By Rob Fortier – Images by the Author
After returning from last year’s inaugural Triple Crown of Rodding (TCR), there was no question that event founders Bobby Alloway and Gary Case had created something special—something the hot rodding community needed and, as this past September clearly proved, is overly embracing.
It all started with a nonstop flight from Ontario, California, to Nashville—that in and of itself was the perfect start to a Tennessee weekend getaway, eliminating all the potential layover nightmares I’ve been experiencing this last year alone. And, just as it was the for the first TCR, the weather in the Nashville area was perfect!
As soon as we arrived at this year’s host hotel, the Embassy Suites in Lebanon, Tennessee (next year it will be the Courtyard by Marriot, just next door), my sidekick, All Chevy Performance’s Nick Licata and I headed straight to the Billet Specialties/Roadster Shop kick-off party, or the hot rod builders’ and manufacturers’ reunion as I prefer to call it. Amassed all in one room, I crossed paths with old friends from the industry, many of whom I’ve had the pleasure of knowing since I started out over 30 years ago—I even ran into my dear old friend Jon Wright from CustomChrome Plating, someone I haven’t seen in years (hence my reference to it being so “reunion”-like).
Before the evening was over, we waltzed over to Rock N’ Roll Sushi, where I convinced Nick once and for all that strawberries and tuna DO mix! But early Friday morning, we rolled into the Nashville Superspeedway, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for day one of the show. This year, the layout was a bit different from last (as far as the vehicles were displayed), but as I expected, the turnout for the Truck of the Year (TOTY) competition was pretty fierce. Day two was more of the same—emphasis on MORE … people and cars/trucks.
As Saturday began to wind down, so commenced the natural selection of the Top 30, Elite 10 (both sponsored by Classic Performance Products), and ultimately, the LMC TOTY trio. In the end, TOTY 1972 and Earlier went to William Paul’s “California Kid Express” 1934 Ford by Vintage Fabrication, TOTY 1973-1987 went to Bruce Griffin’s Goolsby-built Squarebody, and TOTY 1988-1998 went to Ty Zito’s “bitchin” Indy Pace Truck OBS by Twin States Rod Shop (which was also awarded Classic Car Studio’s 24-karat gold Skyway BMX bike).
During the closing awards ceremony at the speedway, the TCR folks managed to raise quite a bit of money. Between the PPG/Krazy Paint One-Shot charity auction that generated well over $65,000 for the Speedway Children’s Charities and the 50-50 raffle and ZRodz Ride For Honor that raised nearly $70,000 for the Gary Sinise Foundation! You literally had to be there to witness the raffle and donation madness—it was just as crazy as it was heartwarming.
It should go without saying but we can’t wait for TCR 3.0! See y’all next year at Nashville Superspeedway!
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