5th Annual Syracuse Nationals

Summertime is the one word that all rodders can relate to regardless which coast they hail from. It's a time of year when you can literally drive the tires off of your ride, a time when long days and late nights out having fun are in order, and a season where barbeque, apple pie, and icy cold treats rule. Whether you travel alone, or with other car owners, one thing for sure is that when a group of rods and customs finally park somewhere to share their mutual appreciation for what they have created, an overwhelming feeling of camaraderie can easily be seen and felt. It's often said that you can measure the success of an event by how well it is received by its attendees and by its growth as it continues to evolve as the years pass. If this is the case, the Syracuse Nationals has hit a home run with its ability to almost double in size in the last five years, while bringing rodders an event that they can clearly call their own.

Syracuse is a city that is ever so rich in architecture, culture and history that it allows rodders plenty of enjoyable things to do during the day and lots of exciting nightlife to take in after hours. If you were lucky enough to plan an extended stay in the area, you could easily have taken in a multitude of sights. Like, The Museum of Automotive History that contains one of the world's largest collections of artifacts of automobile culture with over 10,000 pieces to be seen. Or, you could set a course through the breathtaking Finger Lakes region to check out some of the coolest shorelines in the East, while stopping by to tour some of the finest wineries on the Seneca, Cayuga or Keuka wine trails. There was also the chance for you to have made the trek out to Cooperstown to swing into the National Baseball Hall of Fame to check out a real slice of Americana. Then there was the free picnic for car owners at picturesque Oneida Shores on Wednesday. Let's not forget that the internationally known 13th Annual New York State Rhythm and Blues Festival was also in town for the weekend featuring some of the country's most well-known performers, like Robert Cray and Johnny Winter, who were in town to rip it up and leave the crowds in awe.

The Nationals are hosted at the New York State Fairgrounds, which is an expansive tree-lined venue with great cruising lanes that boasts 360 acres for visitors to checkout during their stay, and by the time each morning arrived, no one was wasting any time getting in and getting settled! Once you had your coffee and got your engines revved up, it was time to check out some of the 200-plus vendors, including PPG, Air Ride Technologies, Falken Tire and countless others who were showing off their latest wares and answering any and all questions that you might have had on their products.

While walking the fairgrounds your senses were on total overload thanks to the endless rods, customs and musclecars on display, covering everything from cutting-edge high-tech to traditional styles. Being that this is not a trophy-driven event, it allows rodders the chance to simply put on some suntan lotion, take that extended walk or simply hang out.

Throughout the weekend there were plenty of live performances from bands at different stages on the fairgrounds from such well known artists as "The Duke of Earl" Gene Chandler, Dunes and the Del Tunes, Souled Out, and the Fab Five, not to mention that you could have met up with Candy Clark and Bo Hopkins of American Graffiti fame. If this sounds like fun, take another breath 'cuz there was even more happening with both Friday and Saturday evening featuring members of the International Burnout Association melting tires till they exploded, flamethrowers lighting up the sky with pressurized fireballs, and the American Tractor Pulling Association creating immeasurable thunder with blown alcohol two- and four-wheel-drive pullers doing their thing. Cap off each night with spectacular fireworks and you barely have time to catch your breath.

Fast becoming known for its massive giveaway program that seems to grow even bigger every year, the Syracuse Nationals teamed up with Dave Tucci of Tucci Engineering in Marcy, New York, once again to create a totally wicked turn-key '37 Ford pickup to be given away to one lucky car owner attending the event on Saturday. Lucky kat on the block, Mike O'Brien of Collinsville, Connecticut, was able to claim the keys to the envy of every rodder in the audience! Sunday brought the huge products giveaway, which has also become a major attendance breaker.

By the time the event had come to a close, over 6,500 cars had driven the grounds and an estimated 73,000 visitors had checked out the incredible horsepower festival. As in years past, thanks to the overwhelming cooperation of the Central New York Car Club Association (who are the hosts of the show), donations were made from proceeds of the event in the amount of $15,000 to a number of local charities bringing the five-year donation total to $80,000!

This truly is one enormous show that has captured the attention of thousands of rodders from across the country and Canada who will be back to enjoy all of next year's festivities. It's easy to see that event promoter Bob O'Connor has a true hit on his hands. Do yourself a favor and make plans now to check it out next year! You can dig it at www.rightcoastcars.com.