By Brian Brennan – Photography By The Author & Tommy Lee Byrd
In its third year, the Triple Crown of Rodding (TCR) proves to be the show to attend the weekend after Labor Day, held at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee (just outside of Nashville). The highlight of the TCR is the presentation of the elite six categories that showcase the best of the best. These include the Street Rod of the Year, Street Machine of the Year, Street Cruiser of the Year (all sponsored by ARP), followed by Truck of the Year Up to 1972, Truck of the Year 1973-1987, and Truck of the Year 1988-1998 (all sponsored by LMC). Open to all cars through 1972 and American-made trucks through 1998, it doesn’t end there. The TCR winners will also receive an invitation to the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona, where they will compete for the chance to win the Cup and $20,000. But there’s more. These six winners each received a personalized guitar with a floor stand, a gig bag, and a high-detail kit from Griot’s Garage.
Special thanks go to Classic Performance Products (CPP) for sponsoring the Top 30 and the Elite 10 awards yearly. Additionally, 19 more specialty awards were presented by 12 top builders, including Foose Design, Rad Rides by Troy, Roadster Shop, Goolsby Customs, Street Machinery/Patina Plantation, Johnson’s Rod Shop, Greening Auto Company, Big Oak Garage, Detroit Speed, Pete & Jakes Hot Rod Parts, Posies, and Classic Car Studio. Seven industry awards were also presented: the Corky Coker Museum Award, Art Morrison Enterprises Award, NotStock Photography Award, George Poteet Memorial Award, NSRA Driven Award, Goodguys Award, and the Gary Meadors Memorial Award.
The TCR embodies a core value of “giving back” to the hot rod community. Bobby Alloway from Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop and Gary Case of Case Design Group, both of whom hold day jobs that would keep anyone busy around the clock but they find the time. Despite this, they manage to organize this year’s event featuring 190 industry-centric manufacturers and builders, along with 3,602 registered hot rods. (The participant count is several hundred higher than last year’s two-day event, however the near-rainout on Saturday caused a noticeable drop in the number of hot rods and spectators attending. Looking for a bounce back next year with all likelihood of 4,000-plus hot rod cars and trucks participating.)
In the meantime, the spirit of giving remains alive and well for another year at the TCR as the event raised money for several causes. Did you know that the Pinstripe Auction for Speedway Children’s Charities raised $63,000? Over the past three years, the TCR has raised a total of $154,000 for Speedway Children’s Charities. To support Speedway Children’s Charities, you can bid on a cool, custom striped and painted memorabilia item at the 1 Shot by Krazy Paint auction, with 50 top pinstripers donating their artwork. For those who enjoy the aroma of nitromethane and the feel and sound of vintage nitro dragsters firing off, it was also there. The 50/50 raffle prize totaled $20,500, with $10,250 awarded to the winner, Davie Vos. (The 50/50 drawing would have been much larger had Saturday not had to “weather” rain.) The other half was donated to the Gary Sinise Foundation, which supports veterans, first responders, heroes, and defenders of our nation. Speaking of the Gary Sinise Foundation, Gary Sinise himself was present with his 19-piece band, The Lt. Dan Band, performing a two-hour concert on a true rock and roll stage with incredible sights and sounds that lifted everyone’s spirits. Gary told us this was the 600th concert the Lt. Dan Band has played to honor those who protect us—an incredible milestone. The funds raised for the Gary Sinise Foundation this year reached $75,000. Once again, amazing.
Participating hot rodders weren’t left out in the rain, so to speak, as the BluePrint Engines giveaway of an LS Compatible 376-inch ProSeries engine that produces a guaranteed 525 hp and 460 lb-ft was awarded to Mike Goldman, owner of Mike Goldman Customs. Sometimes, spending a weekend at a hot rod show with your favorite ride pays off. There was one more really big prize: a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck. Noticeably modified based on a design by Eric Brockmeyer and featuring several custom touches added at Alloway’s Hot Rod Shop, the truck features a one-of-a-kind billet grille by Alumicraft and custom 22-inch Billet Specialties Redline LT wheels wrapped in speed-rated radials. The paint, inspired by Brockmeyer, is a custom two-tone PPG exterior in black and white with custom lettering of the TCR logo. The truck also has the signature Alloway-slam look. All registered participants had a chance to win the $70,000-valued Chevy truck or take a $40,000 cash alternative. Dean Hutchinson was the winner, and we’re sure he drove home in style.
Triple Crown of Rodding Awards
For several years, ARP and LMC Truck have proudly sponsored the winners of the car and truck categories. Once again, their logos will appear on the custom-made, eye-catching trophies, as well as on the unique guitars that each of the six winners will receive. The car trophies were originally designed by Tom Gale, the former vice president of design for Chrysler’s styling department. In addition, the three truck category trophies will feature one-of-a-kind toppers designed by automotive artist Eric Brockmeyer. Each custom-machined billet aluminum trophy has been finished by Dan’s Polishing & Chrome.
