Dreamcast18
05-05-2007, 12:24 PM
http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2007/May-04-Fri-2007/news/14152821.html
By BUZZ SODEMAN
SPECIAL TO THE PVT
If you're a "gear head," "car nut" or just like to appreciate the efforts of the United Auto Workers products that roll off assembly lines worldwide, last weekend was just your kind of weekend: not just an off-road race but a car show at Petrack Park and a full slate of racing action at the Pahrump Valley Speedway.
I was fortunate enough to take in the car show, touch base with an ex-oval track racer turned "whoopee desert jumper and dust eater," and of course, cover the racetrack. First, a quick observation about the three diverse groups.
The off-road racers were by far the least friendly of the three gatherings. Maybe they were putting on their game faces for vehicle inspection or for the $40,000 guaranteed purse, but they definitely weren't appreciative of the attention that their colorful, big-tired, monster-shocked behemoths drew.
When would a comment like "That is one sharp looking paint job on your truck," not draw at least a "thank you"? My old oval track acquaintance, Alan Levinson (some of you may remember his Chevrolet pickup racing in the Super Stock class a few years back), was an exception. He has always been friendly, smiling with an outstretched hand.
The off-road crowd seems to think that on the weekend of their races we, as citizens of Pahrump, turn our town over to them. Trying to navigate through the Pahrump Nugget parking lot sometimes required a GPS guidance system. At least twice I was forced to back up after getting to the end of a row only to find that the inconsiderate racers had blocked access to an outlet.
On a positive note, I did see one of the vendors in the Terrible's parking lot give a remote car to a youngster being interviewed over the p.a. system, and unless someone got up really early, they left the premises pretty much litter free.
Next on my agenda were the Valley Cruisers of Pahrump and their fundraising car show and shine - auto parts swap meet at Petrack Park.
The Valley Cruisers have been putting on car shows for 12 years; this year's lucky recipient of a check for $3,000 was the Pahrump Valley High School Band and music program. The band also provided entertainment to a great crowd, considering the wind and the heat along with the band "On Target."
Valley Cruisers is a non-profit organization dedicated to "the Classic Automobile." If you were to ask 10 people to describe what they would expect to see at a "classic car show," you'd get 10 different answers.
Perhaps the one common denominator is that young drivers look at participants of these events as being either hippies or individuals stuck in a time warp of the 1950s and '60's.
There may have been several individuals that fit that definition, who appreciated the automobile before government regulation took the muscle cars and turned them into fuel-efficient vehicles with more plastic than chrome.
One hundred twenty-nine cars, in 13 classes, were on display at the park.
There were original automobiles from 1920 to 2007: street rods, hot rods, pickups, full customs, competition cars, T-buckets, motorcycles, convertibles, modified originals, sports cars, special entries (golf carts, custom bicycles, custom wagons) and a special class for youngsters 21 and under.
Supporting the Valley Cruisers were 25 entries by members of the Area 51 Corvette Club.
While I can appreciate their desire to have clean, dust-free, immaculate cars, I felt little sympathy for their complaints about the barrel-racing horse competition at the adjacent McCullough Arena.
While Cruisers President Jim Gallagher might look like Jesus Christ (a quote from him, not an evaluation on my part), he certainly cannot control the wind nor the dust kicked up by individuals enjoying their equestrian passion. Even the Garden of Eden would probably have the wind and dust to deal with.
On the whole, classic car men and women are more than willing to answer any and all questions from "How many coats of custom paint does that 'vette have?" to "How much did it cost to have that undercarriage chromed?"
I honestly don't know how anyone could possibly judge the wide array of cars, but somehow someone determined that the Best in Show trophy went to a red 1959 Chevrolet Apache truck owned by Robert Burke of Pahrump.
In addition, the Cinderella Girls handed out 60 Outstanding Vehicle awards, to proud owners.
One of the exhibitors was from distant Rhode Island.
Another personal favorite of mine was the super modified Chevy owned by Mike Williams. Williams proudly told me, "This was the 1969 USAC champion car, formerly the No. 66." Williams campaigned the race car throughout a seven-state schedule.
If I had the responsibility of picking a winner, I would have had a hard choice between the 2001 Chrysler Prowler owned by Diane Morris or the Corvette convertible with the outstanding paint job owned by Connie and Rick Raditch.
The deciding factor would have been the "seat covers" that hid the original seats of the Prowler. Fortunately, no one asked me to make the decision, even though I have judged all-breed dog shows and puppy matches.
Because this event was 1) making a donation to our area youth and 2) staying right here in Pahrump, I think that those businesses that paid to advertise on the back of the Valley Cruiser's souvenir T-shirts should receive kudos and the support of the community: Saitta-Trudeau Chrysler/Dodge, Desert Lumber, Master Auto Body, Desert View Dental, Pahrump Realty and Tropical RV Center, who had two of their beautiful Motor Coaches on hand.
