Fairplex at Pomona — SUNDAY NIGHT – JUST IN – AMBR AND SLONAKER WINNERS

admin — Sat, 29 Jan 2022 23:20:36 +0000

Suppose you dropped a book but when you picked it up it fell open to your place. The Grand National Roadster Show did just that by coming back to normal after losing a year to the lockdown. The buildings at the Fairplex this year were again filled with cars, vendors and spectators as they were in 2020. The 72nd show, January 28-30 featured 11 contenders for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster and 12 contenders for the Slonaker Award. The Grand Daddy Cruise-in was expanded to three days and a large gathering of ’32 Fords was held outside to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the popular hot rod. Look below in the Friday posting for the contenders and winners of the AMBR and Slonaker awards. Also below are photos from the gathering of the ’32 Fords. Again, one entire building was devoted to a feature vehicle, this time “A gathering of Hot VW’s” and there were a lot of amazing VW’s. Below is the BIGGEST VW we’ve ever seen. The guy standing next to it for scale is about 6′. But the license plate says it all “HUGE BUG”. This Bug bus went the other way – it started as a 23 window VW bus and it’s been shortened There were a lot of amazing VW’s on display. There were a lot of nice cars at the drive-in . One interesting car at the drive-in was a tribute to the Paradise Fire. The top photo shows a 1973 VW Thing sitting abandoned after the Paradise Fire. The car was burned November 8, 2018. Jon Winters got a hold the burned out Thing and rebuilt the running gear, electric, etc. The Thing now sits on a fully restored Ghia chassis. The exterior of the car was straightened a bit and sprayed with a clear coat. The car is now driveable and makes the rounds. The rectangular hunk of metal sitting on the folded down window is the original license plate – post fire. Another popular stop was the Suede Palace. This building houses customs and rat rods. SUNDAY; posted last day of show 2022 AMERICA’S MOST BEAUTIFUL ROADSTER – JEFF BREAULT’S 1934 CHEVROLET ROADSTER Congratulations to Jeff Breault and the team at Devlin Rod & Customs on winning America’s Most Beautiful Roadster. Pat Gauntt’s 1932 Ford Coupe is the Al Slonaker Memorial Award winner. Hollywood Hot Rods is the builder. All the contenders for America’s Most Beautiful Roadster and the Slonaker Award can be seen below. As always the competition is fierce for these awards. The culmination of the Grand National Roadster Show is the presentation of the awards and selection of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster, but the rest of the week-end had plenty to offer. As shown below, this year marks the 90th anniversary of the 1932 Ford – the Deuce – and the Grand National Roadster Show held a gathering. FRIDAY; posted first day of show The 72nd Grand National Roadster Show roared back to life after it’s forced shut-down in 2021. When the show opened Friday morning the buildings were full of cars and vendors and by noon it was obvious that even a virus can’t dampen the spirit of car enthusiasts. There are 11 cars contending for the coveted title of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster and, as always, the winner is not obvious because each roadster is spectacular. Below are the contenders. This 1932 Ford roadster belongs to Henry Verbeck of The Villages, Florida. This 1929 Dodge roadster came from Surrey, BC Canada and is owned by Ewald Penner. Joe Dooling brought this 1932 Ford roadster from Freeport, Texas. This 1927 Ford roadster is owned by Edward McSweeney of Newhall, California. Joe Faso of Stockton, California owns this 1935 Ford roadster. John Mumford of Portola Valley, California owns this 1933 Ford roadster. This 1928 Model A Ford roadster is owned by Ryan Root of Wyandotte, Michigan. A 1932 Ford roadster from Wellington, Texas owned by Robert Owens, Jr. Kevin Williams from Long Beach, California owns this 1932 Ford roadster. This 1934 Edsel 40 Speedster roadster is owned by Bruce Wanta of Bellevue, Washington. This 1934 Chevrolet roadster came from Wichita, Kansas with Jeff Breault. The announcement of America’s Most Beautiful Roadster (AMBR) occurs Sunday night. The AMBR award is open for all United States built roadsters, roadster pick-ups and touring vehicles 1937 and older. The winner’s name is added to the perpetual 9 foot trophy. The above ’32 Ford roadster was the 2020 AMBR winner and is owned by Monte Belsham of Houston, BC. Above is the newly restored 1953 AMBR winner originally owned by Dick Willams. The Al Slonaker Memorial Award is given each year in addition to the AMBR award. This year, twelve hot rods, trucks, customs, street machines and VW’s are competing for the Slonaker Award. This award is given in memory of Al Slonaker the founder of the Grand National Roadster Show. Below are the Slonaker Award contenders. This 1936 Ford Cabriolet is owned by Tim Frey of Lodi, California. This 1932 Ford Coupe came from Nipomo, California with Jim Forteiny. A 1961 Chevrolet Impala from Marietta, Georgia and is owned by Dan Duffy. This 1969 Chevrolet Camaro is owned by Jesse Lindberg of Anderson, California. This 1956 Chevrolet truck is owned by Ken Fontes from Arroyo Grande, California. This 1932 Ford 3 Window Coupe came from Lafayette, Louisiana and is owned by Sonny Freeman. This 1955 Volkswagen convertible is owned by Art Shapiro of Claremont, California. This 1958 Chevrolet Corvette is owned by John Bollier of Molalla, Oregon. A 1940 Chevrolet Suburban owned by Amadeo Angelo of Gold Creek, Montana. This 1952 Volkswagen sedan is owned by Gary Stell, Jr. of Corona, Calfiornia. A 1932 […]

