Promoting any kind of drag races in the 1980s and ’90s without names like Big Daddy, the Snake, Raymond Beadle, Shirley, and John Force was an exercise in futility. Undeterred, Goodguys founder Gary Meadors battled that dilemma for a half decade doing vintage drags, often
After World War II, hot rods and customs developed on parallel yet different tracks. Innovators like George Barris and Gene Winfield massaged metal in unique and shapely ways, creating stunning pieces of rolling art. At the same time, racers like Ed Iskenderian and Alex Xydias
When Gary Meadors launched Goodguys, he was very deliberate about calling it a Rod & Custom Association. The inclusion of customs and ’50s vehicles differentiated Goodguys in the early years and brought variety to those early events that was seldom seen at other national hot
There are plenty of famous hot rods – the Niekamp roadster, the Pierson coupe, the Buttera tall T. We could go on and on. But few hot rods have reached across the pages of automotive buff books into the imagination of the general public. One
There are rock stars, and then there is rock & roll royalty. Hot rodding is lucky in that the royals chose us. They speak our language. This story started in 1972 when a long-haired British guitar virtuoso named Jeff Beck walked into Andy Brizio’s Shop on
You’d be hard pressed to find a hot rodder or classic vehicle enthusiast who doesn’t have a story or two about an old truck. Whether it’s a shop truck, parts hauler, work vehicle, or a finely crafted show truck, most of us have tales to
You’d be hard pressed to find a hot rodder or classic vehicle enthusiast who doesn’t have a story or two about an old truck. Whether it’s a shop truck, parts hauler, work vehicle, or a finely crafted show truck, most of us have tales to
The 1955 Indianapolis 500 played a pivotal role in that tragic season. In the second paragraph of “Against Death and Time” - Brock Yates’ novel about that brutal season begins with an encounter between the narrator and a character who happened to be a photographer: “We
The 1995 Goodguys Spring Nationals was held a decade before the Goodguys Del Mar Nationals. The Spring Nationals was a fixture at the Fairplex in Pomona. With its close proximity to so many hot rod shops, legends and history, the event was always a good
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
