Tire Guy Does It Again
Corky Coker, president of Coker Tire Company, the world's largest distributor of tires and wheels for collector vehicles, has been selected as the Automotive Restoration Market Organization's Person of the Year. To the rest of us, Corky is the guy who makes tires and wheels that we find indispensable when building a period-correct street rod or restoring an ol' favorite. The annual ARMO award recognizes and honors one member for their outstanding achievements in the restoration industry. Coker was a founding member and former chairman of ARMO, which is the auto restoration council within SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association).
In early 2005, Coker received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Hot Rod Association for his unrelenting commitment and dedication to the preservation and expansion of the sport. After serving numerous years on the SEMA board of directors, he was elected by his peers to become the chairman of the board of SEMA in 2003, making him the trade organization's first board chairman to come from the restoration/hot rod segment of the automotive aftermarket. Or as we around the STREET RODDER offices like to think, one of us!
As an avid supporter of the hobby of antique vehicles, including a personal collection of more than 50 collector cars and trucks and over 30 vintage motorcycles, Coker regularly participates in car shows and rallies, which allows him to recognize collectors' growing demands for rare tires that are no longer commercially available.
Goodguys/DuPont Hot Hues 2006 Hot Rod of the Year
The Goodguys/DuPont Hot Hues Hot Rod of the Year award will be selected this year at the 18th Hot Rod Nationals, June 9-11, at Indianapolis Raceway Park. The new award was first presented in 2005 as a regional award in which six finalists from around the country were selected before the overall winner-Doug MacLander and his Hemified '32 Ford highboy sedan-was announced. This year, however, the circumstances have changed. "We wanted to make it an annual award at our Hot Rod Nationals," said Goodguys president Gary Meadors. "It just seemed like a better fit to award the Hot Rod of the Year at our Hot Rod Nationals."
Owners interested in putting their cars in the competition for this award will enter the Hot Rod of the Year staging area, Friday, June 9, at IRP at 9 a.m. sharp. The hot rods will then leave IRP and visit Indianapolis Motor Speedway to take the special Indy Track Cruise. From the Speedway, the cars will tour up to the Automotive Heritage Museum in Kokomo. From there, everyone will return to the event. On Saturday, June 10, all Hot Rod of the Year candidates will participate in the Goodguys Street Rod Shootout-an eighth-mile heads-up drag and brag run on the IRP quarter-mile. Following the Street Rod Shootout, the winner will be selected. Times and speeds posted during the Street Rod Shootout will not determine the overall winner, as the runs are simply a way to help establish that the Hot Rod of the Year is a true hot rod fully capable of smoking the tires and romping through the eighth-mile.
"This will be a stage for a guy or gal with a real hot rod to show what both they and their cars are made of," Meadors said. The Goodguys/DuPont Hot Hues Hot Rod of the Year award is open to all hot rods 1948 and earlier. For more information, visit www.good-guys.com.
Would You Like A New Chevrolet HHR?The National Street Rod Association continues its new vehicle giveaway program, and in 2006 will give away a brand-new Chevrolet HHR at each Divisional Nationals ... that's 12 new Chevrolet HHRs in 2006, one at each of the 12 NSRA Divisional Nationals. This is the 17th year in a row for this giveaway program, and at the conclusion of this NSRA season, a total of 170 brand-new Chevrolet vehicles will have been given away to NSRA event participants over the span of the program.
The winner of each of the 12 Chevrolet HHRs given away this year will be determined during the Sunday awards program at the conclusion of each event. To be eligible, you must be a registered participant of the event with your NSRA Sunday-Only ticket deposited in the container in the awards area. Every registered participant of each of the 12 NSRA Divisional Nationals is automatically eligible to win one of the 12 vehicles. Enter and attend all the NSRA Divisional Nationals and you have even more chances to win. You will have to agree, this is one super giveaway, and as a specialty vehicle activity participant, you won't find a better one anywhere.
For more information on all the NSRA regional and national events, contact National Street Rod Association, 4030 Park Ave., Dept. SRM, Memphis, TN 38111; call (901) 452-4030; or visit www.nsra-usa.com.