A short drive across the river...
A short drive across the river from Cincinnati is Erlanger, KY, the home of C. Cook Enterprises and Auto Fab. Clay Cook and the team at C. Cook Enterprises played an important part in the metal fabrication of the nose and hood of the Road Tour pickup.
Thursday morning was another beautiful, sunny day and the drive from Altoona east across the mountains was gorgeous. We traveled over 50 miles on Route 30, which is the old Lincoln Highway, the first road to completely cross the United States. Our destination for lunch was the Totally Stainless facilities in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Totally Stainless is the official stainless fastener supplier of the '10 Road Tour. Our hosts for lunch and a tour of the business were owners Sherry and Doc Hammett. Doc went into detail about the special fasteners and stainless hardware that Totally Stainless offers in their extensive line of products. Their Total Loc header bolts have kept our roadster pickup headers tight and leak-free all season. After a good lunch it was a very short drive to the new visitors' center at the Gettysburg National Military Park. Gettysburg was the location of one of the fiercest battles of the Civil War and the site of Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address. While some of the Road Tourians had visited Gettysburg before, for many it was their first time; the new visitors' center is fantastic.
C. Cook Enterprises opened...
C. Cook Enterprises opened up their huge facility for a tour of all of the special equipment that is needed for specialty metal fabrication. Clay also gives classes to folks interested in learning more about the art of metal shaping.
By Thursday afternoon it was time to get to York and the NSRA East Coast Nationals Plus. We arrived at headquarters registration at about 3 p.m. and the traditional parking lot festivities were in full swing. This was the first year for the new NSRA extended-year format and everyone was wondering what the response would be. One look at the lot at registration told the tale. The turnout was huge with plenty of street rods joined by customs, muscle cars, and street machines. The total registration after all was said and done was 3,847. That was an increase of over 400 cars from last year and the later-model cars seemed to fit right into the mix.
It was a great weekend at the NSRA East Coast Nationals Plus. The threat of showers did not keep anyone away and the grounds were filled with participants and spectators all weekend. It was a great wrap-up to the Woody's Hot Rodz Tour. With two Road Tours of the '10 season in the books, we'll take a few weeks off, and then it's down to San Antonio, Texas, for the start of the Vintage Air Tour to the NSRA Rocky Mountain Nationals plus in Pueblo, Colorado.
Traveling through Amish country...
Traveling through Amish country we made our way to Delaware, in central Ohio. Delaware is home to Jegs Motorsport, the huge mail-order company known worldwide simply as Jegs.
Watch for the coverage of all the '10 Road Tours in upcoming issues of STREET RODDER.
Just northeast of Cincinnati,...
Just northeast of Cincinnati, in the small town of Goshen, we made a lunch stop at Danny's Rod Shop. Danny, his crew, and trailer were loaded and ready to head out to the NSRA East Coast Nationals in York but they took time to greet our group and show us around the shop.
There is no name in drag racing...
There is no name in drag racing that is better known than Jegs. What began many years ago as a hobby/business for father Jeg Coughlin has grown into one of the most successful race teams in the world. We were fortunate to get a behind-the-scenes look at both the race shop and the mail-order business.
It was a long drive across...
It was a long drive across Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania to the home of Alumicraft near the town of Altoona. Owner Dan Baker and his father, Delmar, were ready when we arrived and we were treated to some great barbecue. In the background are just a few of the many styles of street rod grilles that Alumicraft manufactures.