By BUZZ SODEMAN
SPECIAL TO THE PVT
If you're a "gear head," "car nut" or just like to appreciate the efforts of the United Auto Workers products that roll off assembly lines worldwide, last weekend was just your kind of weekend: not just an off-road race but a car show at Petrack Park and a full slate of racing action at the Pahrump Valley Speedway.
I was fortunate enough to take in the car show, touch base with an ex-oval track racer turned "whoopee desert jumper and dust eater," and of course, cover the racetrack. First, a quick observation about the three diverse groups.
The off-road racers were by far the least friendly of the three gatherings. Maybe they were putting on their game faces for vehicle inspection or for the $40,000 guaranteed purse, but they definitely weren't appreciative of the attention that their colorful, big-tired, monster-shocked behemoths drew.
When would a comment like "That is one sharp looking paint job on your truck," not draw at least a "thank you"? My old oval track acquaintance, Alan Levinson (some of you may remember his Chevrolet pickup racing in the Super Stock class a few years back), was an exception. He has always been friendly, smiling with an outstretched hand.
The off-road crowd seems to think that on the weekend of their races we, as citizens of Pahrump, turn our town over to them. Trying to navigate through the Pahrump Nugget parking lot sometimes required a GPS guidance system. At least twice I was forced to back up after getting to the end of a row only to find that the inconsiderate racers had blocked access to an outlet.
On a positive note, I did see one of the vendors in the Terrible's parking lot give a remote car to a youngster being interviewed over the p.a. system, and unless someone got up really early, they left the premises pretty much litter free.
Next on my agenda were the Valley Cruisers of Pahrump and their fundraising car show and shine - auto parts swap meet at Petrack Park.
The Valley Cruisers have been putting on car shows for 12 years; this year's lucky recipient of a check for $3,000 was the Pahrump Valley High School Band and music program. The band also provided entertainment to a great crowd, considering the wind and the heat along with the band "On Target."
Valley Cruisers is a non-profit organization dedicated to "the Classic Automobile." If you were to ask 10 people to describe what they would expect to see at a "classic car show," you'd get 10 different answers.
Perhaps the one common denominator is that young drivers look at participants of these events as being either hippies or individuals stuck in a time warp of the 1950s and '60's.
There may have been several individuals that fit that definition, who appreciated the automobile before government regulation took the muscle cars and turned them into fuel-efficient vehicles with more plastic than chrome.
One hundred twenty-nine cars, in 13 classes, were on display at the park.
There were original automobiles from 1920 to 2007: street rods, hot rods, pickups, full customs, competition cars, T-buckets, motorcycles, convertibles, modified originals, sports cars, special entries (golf carts, custom bicycles, custom wagons) and a special class for youngsters 21 and under.
Supporting the Valley Cruisers were 25 entries by members of the Area 51 Corvette Club.
While I can appreciate their desire to have clean, dust-free, immaculate cars, I felt little sympathy for their complaints about the barrel-racing horse competition at the adjacent McCullough Arena.
While Cruisers President Jim Gallagher might look like Jesus Christ (a quote from him, not an evaluation on my part), he certainly cannot control the wind nor the dust kicked up by individuals enjoying their equestrian passion. Even the Garden of Eden would probably have the wind and dust to deal with.
On the whole, classic car men and women are more than willing to answer any and all questions from "How many coats of custom paint does that 'vette have?" to "How much did it cost to have that undercarriage chromed?"
I honestly don't know how anyone could possibly judge the wide array of cars, but somehow someone determined that the Best in Show trophy went to a red 1959 Chevrolet Apache truck owned by Robert Burke of Pahrump.
In addition, the Cinderella Girls handed out 60 Outstanding Vehicle awards, to proud owners.
One of the exhibitors was from distant Rhode Island.
Another personal favorite of mine was the super modified Chevy owned by Mike Williams. Williams proudly told me, "This was the 1969 USAC champion car, formerly the No. 66." Williams campaigned the race car throughout a seven-state schedule.
If I had the responsibility of picking a winner, I would have had a hard choice between the 2001 Chrysler Prowler owned by Diane Morris or the Corvette convertible with the outstanding paint job owned by Connie and Rick Raditch.
The deciding factor would have been the "seat covers" that hid the original seats of the Prowler. Fortunately, no one asked me to make the decision, even though I have judged all-breed dog shows and puppy matches.
Because this event was 1) making a donation to our area youth and 2) staying right here in Pahrump, I think that those businesses that paid to advertise on the back of the Valley Cruiser's souvenir T-shirts should receive kudos and the support of the community: Saitta-Trudeau Chrysler/Dodge, Desert Lumber, Master Auto Body, Desert View Dental, Pahrump Realty and Tropical RV Center, who had two of their beautiful Motor Coaches on hand.