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NSRA WESTERN NATIONALS, October 29, 30,31, 2021

admin — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 01:22:49 +0000

THE 44th ANNUAL NSRA WESTERN NATIONALS were held in the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield, CA on October 29, 30, and 31, 2021. Five words perfectly describe the week-end: IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK. After lock downs, masks and mandates it was obvious that people were glad to return to normal. The Western Nats provided normal in abundance. There were 1,234 vehicles in the Fairgrounds as well as a crowd of spectators. The show opened on Friday morning and by about 3:00 on Sunday it was over. Between Friday and Sunday though there were so many cars to look at: This is Grant standing next to a tricked out 1957 Chevy. This year the timingtower.com award went to Tony Davidson and his ’34 Ford 5-window high boy coupe. We’ll have more photos and a feature article on this car. Since this was Halloween week-end there were plenty of reminders of the holiday: There were witches: Pumpkins – also known as Halloweenie Trick or Treaters – Spider-man is really Braden. Skeletons – Gabrielle and Mikey. Herman Munster was there. If you use your imagination the rear of this nice, black 1959 Chevy resembles a bat. While Halloween did add some fun, the week-end was all about the cars. Also, as in past years, the NSRA safety inspectors were hard at work. They inspected 72 cars with 59 receiving the Safety 23 pin. These inspectors give up their week-end to make sure others get home safely. Their work is greatly appreciated. Photos of the award winners are shown below. Following the award ceremony, many great prizes were given away. Bradley made some very happy folks by drawing all the winning tickets. In addition to merchandise prizes, NSRA gave away three $2,000 checks. The winners were Dan Hayes of Bakersfield, Ernie Lowe of Wasco, and Charles Ray Shannon of Bakersfield. Standing with the winners is Tom Wilkerson, the event director. After the award ceremony and prize giveaways, it was over. For awhile it seemed the 44th Western Nats wouldn’t get off the ground, but it did, and now the 45th Western Nats is in the planning stage. It will be held April 29, 30 and May 1, 2022 in the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield, CA. NSRA 2021 SUNDAY AWARD CEREMONY – this year 43 awards were given. We know everyone is interested in the award winners and we wanted to get those photos up as soon as possible. More photos and an article will be posted this evening. Below are the NSRA 2021 award winners. There were 43 awards given. Photos of the winners are divided into three galleries. The photos are in the same order as the awards were given – if you are looking for a particular car and know it was one of the first to received an award, look in the first gallery. NOTE: We no longer sell photos through Smug Mug despite indications above. If you are interested in photos or digital downloads please contact us at timingtower@gmail.com. AWARD GALLERY NO. 1 AWARD GALLERY #2 AWARD GALLERY NO. 3 SATURDAY OCTOBER 30 UPDATE; There were more cars in the Fairgrounds today, but it doesn’t look like we’ll make the 1,500+that attended in 2019. We’ll get the final attendance numbers tomorrow. No matter how many cars attended, it was terrific to be outside at a car show again. Here are photos of some of the great cars we saw today. The awards ceremony will be held tomorrow. Photos of the award winners, more event photos and an article will be posted Monday night. This year the timingtower.com pick is Tony Davidson’s outstanding 1934 5-window highboy coupe. FRIDAY OCTOBER 29 UPDATE: Registration for the NSRA Western Nats started on Thursday and by Friday nearly 1100 cars were registered – many of them were in the Kern County Fairgrounds on Friday. If today was a sampling of what to expect this week-end, we will be seeing a lot of outstanding cars. Below are a few: Trick or Treat!!! Saturday is always the big day for this event and this year should be no exception. The rest of the week-end is predicted to be like today – perfect car show weather. Check back tomorrow night for more event photos and another update. After lockdowns, masks and mandates, the NSRA Western Nats is back!! The National Street Rod Assoc. will hold its 44th annual Western Nationals in the Kern County Fairgrounds in Bakersfield, CA on October 29, 30, & 31, 2021. Event registration will take place at the Doubletree Hotel Bakersfield, 3100 Camino Del Rio Court, Bakersfield starting Thursday Oct. 28 from 12 noon to 6 p.m. Registration will continue on Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Registration is also available at the Fairgrounds. The event is open to vehicles manufactured in 1991 and before. In past years about 1,800 cars have attended this event and this year, we hope, will meet or exceed this number. Hot rods, classics, muscle cars, rat rods and other vintage automobiles will be on display in the Fairgrounds. As usual there will be a swap meet, women’s world and dozens of exhibitors set up in the Fairgrounds. Spectator gates at the Fairgrounds will open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday. Each year about 35 vehicles are selected to take home a coveted NSRA award. The winners gather in the winners’ circle on Sunday morning and one by one each car is driven into the amphitheater and in front of the stage to receive the award. For many years, Timingtower.com has been honored to select a vehicle to receive an award. Below is a photo of the 2019 winner selected by Timingtower.com. Timingtower.com will be in Bakersfield again this year for the NSRA Western Nats. Friday and […]