The guitars, which initially started as Fender Paranormal Troublemaker Telecasters—a limited-edition model featuring gold hardware—feature a hot rod–style flame paintjob by Josh Shaw, a well-known and popular hot rodder and talented artist known for his flame painting and pinstriping. His exceptional skills have given these unique guitars an exciting new look.
Another supporter of the TCR over multiple years is CPP, which once again supplied the stunning trophies of the Top 30 and Elite 10 trophies. The Elite 10 are chosen from the Top 30. CPP was also present, with their 100-foot outdoor space serving a multi-purpose role—supporting the industry and the event while providing ample room to display products to numerous hot rodders.
TCR Winners
The three TCR car categories are Street Rod, Street Machine, and Street Cruiser of the Year. These are accompanied by the three TCR truck categories, Pre-1972, 1973-1987, and 1988-1998 Truck of the Year.
Taking home Street Rod of the Year is the 1936 Ford fenderless roadster owned by Ross Myers and built at Rad Rides by Troy. Street Machine of the Year is a 1970 Dodge Challenger owned by Steve Nettleingham and built by Hot Rod Garage of Oklahoma. Street Cruiser of the Year is a 1960 Cadillac Eldorado built by Jason Graham Hot Rods.
Awarded to the Truck of the Year Pre-1972 is the 1955 Chevy Cameo belonging to and built by Curt Wittman. The Truck of the Year 1973-1987 is the 1975 Chevy C10, belonging to Frank Walsh and constructed by Lakeside Speed & Shine. Truck of the Year 1988–1998 is the 1995 Chevy C1500 that belongs to Brian Wojcik and was built by Scott’s Hotrods ’N Customs.
Highlighting Two Specialty Awards
As mentioned earlier, there are 19 specialty awards, of which 12 are custom-made by the top players in our hobby with an additional seven industry awards. Each year, we highlight several of these unique awards and this year we decided to feature two new awards from builders who are also here for their first year—at both the autograph table and are responsible for choosing a hot rod that truly makes their “crank” spin.
The two selected were Art Morrison, of Art Morrison Enterprises (AME) fame, now retired from daily building, and Corky Coker, who is also retired from the daily efforts of producing the rubber the industry relies on.
The AME award is made from 1095 carbon steel. After cutting the metal and grinding the blade to produce the rough shape, polishing begins. This process involves heating the metal until it reaches a dull red and then quenching it in heat-treating oil. The blade has now reached a hardness of 60 to 65 on the scale. Then, the final polish was fitted with a handle. The handle is made of Bloodwood from South America, with a Cameo Micarta inlay in the center. Mosaic pins hold the centerpiece together, while 1/8-inch brass pins secure it in place. Morrison added additional file work during curing on the spine and handle area. It is then clamped for 24 hours and gets final shaping. The final edge is ground and polished, and the Maker’s Mark is etched onto the blade. It is not dishwasher safe. The blade is made of high-carbon steel and is prone to rusting easily. A light coating of WD-40 or other light oil can protect it from corrosion. It is also very sharp, so be cautious. The sheath is hand-tooled leather, complete with a design and hand-stitching. The recipient of this first-ever Art Morrison Award went to Tom Bresnahan with his 1955 Chevy Nomad, which was also a Top 30 award winner. (The Nomad is also this year’s Detroit Autorama Ridler winner.)
The Best Hot Rod Stance Award came out of a conversation with Alloway and Corky. We asked Corky to provide us with some background information. “It had to recognize the best hot rod stance, as the stance defines a car’s character. Seasoned hot rod builders often start with a vision but emphasize the importance of wheel size early in their process. A car’s stance can evoke strength, speed, and presence.
“To commemorate this, I commissioned local artist Alex Paul Loza to create a clay sculpture, which was later cast in bronze. The result aligned perfectly with my vision.” The recipient of this first-ever Corky Coker Museum Award went to Ross Myers with his 1936 Ford roadster, which was also an Elite 10 award winner and Street Rod of the Year winner. (The roadster was also a Goodguys Street Rod of the Year recipient.)
Next year, the weekend to set aside for your trip to Nashville is September 11-12 for the Triple Crown of Rodding. For those who wish to register early, the pre-registration link is available at triplecrownofrodding.com/registration. Well, you will need a place to sleep, so here is a chance to get in early, although rooms are filling up fast. Here is the link for booking a room: https://presto.eventpipe.com/event/63badcd6-a192-4b22-bd79-a460599b2c4d.
The TCR has proven to be a fun and worthwhile event for hot rodders and charities alike. Let’s all meet again next year and keep the momentum going. MR
