Event Coverage California Hot Rod Reunion

Went Friday & Saturday; took a few shabby pictures of cars in the grove. Good action on the strip, with a lot of proper cars. The crowd was a little light Friday, but was decent Saturday. The swap meet was the same overpriced stuff you see year after year and smaller. "Cacklefest"was a total joke compared to last year; still had a great time, was worth making the drive.

 

Do they still charge to park in the Grove???? I remember going to that every year up to the 25th one.... When it started they would have a barbeque lunch included in your ticket price... Then it grew to big to manage that anymore and the year they stopped they raised ticket prices...Made a few folks mad....Parking in the grove was a first come first serve basis and then they started charging for that and that is when I quit going.....Not only had to pay for admission but pay them to have the car show in the grove.... NHRA is making fans pay to much for things...

 

Big thanks to Good Vibrations and dragracer.tv for streaming coverage for those of us who couldn’t make it there this year.

 

Cool

 

How does one sign up/register/pay to park in The Grove? Have never found that on the website when buying tickets?

 

I believe you use to have to purchase that thru the NHRA museum in Pomona....

 

Thanks for the pics, That was my yellow/blue/rust colored roadster in the grove and my ‘32 fordor. I had a good time, stayed for the cackle fest and agree a total joke. Only 5 cars. The grove is standard admission but last few years they have been charging $30 per car to park in there. Between me, my wife and car puts it close to $100 to get in the gate. Luckily I had a buddy that wanted to drive my fordor in so he said he would pay for that car.

 

When I took my Austin, we just drove up to the pit entrance gate (Gate #1, I think) and paid for the car show entry for the weekend. Included everything we needed to have us and the car in the Grove all weekend. We went out to the main spectator parking, unloaded the Austin and drove on in through the pit entrance. We drove around the pit area for kix, then made our way into the Grove and parked it. No problem. Met a bunch of nice folks, great weekend.

 

Thanks for the pics.

 

Thanks!

 

That is the website, have bought my tickets there- but have never found a link or mention of Grove parking on there

 

I went on Saturday and watch some racing and talk to a couple friends that were selling in the swap meet. They said they haven't sold anything. No pictures but I did talk to Linda Vaughn for about a minute about her dog General. I left early when a Camaro crashed and hit the K rail pretty bad

 

I live in North Carolina and go to the hot rod reunion when ever I can , I will pay your admission ticket and pay to put your car in the grove. You pay for my plane ticket and my rental car from L A and hotel.

 

So you were able to do it by buying your tickets at the booth to the left of the gate? First time I went we bought our tix there, but after that I bought in advance from the website, where I found no option for Grove parking. BTW one year there was a 65 Riviera in there that had a complete 64-66 TBird interior installed in it, white on white, looked great, that wraparound rear seat fit perfect

 

Actually, there was a gate open to the right of the main pit gate and they directed us there. The folks took the money, went to a table under a canopy, processed everything, then brought us our change and the window tag and stuff. We didn't want the van and trailer inside so they directed us back out the exit side of the pit gate and we parked straight out from the spectator ticket booth to unload.
I've never pre-registered when putting a car in the Grove, We just get there very early and do it. Since the big fiasco a few years ago, the lines have been nothing compared to the good old days, but participation seems to be increasing lately. Honestly, you never know what the process is going to be, they aren't very good at communicating it and they aren't afraid to change things whenever they want to.

 

I can’t tell from the online coverage, how was the spectator turnout this year? Was the Grove full on Saturday?

 

From the NHRA Museum website, it looks like a three day parking pass in the Grove was $30.

 

Thanks for the pics...nice rides and the weather seemed top notch as well...

 

The 41 Chevy is a killer custom.

 

My opinion is the Grove on Saturday was half empty

 

Thanks

 

I thought it was half full...
Light spectator crowd Friday, Saturday was busy, but not uncomfortably crowded; too many golf carts.

 

Yeah, Saturday is usually the big spectator and car show crowd day while Friday and Sunday are lighter.
My impression has been that the big fiasco and subsequent departure of Steve Gibbs dropped the attendance a bunch, then Covid slowed the comeback, and now it seems that a lot of the long time fans and show participants are “aging out”. It may or may not ever get back to the glory days when the place was absolutely packed with racers and show cars. There was a time when they needed a big overflow show car area set aside in the pits and show cars lined the road bordering the swap meet. It was crazy.
The golf carts have always been a nuisance, a couple years ago a knucklehead at the fence in his custom golf cart backed over a lady sending her for an ambulance ride. Being parked next to the Budweiser girls and downing one after another probably didn’t help the situation. I watched an old guy in the Grove pick the wrong gear and mangle the open door of a show car once. They definitely shouldn’t allow motorized vehicles in the aisles in front of the stands except for designated handicap areas.
Regardless, I’ll continue to go until I can’t. We usually get there early Friday and stay through the finals on Sunday, sleeping in our van. Nothing like waking up at the track, having a breakfast burrito and coffee in the cool morning air while race engines slowly come to life.

 

When I go, I hang out mainly with the A/FX guys, who put on a great show that hot rodders can relate to. Unfortunately, that are at the bottom of the totem pole, have to run first thing in the morning before a lot of spectators arrive, and when the Pro Mod cars oil down the track causing long delays, the A/FXers can just get cut later in the day. They had a pretty good turnout of cars this year, too bad they don't get treated better. I also have a nephew that crew chiefs on a Nostalgia T/F car, with his flaming redhead wife, who likes leather and fishnets, backing up the car

 

that is my 2nd favorite event of all time next to Paso. went 4 or 5 years in a row but haven't seemed to make it back for quite some time. I'd run around non stop taking pictures while my buddy al bundy would be in the swap talking to people about vintage speed parts. the perfect scenario since I was a nut for pictures back then and he was nuts for vintage speed. I would take over 1,000 to get 300-400 good ones.

@HEMI32 and I went one year, I don't think he fully realized that I was on a non-stop photo taking mission at this show. hope he had fun trying to keep. good times.

 

Now THIS is a backup crew

 

How many cars Cackled? Any pictures?

 

I believe the first one I went to was around '04 and it was glorious. The grove and the pits were packed with legendary cars. It was instantly my favorite event. The year that Don Prudhomme finished the restoration on the Snake & Mongoose ramp trucks I got to watch him unload the car from about two feet away. I met Prudhomme & McEwen, Tommy Ivo, Gas Ronda and Linda Vaughn and got signed photos from each of them. This event was incredible. Then something (not sure what) happened and became a shell of it's former self (just like the March Meet). The last time I went (2019) it was so bad that I was back home (a hundred mile drive) by 11:30 am and that included a stop in Visalia for burritos.

 

It was absurd. It was constantly delayed with inane palavering on the PA; then they finally scrounge together 5 cars, a couple altered Fiats, two dragsters, and the highlight, the Freight Train. Could have been home an hour earlier.
I just do not get it, last year was great.