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For those of you who don't know, but are a bit of a Chevrolet car buff, there is a phenomenon called, "The All Chevy Show". Back when I first started going to these shows, they were actually called, "Super Chevy Sunday". Since the show was actually longer then just one Sunday, I guess the powers to be decided to change the name, and I would have to admit, it does make a bit more sense. For those of us who have been going to these events for years, at least I can speak for myself, I'll always think of this gathering as the " Super Chevy Sunday Show".
What is it, you ask? Basically in a nutshell, it is as it sounds. It is a wonderful gathering, at some Drag racing facility, somewhere in America, of Chevrolet powered vehicles. Now the mass majority of these vehicles are genuine Chevy's from top to bottom, but there are a number of Chevy, "want to bees", and by that, I mean they could have been build by "any car manufacturer", but some mechanical genius somewhere, decided that the original engine in said ride just wasn't getting the job done, so they did away with it and some how shoehorned in a small or big block Chevy engine. And of course they would have also selected to use one of the many General Motors Transmission available to park right behind that engine. So now you have a Chevy in Sheep's clothing.
If you really are a car guy, and especially a Chevrolet car guy, there isn't an other place on the planet you would rather be when one of these events is taking place. There is so much going on, you will really need a whole weekend to take it all in, good thing they usually start on a Friday and end on a Sunday. I also recommend a hat, sunglasses, and a good sun screen of some sort, you can certainly fry like bacon in a pan with out these items. Water is also a pretty good supply to have on hand as well.
OK, so you make it to the show and you are wondering, what is there for me to do? You have a number of things you can do, starting off with the car show. Of course this is a must. Most shows that I've been to, and there have been a few, in a few different states, do a pretty good job of organizing these shows in such a fashion, that it all makes sense. What I mean by this is, all the cars are put in sections, classes if you will. There will be a Chevelle section, a Camaro Section, a Corvette section and so on. Now these individual sections will usually group these cars by years, so the 50's will be in their row and the 60's in their rows and so on. So you really get a chance to see several examples of your favorite type of cars and maybe even learn a thing or two, because no two are ever identical, close maybe, but identical, NOT.
So after spending hours with your jaw dragging around in the dirt, staring at all of these amazing muscle cars, and some just purely classic cruisers, because not all are really muscle cars, you can then take a walk over and check out the swap meet. Every show I have ever been to, has always had one. You can find the craziest stuff in the swap meet, from whole cars in need of restoration, to that final piece you have been in search of for years, so you can finally complete that restoration project you have been working on forever. Maybe you needed an original manifold that had three carburetors on it, and now you have found it, good for you.
OK, now several hours have passed and you are getting a bit tired, but off in the distance, all day long you have been listening to the roar of massive engines consuming fossil fuel by the gallons, and it is time to go and see what that is all about. No true car event can be complete with out the smell of burning rubber and the sounds of screaming exhaust as cars propel themselves from zero, as in sitting still, to over 100 miles per hour, and in some cases, as much as 300 MPH, and all in one quarter of a mile. For those of you who don't know, that is only one thousand, three hundred and twenty feet, 1,320 numerically speaking. Some of these cars will conquer this distance in under 7 seconds, but the average Hot Rod will more then likely fall in the 10 second to 14 second range. A 10 second car is considered by most, to be very respectable.
Finally, your butt is getting tired from sitting and you are starting to get antsy, so it is time once again to get up and walk around and do some more sight seeing. There is generally a "midway" area that will have new items to check out, from T-Shirts and souvenirs, to the latest custom parts and accessories to dress up that street machine or muscle car project you have sitting at home. Let us not forget about all the different food vendors, strategically spread out all over the place, so if hunger should plague you at any part of the day, you can certainly nip that in the bud, and in a hurry. Speaking of Bud, there usually is a place to get a cold one of them too, if that is your thing.
Most of these shows will also have some sort of "main event" happening on the track at different points of the day, like a wheel stander (some special built vehicle that drives on their back wheels only, all the way down the track), or even a few different jet engine rocket cars or trucks. If you have never seen one of these, it is way worth your time to go just for that. I especially encourage you to see them at night if at all possible. They are worth the admission price all by themselves.
To sum it all up, the "All Chevy/Super Chevy Sunday" show is a fun filled weekend or day, depending on your schedule, that has something for everyone in the family of "car people". Kids generally have just as much fun as the adults do, at least mine always have. So if you have not been to one of these events, I suggest you get out there and check one out. Go to your local Drag Strip's website and check out there schedule of up coming events, chances are you will find one.
Thanks for reading and enjoy. |
