Motown to Cowtown – Goodguys 2019 Hall of Fame Road Tour East

If you’re planning a multi-state caravan of vintage hot rods, muscle cars, and trucks, there’s no better starting point than Detroit – the place where so many of these rides originated. That was the philosophy behind the East leg of the 2019 Goodguys Hall of Fame Road Tour – one of two tours (we covered the West leg yesterday) that ventured across the country aiming toward the Goodguys Lone Star Nationals in Fort Worth. From Motown to Cowtown, the East tour was a rockin’ good time!

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Goodguys, hall of fame road tour, Goodguys road tour, road trip

More than 60 vehicles started out on this leg, meeting up in the Detroit suburb of Brighton on September 20 to embark on a seven-day, 2,000-mile adventure taking us south-by-southwest to Texas. There were plenty of Hall of Fame Road Tour veterans in the group joined by many first-time participants who got a fresh taste of all the good things a Goodguys Hall of Fame Road Tour has to offer. It’s more than just a road trip, folks – it’s a true on-the-road experience filled with fun times, great friendships, and visits to incredible shops, sights, and collections, many of which are not open to the public.

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There’s so much automotive history and heritage in the Detroit area that we spent our first two days in the region, taking in sights like Lingenfelter Performance, Dart Machinery, the Roush Collection, Livernois Motorsports, and the expansive General Motors Heritage Center and Henry Ford Museum. Talk about sensory overload!

Day 1

Day 2

After two days in Detroit, we were ready to head to points south, rolling through Ohio and Indiana over the next couple of days. There were plenty of stops along the way, including Smitty’s Custom Automotive, Brookville Roadster, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, Chip Ganassi Racing, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We even got to take our vintage rides for a couple of laps around the track!

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Other sights in Indiana included the historic West Baden Springs Hotel, a dinner stop at RideTech, and a visit to a cool historic gas station recently restored by RideTech founder Bret Voelkel. The journey continued into Kentucky and Tennessee, stopping in at Legens Hot Rod Shop before making it down the road into Memphis, where we got to take part in a cruise night on historic Beale Street. How cool is that!

Goodguys, hall of fame road tour, Goodguys road tour, road trip

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

We stopped by Comp Cams headquarters before leaving Memphis, and then made our way through some winding two-lane highways into Arkansas, weaving our way to an overnight stay at the scenic vacation town of Hot Springs. Our final day found us traversing more winding, wooded two-lane highways en route to a lunch stop in Texarkana before a final freeway blast into Texas, where we met up with the West tour at Summit Racing’s huge store and warehouse in Arlington.

Day 6

Day 7

It’s hard to beat a full week on the road in a vintage car or truck, cruising along the highways of America with a group of like-minded enthusiasts. A combination of planned, organized stops and unexpected sights and discoveries along the way made this year’s East tour a spectacular adventure. It’s no wonder so many participants are regulars, opting to come on the Hall of Fame Road Tour year after year. Check out the photos and we’re pretty sure they’ll have you itching to hit the road, too.

Photos by Damon Lee & Brandon Flannery

Editor, Goodguys Gazette

Damon Lee began snapping photos at car shows when he was 10, tagging along with his father to events throughout the Midwest. He has combined his passion for cars and knack for writing and imagery into a 20-year career in the automotive aftermarket, writing for titles like Super Chevy and Rod & Custom and, more recently, working for respected industry leaders Speedway Motors and Goodguys Rod & Custom Association.