We caught up with Andy Leach, founder of CAL Auto Creations in Bennington, Nebraska, shortly after the shop won the 2025 Al Slonaker Memorial Award with a brilliant gold ’33 Pontiac sedan built for Bill and Angela Barbato. This was CAL’s second Slonaker award in
You’d be hard pressed to find someone happier about hanging out with car-guy friends and working in the industry than Mike Cotten. You may recognize Mike as half of the Motortrend TV Show “Faster with Newbern and Cotten,” perhaps from “Roadkill,” or maybe elsewhere on
If you’ve been to any national-level street rod event over the past 55 years, chances are you’ve crossed paths with Bob and Linda Galbraith from New Port Engineering. Bob attended his first Street Rod Nationals in 1970 and has not missed one since. Linda has
If you’ve watched any hot-rod-based television shows, you’ll likely recognize Kevin Tetz. He’s hosted several shows including TRUCKS TV, Truck Tech, and Classic Rides, and he’s made guest appearances on others. He’s also been an online consultant for Eastwood, LMC Truck, and other companies. Today
If you’ve ever searched for videos about a specific muscle car, there’s a good chance you came across a series called Muscle Car of the Week, hosted by Kevin Oeste. Kevin and his wife Kelle own V8TV Productions as well as the V8 Speed &
Steve Cook is the perfect example speaking softly while making a big impact. He’s been crafting award-winning vehicles out of his Oklahoma City-based shop, Steve Cook Creations, for more than 30 years, though you’ll never hear him bragging about it. He has a reserved demeanor
From the onset, you may not recognize the name Carrie Strange, but chances are that you’ve enjoyed an event that she’s involved in producing. Carrie is a force behind the scenes of many favorite automotive events such as Power Tour, Roadkill Nights, LS Fests, and
When George Poteet died July 16, the hot rodding world not only lost an incredibly active enthusiast, a prolific car collector, and a champion of land-speed racing. We also lost a tremendous advocate for our hobby and industry – a monumental force who influenced the
It’s tough to place Tony Thacker in an industry category – hot rod enthusiast, journalist, author, marketing pro, or historian. He’s done all those things, but it’s probably best to simply call him a hot rodder through and through, as few people have been as
In 1993 Alan Johnson debuted his first car, a yellow ’37 Ford cabriolet, at the Street Rod Nationals. The car earned accolades, landed on the cover of several magazines, and the word about this new kid from down south started to spread. Since that day
