Well I don't think the Goodguys will be the same without the VRA. I certainly enjoyed the Gazzette which included the VRA articles. I believe the Goodguys were born out of the short comings of the NSRA and took it a step further including the ever growing popularity of vintage drag racing. But now the VRA is no longer affliated with the Goodguys, ya I know Friday night drag racing will be in Ohio (woopy ****, one night) and Indy will continue. However; I have addended Indy the last eight years and this year I am switching, like so many other people, to the NHRA Reunion in Ohio..... Indy has been declining in my opinion as the NHRA Reunion has drawn exhibitors rodders and racers from Indy. What do you think? It must mean something when Hot Heads, etc. do not attend Indy no more. In my opinion the Goodguys may be in trouble, I know I do not enjoy the Gazzette as much as I did last year.... However I will continue being a member for now....
It must mean something when Hot Heads, etc. do not attend Indy no more. In my opinion the Goodguys may be in trouble, I know I do not enjoy the Gazzette as much as I did last year.... However I will continue being a member for now....[/quote] I think they are all in trouble and it due to rising fuel costs and other things. What pisses me off is all a guy needs is one magazine sub and you will eventually see all the cars from the other mags. And ive seen the same ****ing cars from event to event. Someone has to get off thier *** and go take pics of other cars. good lord how many times do we have to look at the same car. Ya so and so drove in from bfe in his model a (he is gonna go to every show if your stupid enuff to keep putting his car in the magazine). That really gets me because there are tons of cars out there. ok im done. and ive been to indy and it was way cool but if there is better then ill have to think this summer out.. Dave
Slightly O/T Been to every Indy..until a couple years ago. Got tired of dealing with the muddy parking after the monsoons (not GG's fault). A couple vendors were ***holes...Very disappointed that the fuel car count went down. And to a lesser extent, to save $$$ I guess the new just wore off that penny. Still go to Columbus, though only for one day now. Tryin to save $$
Well I have talked to many drag racers, exhibitors and rodders, who have now switched to the NHRA Reunion.... I certainly agree with you, we see the same cars day in and day out. In my opinion, some of the nicest rods are not shinny, have very little money invested in them, but the builder has captured the true spirit of the hot rod.... Fuel cost, hey, it is affecting our economy in ever way possible with m***ive layoffs in the manufacturing enviornment. So get it in-ya, run out and buy a non-North American product and see what occurs down the road. Ya, I know I got a little off topic....
Not always the case but quite often all those pictures have asphalt under them. I wonder if the powers that be think everything on gr*** is trash???? Granted there is some folks that take the time to cover some ground but not very many. First and foremost I thinkof Jim Rizzo and Damon Lee as guys I always see with gr*** stains on their sneakers....
Their opinions may change after they determine whether the change in venue was a positive thing. I for one am heading to Indy and NOT the HRR this year but then again I'm not a racer, I'm just there for the ambience.
Hey Denise: Head out to Ohio, it will probably rain as it usually does at Indy... By the way it appears, most are switching over to the Reunion....
Indy needs to be scheduled during a dry season. I've quit going because of rainouts. I sure hope nostalgia drag racing remains healthy. Sitting in a lawn chair all weekend at a car show isn't enough excitement for this senior citizen.
Just a note to clear up my thoughts on event coverage as I earlier posted. Although I do have problems with some magazines coverage of large events where as they seem to not recognize the wonderful people and vehicles off the beaten path. I painted my opinion with a broad brush and realize that is not fair. Futhermore the post was more suited for another thread and appeared to be directed at GG's as I did not intend to. Brent
Our group will be at Indy again this year. We enjoy the variety of having a good selection of vendors, the swapmeet and the drags. We too are bumed by the weather but we all live in the Midwest and just deal with it(but of course we complain). We stopped camping three years ago after we were totally washed out. Let's face it though, our hobby is changing-we are aging. It was a reality check for me when I saw the rental mobility carts at the Midwest nationals in Springfield, Mo. last year. I've been doing this for 16 years and will admit that I don't have the level of excitement I used to. Now we seem to just enjoy the comaraderie and seeing old friends and of course the road trip to and from. Those of you that come to Indy-please look us up. We'll be along the road to the Swapmeet. Stop by and say hi to the ****oose. Sam
I used to go to Indy every year. Then the NHHR started in KY. The first year we went to both events. Sill enjoyable, but it was just too much. Back to back weekends, 2000 miles on the road, missed work and lots of dollars spent. Both events are more than worthwhile, just different. I wish they were a couple of months apart.