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29th ANNUAL VETERANS MEMORIAL CAR SHOW

admin — Mon, 14 Oct 2019 22:34:54 +0000

The 29th Annual Veterans Memorial Car Show was held on October 13, 2019 at Sylvan Park in Redlands, CA. The motto of this show has always been “If you like your freedom, thank a Vet.” This mural, on the side of a fine 1955 Chevy Sedan Delivery, epitomizes the spirit of the Vet’s car show. After many years at the Vet’s Hospital in Loma Linda, this show is now being held in Sylvan Park in Redlands. This picturesque park is the perfect location for a car show – plenty of room, lots and lots of shade trees, stone bridges across a dry creek, a central area for registration and vendors, and more than enough picnic tables. Together with a sunny, warm day and the 600 cars that filled the park, who could ask for anything more? The show opened it’s gates at 8:00 a.m. At 10:00 a.m. the All Forces Honor Guard from the Riverside National Cemetery posted the colors. The Honor Guard founded in 1996, represents members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard, and provides Memorial Honor Details at Riverside National Cemetery. The Honor Guard has been posting the colors at the Vet’s show for more than 10 years. The Honor Guard which is made up of volunteers is always well received and is a touching opening for the show. We thank these men for their service and for the time they freely give to provide a Memorial Honor Guard to deceased veterans. All photos shown here can be seen our SmugMug site and are available for purchase. Click on the SmugMug icon: The show is limited to 600 cars and included cars from every category available – Tri-five Chevys, Hot Rods, Customs, Classics, Muscle Cars, Rat Rods, Trucks (big and small), Military Vehicles, Dragsters and Special Interest. Tri-Five Chevy: Hot Rod: Custom: Classic: Muscle Car: Rat Rod: Truck – Big: Truck – Small: Military Vehicle: Dragster: Special Interest: This very unique vehicle caught not only our attention, but Samuel’s who is lookin’ cool in the driver’s seat. Throughout the day, tickets were sold for a 50/50 drawing and there was a silent auction, and Bingo games were held. There were plenty of food vendors to provide lunch, snacks and drinks. However, the 600 cars were the stars of the show. It’s always fun and interesting to look at the military vehicles. Caydence (in period specific garb) and her sister Taylor pose in front of a Vietnam era truck. This World War II era Jeep was well equipped (i.e. gun and portable shower). There were 29 cars chosen to win a trophy this year. Each trophy is sponsored by an individual (or group) and that individual selects a car to receive the trophy. The sponsor of each trophy sets the selection criteria for his chosen car making the trophy winners a diverse group of cars. The Vet’s Show is put on by the Volunteers for Veterans Foundation. The goal of the Foundation is to provide emergency shelter and crisis management for veterans as well as helping families to maintain long term stability and self-sufficiency. The Foundation provides assistance with rent, emergency housing and/or repairs, utilities, food and gas. It assists all active and retired Veterans and those who are in transition to civilian life awaiting VA benefits. The Foundation also supports services for veterans at the Loma Linda Veterans Hospital to benefit both in-patients and out-patients. This year the Foundation became aware of a veteran in need of transportation. Lino Wilhelmy, Sr. of Hesperia is raising his two grandsons, Dean, 14, and Jessie, 15, and had no car. The Foundation was able to help; and, presented him with a Dodge pick-up. Before Lino was given the truck it was painted and detailed, had the air conditioning repaired, was reupholstered, and had all necessary repairs performed. All of the labor and parts were donated. Below is Lino receiving the truck from Betty Volk and Lloyd Schultz, members of the Foundation. This show provides not only an enjoyable day for many car owners and spectators, but the proceeds from the show go to help veterans in need. Don’t forget – “If you like your freedom, thank a Vet.” >The photos above can be seen our SmugMug site and are available for purchase. Click on the SmugMug icon:

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