Indy 100 Years part 2

Here is some more pictures of the 100 year Indy 500 festival

Best Of The Summer 2011 Part 1

The summer of 2011 was action packed this year. Lots of stuff going on. It started early and kept going right into the fall. As many of you know I have a soft spot for the Indy 500. 2011 was the 100th anniversary of the race. The speedway held a festival on the opening week of the track at the beginning of the month of May. There was a special car show that included 100 hand picked restored cars. This was a very special show as there was some cars there that i never had even seen before as well as some VERY rare pieces like a tucker and a 37 lincoln with a lincoln v-12 flathead. The race cars is what stole the show. Again hand picked from each "era" of Indy. 1911-1941, 1946-1963, 1964-1986. The cars where then led out to the track in the afternoon. The cars ran on the speedway with the pace car. They didn't run at race speed but many of the cars ran at right around 100. Many of these cars will not even run much slower than that. My dad and i where there as guest of an oral surgeon my dad became aqainted with recently. He has Emerson Fittipaldi's 86 March. His car was part of the guest list. When we walked out onto pit road, i can't even describe to you what that was like. My Dad and I where on the racer side of the fence at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Although the track has changed somewhat in it's 110 year existence it still has a mystic that i don't think can compare to much else. There is NOTHING like hearing a race engine run down the front straight at Indy. Check out the pictures. Many of these cars are the real thing and are not modernized. One of my favorites was the #48 Novi Grooved Piston Special. This car killed or crippled every driver that got in it and started what is refered to as the "Novi Curse" although Novi's held speed records and many poles at indy from the 40's -70's they never won a 500 and almost never finished the race. We spent a great day and has become one my favorite things i've got to do in a long time. More of the best of 2011 next week.

There's a story behind the Title.

You maybe wondering where the title came from. Well back when i was about twelve and my buddy Anthony and I had learned that there was a great big world out there to explore on a bicycle. So one day Anthony, Me and my neighbor at the time Steve took off on our bikes and came across BJ's Country Corner. BJ's was located just south of the Chicago Northwestern Railroad on Ardmore Ave. The building still stands today but BJ's is long gone. BJ's was a curio shop. Today he probably could have a pretty succesful business being that antiques, comics, and other oddities that filled this place seems to have become popular today. BJ was a little ahead of his time. BJ was also a little bit eccentric. To the point of there being rumors of him being a bit of a pee-pee toucher. I never witnessed any of these acts but he was a little weird. BJ's always had old Hot Rod Magazine, Rod & Custom, Hop Up, Motor Trend, and others dating back to 1950. He also had a bunch of comics. Not the comics you would normally see. It was here I found Hot Rod Comics. There was several different titles. Like Hot Wheels, CARToons, And Hot Rods & Racing Cars with Clint Curtis and The Road Knights. They where great. And back then they didn't cost an arm and a leg. I paid a dollar a piece for most of them. I still have the ones I bought at BJ's Including the one at the top of the page. I find them once in a while at the flea market or a swap meet but there not a dollar a piece anymore. The last one i bought cost me 15 bucks! So that where i got the title from. I figured this is kind of where all the madness started so it just made sense. Check back later.

WELCOME TO HOT RODS & RACING CARS!

Welcome to the Hot Rods & Racing Cars Blog! This is the place to keep up with what's happining around Chicago with all things gearhead. So If you've been invited, become a follower. You'll get articles about once a week. The articles will cover the racing scene, The cruising scene. what races and shows we will be at and a look to the rich auto racing and crusing scene that existed in Chicago"back in the day"Could be a midget race from the 30's or a street race from the 80's or 90's. so check back as often as you would like and see what's new.