I've been a vendor for several years at Good Guys Indy and you pretty much figure on getting only 2 good days out of 3 from Mother Nature. It's all about good friends, great cars, chasing parts and doing what we love . . . old cars. RNG (really nice vendor)
Interesting input guys. So far I don't see anything that you don't like that is in Goodguys control, except changing Indy's date, and that was talked about pretty heavily at the end of last season and Goodguys almost changed the date but decided to give it one more shot. When weather control machines hit the market, I guarantee Goodguys will be first in line. As for the Gazette, I always love comments about what's not in there. I get letters and calls with things like "You guys ****, I never see 1925 Studebaker doctor's coupes in the Gazette" , or "I am cancelling my subscription because I have been to three of your events and you still haven't put a photo of my car in the Gazette." The first guy doesn't really care whether or not one of those cars has come to an event. That second guy usually includes a photo of his '48 Dodge 4-door with an '80s paint job, no front fenders and rusted wire wheels. First of all I am VERY proud of the Gazette and my team. In my opinion we have the best magazine anywhere if you love to look at cars. And I make damn sure that we show as much variety as posssible. We average about 300-400 car photos per issue, where others are at about 100-150 max. Do you see the same cars a couple of times in the season? Yep. Especially when that guys drives to a bunch of different events, like Doc, here on the HAMB. He was in like 3 times last season because he drove to about 12 of the events. Rock on! Anyway, the reality is that car shows are car shows. You should pick which one you like and go. YOU make it a good or bad time, for you, by your actions. The best that promoters can do is give you a place to have fun. If you chose to whine and make yourself miserable, that's your deal. Oh yeah, the VRA. Believe me, Goodguys would still be doing drags if it was their choice. Goodguys did not willingly give up the March Meet, and when that is the ONLY profitable drag event you have out of four, you CANNOT continue the program. Without being on the inside, I would never have guessed how much more difficult and involved drags are than regular shows, and how much less profit there is in them. And, yes, if the VRA was the only thing you interested in that Goodguys does then you should either move on or open up to all the other things they do. Bottom line: Have fun with cars...period! PS - I always want to hear your input and suggestions. PM or email me anytime!
Kirk, You do a great job with the GG Gazette. TONS of stylish pics, loads of trad stuff, many HAMBers, what's not to like? Rich
Thanks, I really apprciate that, but I wasn't looking for praise, I was just trying to clarify whether or not there was actually a problem, or just (as is often the case) someone who had one small thing happen that they are blowing out of proportion. Usually it's that they were an *** first, but never tell that side of the story. I'm not saying that is the case here at all because I don't see a real issue being discussed, mostly griping - but some decent observations of the hobby as a whole. I'm pretty used to dealing with this kind of stuff, especially in person. I usually get some guy coming up and cussing me out (literally) before he tells me the problem. When he does tell me the problem, it is usually actually something he did, like trying to sneak in (and got caught), doing something stupid (like burnouts), or a vendor wouldn't give him a refund on a part he bought two years ago, sometimes even about the price of gas to get there. You can pretty much watch the realization of his own stupidity sink in just as he finishes telling his story. At that point I usually don't have to say anything. They apologize and go away. Hell, I've even got angry phone calls and emails for things that appear in Rod & Custom and Street Rodder...true story!
Good, cuz you, brother John, Enjengo, PurplePickup and all the rest of that group is the real reason I'll be hitting Indy again this year. YOUR group makes it worthwhile for me. Yep, it's about the people.
Well I guess I'll see all you guys at Indy again this year. I hate not to go seeing as how it's only 15 minutes from my house!!! I don't know if I'll go to HRR this year or not. I do know I will miss it not being in Bowling Green.
I think the Gazette still rocks and is by far the best mag to cover shows. where else can you see a few hundred cars in one mag..
Ok im gonna chime back in here and say .. Sorry if I came off as going after the G/G .. That was not the case and I did get a pm about my post. The person that pm'd me will not be mentioned. I was not trying to single out one orginization. My feelings are directed to all of em and i wasnt trying to single out any one person. There is another cir***stance(spelling) that you all arent aware of that kinda pissed me off and made me hold a grudge that i shoudlnt have held and this thread fired me up again.. I wont bring it up here as i didnt on my first post and I would like to apologize to anyone that may have taken my post the wrong way. Especially anyone that may have thought they were the person or persons I was talking about. I still am a G/G member and I like thier venues but by my own admittance i did boycott them all last summer and I havent decided what im going to do this comming summer but by no means do I want to sway any of you into not going .. (like you would listen to me anyway) Open mouth insert foot... Later Dave
I am in total agreement ... just because I do not attend many GG events ... does not mean they are bad ... There are so many events now ... I have to pick and choose the ones that interest me. I am not a fan of all the later year vehicles ( non HAMB eligable types ) so I only go every so often. I do plan on going to GG Charlotte this year ( have not been in a few years ) ... it is only 100 miles or so ... and they are having a 32 Ford area ... so I have been told. That's something that interests me ... so I will go ...
I have been going to GoodGuys events for years. I personally don't care the VRA left. I am not a drag racer. I am a hot rodder. If your biggest concern is the fact that VRA left then maybe you should belong to NHRA and not Good Guys!? Not to be a kiss *** but I completely agree with KIRK!. Goodguys events are all what YOU make of them. After 10 years of attending Rhinebeck I finally made the gazzette. It put a smile on my face. The picture in a magazine is cool but not what it is all about.
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