Guest Blog! My buddy Dan Podobinski is a photographer based out of Indiana, he attends a lot of the same type of shows that I do. Since I can’t be everywhere at once, Dan was nice enough to share some of his images from the 2014 Meltdown Drags with all of you through the blog here. You may have seen some of his work recently in Car Kulture Deluxe Magazine, or on the HAMB. You need to go follow his page on Facebook here and buy some prints of his great photographs! And now on with the show!
In the five years since its first appearance, the Meltdown Drags has grown from a very small gathering of vintage drag race fans to an event of major proportions. This year drew over 500 race cars, some from as far as California, in addition to a nice little show ‘n shine area and a swap meet.
The organizers have managed to put together one hell of a show, at a cool old dragstrip…at a reasonable price. If you love vintage drag racing, the way it was in its heyday of the mid 60’s, then you absolutely must make plans to attend the 2015 Meltdown Drags in the quaint river town of Byron, Illinois. You will regret it if you don’t!
Time for the final installment of the 2014 Texas Thaw coverage! Thanks again to the Torques for putting on another great event. For all of the latest info on the Texas Thaw go to the official website.
If you want to this blog in your email inbox each time the blog goes live, go on up to the top right hand corner of the website and enter your email address. The last day of each month I randomly pick 1 subscriber to win a prize package. This month’s prize is a kustom art piece from Chaotic Customs (shown below), a Royboy Knit Winter Hat & a shirt from Stray Kat Kustoms!
Thank you to the first 2 sponsors of my site, quite frankly the only 2 that I’ve asked to sponsor the site so far. If you’d like to help sponsor Royboy Productions and provide the koolest car show coverage to folks worldwide, click here to ask me about it.
Overall the Texas Thaw was a blast. I did have 1 issue though. At some point during a day long event you might get a bit thirsty or hungry, which did happen to me. So I went over to try The Bomb food wagon’s food, uh damn, long line there. So I went over and got in the longer line for the track’s concession stand. I don’t know what made me choose that longer line but something in my head though since it was the track concession stand that they’d be ready for crowd and they’d get me through the line quickly. WRONG. I was talking with folks so I didn’t realize that it had taken 45 minutes to get up to the order window. Right… well okay I’ll get a cheeseburger, some fries and 2 bottles of water, it may take 15 minutes or so to get my food so a 2nd bottle of water might come in handy. I was 75 minutes short in that estimation. That’s right boys and girls. After paying $17 for a double cheese burger (fatboy upgraded at the window), some fries, and 2 bottles of water, it took over 2 hours start to finish to actually stand in line and then get the food. That’s with 6 people giving up on waiting in front of me before I even got to order. Northstar Dragway, YOU FAIL when it comes to the concession stand. There is no excuse for a wait like that. A.) make a separate line for the folks that only want drinks and serve them out of a big beer cooler. B.) load your grill with burgers when you have a line instead of dropping them when you get the ticket up next. I saw one guy who waited 30 minutes from ordering to get 2 corndogs and 2 nachos, that’s an order that should have been up in about 90 seconds.
Okay enough of that bitching. I had to say it out loud and I had to say it where it will show up in google searches.
If you want to this blog in your email inbox each time the blog goes live, go on up to the top right hand corner of the website and enter your email address. The last day of each month I randomly pick 1 subscriber to win a prize package. This month’s prize is a kustom art piece from Chaotic Customs (shown below), a Royboy Knit Winter Hat & a shirt from Stray Kat Kustoms!
Thank you to the first 2 sponsors of my site, quite frankly the only 2 that I’ve asked to sponsor the site so far. If you’d like to help sponsor Royboy Productions and provide the koolest car show coverage to folks worldwide, click here to ask me about it.
For the last few years the Vintage Torque Fest put on by the folks of Vintage Torque DVD‘s on the first weekend of May. I give promoter John Wells a lot of hell for changing the date of the show because it now means the show conflicts with the Stray Kat 500. Since I do not own a flux capacitor equipped Delorean (which wouldn’t fit the criteria of either show) I must choose. 9 hours each way or 3.5 hours each way… Sorry John.
But just because I can’t make it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t bust your butt to get there. Go here and find out all of the info. Here’s what I saw the first 2 years.
Thanks to John Wells and Vintage Torque for sponsoring the New Blood Award!!!!
See you at a show,
Royboy
———————————————————————————————
March Subscriber Giveaway!
If you want to this blog in your email inbox each time the blog goes live, go on up to the top right hand corner of the website and enter your email address. The last day of each month I randomly pick 1 subscriber to win a prize package. This month’s prize is a kustom art piece from Chaotic Customs, a Royboy Knit Winter Hat & a shirt from Stray Kat Kustoms!
Thank you to the first 2 sponsors of my site, quite frankly the only 2 that I’ve asked to sponsor the site so far. If you’d like to help sponsor Royboy Productions and provide the koolest car show coverage to folks worldwide, click here to ask me about it.
The day turned out quite nice weather wise. I should have spent more time shooting when I got there but there were people to see, stories to tell and memories of a fallen friend to share. The sun came out and gave me a decent little sunburn, I wandered the pits seeing old friends, meeting new ones. I have to say I dig this event. The cars are cool, the people are cool and the money goes to the USO/Unite for Troops.
If you want to this blog in your email inbox each time the blog goes live, go on up to the top right hand corner of the website and enter your email address. The last day of each month I randomly pick 1 subscriber to win a prize package. This month’s prize is a kustom art piece from Chaotic Customs, a Royboy Knit Winter Hat & a shirt from Stray Kat Kustoms!
Thank you to the first 2 sponsors of my site, quite frankly the only 2 that I’ve asked to sponsor the site so far. If you’d like to help sponsor Royboy Productions and provide the koolest car show coverage to folks worldwide, click here to ask me about it.
March 1, 2014 marks the second time that I went down to Denton, TX to the Texas Thaw put on by the Torques Car Club. The 1/8th mile Northstar Dragway was again the host for the 7th time. The car show area was overflowing just as last year and the drag pits were as well. Lots of vintage steel on hand for show and go.
If you want to this blog in your email inbox each time the blog goes live, go on up to the top right hand corner of the website and enter your email address. The last day of each month I randomly pick 1 subscriber to win a prize package. This month’s prize is a kustom art piece from Chaotic Customs (shown below), a Royboy Knit Winter Hat & a shirt from Stray Kat Kustoms!
Thank you to the first 2 sponsors of my site, quite frankly the only 2 that I’ve asked to sponsor the site so far. If you’d like to help sponsor Royboy Productions and provide the koolest car show coverage to folks worldwide, click here to ask me about it.
If you want to this blog in your email inbox each time the blog goes live, go on up to the top right hand corner of the website and enter your email address. The last day of each month I randomly pick 1 subscriber to win a prize package. This month’s prize is a pinstriped piece from Pinstriping By Lizzie, a Royboy Knit Winter Hat & a shirt from Hot Rod Hill Climb!
2013 was the first time that I headed down to Denton, TX’s Northstar Dragway for the Texas Thaw. The combination vintage drag races and car show was 6 years old in 2013 and had one of it’s biggest turnouts to date. The 2014 Texas Thaw goes down on March 1, again at the NorthStar Dragway right along I-35 outside of Denton, TX. For all of the info on the show go to the official website here or here on facebook.