The Reverend Billy F Gibbons One day in 1998, just after the November ’97 re-launch of the SO-CAL Speed Shop my mentor and boss Pete Chapouris said, “Grab your camera, we’re going to Billy Gibbons ZZ Top warehouse in Texas.” Billy Gibbons, front man of ZZ Top
One of the first things I noticed when I came to work for Goodguys in the fall of 1990 is how loyal everyone was to each other and what a tight-knit fraternity hot rodding was. Goodguy Gary was very close friends with guys like Bill
Fremont Raceway (1959-1988) was known for many things. Located in the bayside marshlands 30 miles Southeast of San Francisco it featured the best “bite” and “air” of any quarter mile in the United States. The land was owned by Southern Pacific Railroad who doled out
The 1996 Goodguys Pacific Northwest Nationals is today's time capsule. The mid-summer event is second oldest Goodguys national event on their schedule. Held each July – it is the Northwest’s signature summertime hot rod show enveloping the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup with
The Oakland Roadster Show, popular for over 65 years now, could be a candidate for the Survivor show. Initially called National Roadster Show, it has remained surprisingly popular despite having changed location six times over the years, attracting crowds from across the country. The current
Laying in a hospital bed, recovering from illness or injury, affords the mind a certain freedom to free-associate, to review life’s choices, map a new path forward. There is perhaps no greater example of this than the late Bill Simpson, the man who made safety
There are legends of hot rodding, and then there are legends. Carroll Shelby squarely falls in the latter category. Few hot rodders of the post-War era — and the term “hot rodder” is far too limiting a term in this instance — left a mark as
Long before Texas Motor Speedway was built, Goodguys Rod and Custom was holding the Lone Star Nationals down in the great state of Texas. First held at Southfork Ranch in Dallas, it was moved to the Dallas Fair Park before heading back to Southfork Ranch
All parties must come to an end, and for the horsepower party in America that was the very early ‘70s. Escalating insurance rates, an oil shortage, and a massive recession quickly became the “ugly lights” after last call. After a decade of unbridled fun and
If there was ever a golden age of Top Fuel in the Northwest it would be the 1970's, in particular the mid to late years of the decade. At the time there were upwards of 30 licensed TF drivers in NHRA Division Six. The 1978
