The 2009 Amsoil/Street Rodder Road Tour Leg 4

When the folks at Brookville Roadsters introduced their steel '32 Ford roadster a decade ago it was an instant hit. Two years ago they brought out their steel '32 coupe body, which was received by street rodders with the same enthusiasm.

It is fun to enjoy the Mid-Ohio Race Course view from the stands but it is much more fun to enjoy the view while you are traveling around the course in your street rod. All of the Jones Group Tour participants had a blast taking a few "hot laps."

While the town of Brookville may be small, the name Brookville Roadsters is a very big name in the street rod hobby.

This is only a small portion of the 85-car collection of Don Snyder Jr. We counted five genuine factory Ford Thunderbolts, including the very first and the very last ones built by Ford in the mid-'60s.

The Jones Group folks invited many of their clients to stop by Tuesday evening to see the cars. There were almost 100 local rodders in attendance.

Any day is a good day that ends at a Quaker Steak and Lube restaurant. Tuesday's full day of activities on the Jones Group Tour wrapped up at "the Lube" in Austintown, Ohio.

Wednesday morning we stopped at the offices of Classic Automobilia in Youngstown, Ohio. The '50s diner-themed showroom is filled with automotive nostalgia items and both new and original pedal cars. Everyone on the tour seemed to recognize something from days gone by that triggered a memory or two.

Fred Warren greeted us at his showroom and workshop in nearby Warren, Ohio. It is amazing to stand in the same room with the Smoothster Shockwave, which won the 50th Grand National Roadster Show, the AreoCoupe that won the Ridler Award in 1994, and more of his prized collection. Patti and Fred are always gracious hosts and enjoy sharing their treasures with fellow street rodders.

While we were parked at the Drake Well Museum an early passenger train chugged by filled with tourists. They seemed to enjoy our cars as much as we enjoyed their mode of transportation.

Our destination for Wednesday evening was Painted Post, New York. The four-hour drive on Wednesday afternoon took us through some great scenery and plenty of two-lane highways.

By Wednesday afternoon we stopped in Titusville, Pennsylvania, and the Drake Well Museum. It was the first commercial oil well in the United States and it has been accurately reproduced. The surrounding grounds of the museum depicted the early days of the oil business in America.

Kurt Allen of the Jones Group rode with his father Walt on the tour. It was the maiden voyage for Walt's recently finished '54 Chevy pickup and it performed flawlessly on the trip from Youngstown to Syracuse.

Watkins Glen is one of the most famous road race courses in America. The setting is the Finger Lakes Region in the middle of New York's wine country. Ron Hickman decided to take the Thunder Road Tour of the entire 3 1/2-mile course. According to Ron it was some very fast and very exciting hot laps around the facility.

The AMSOIL/STREET RODDER Road Tour tent was a place for both tour participants and well wishers to gather. The weather was great for the Syracuse Nationals this year.

Good weather and a nice facility always make for a great car show. Bob O'Conner and all the folks at the Right Coast put a tremendous amount of effort into the Syracuse Nationals. By the 7,000-plus cars in attendance and the thousands of spectators, it is evident that their hard work is appreciated.