2008 Hot Rod Power Tour Coverage Part One

Follow along with the live, daily updates from the 2008 Hot Rod Power Tour. The COMP Performance Group "Road Warriors" will be shooting pictures, and blogging about their journey and the hot rodders they meet along the way.

The 2008 Hot Rod Power Tour got off to sunny and steamy start in Little Rock, AR. Long haulers and local enthusiast alike braved the 95+ degree temperatures to experience the great hospitality offered up by the residents of Little Rock. The excitement about this year's tour was high throughout the fairgrounds, but by late this afternoon everyone seemed excited to head north in search of potentially cooler temperatures.

While the price of gas was a popular topic, the overwhelming sentiment among the long haulers was they will not let the price of gas keep them from enjoying their beloved cars or the annual horsepower pilgrammage we know as the Power Tour. The attendance and manufactuer prescence seemed to be very equal to year's past, but time will tell if more participants elect to do a partial schedule rather than the full tour. As we get a few more stops under our belt, we'll get a better idea of how this year's attendance is shaping up.

The COMP Performance Group "Road Warriors" had a great day, despite the brutal temperatures. Lots of customers had the opportunity to get one-on-one tech support and check-out the latest product developments from COMP Cams, TCI, FAST, RHS and the others. A steady flood of long haulers stopped by all day long to pick-up their free COMP Performance Group goody bags and sign-up for a chance to join marketing coordinator Hailey Naylor on the main stage to play COMP Performance Group "Deal or No Deal" trivia. New for the 2008 Power Tour, COMP unveiled the COMP Kidz 500 coloring competition for children age 8 and under. After lots of great looking coloring entries, young Seth Switzer was crowned today's winner and walked away with a McDonald's gift card.

Saturday's Winners
COMP Kidz 500 Coloring Contest: Seth Switzer, age 11
"Deal Or No Deal" Trivia: Kathy Peterson of Marion, Iowa ($100 COMP Cams product certificate)

That pretty much covers the highlights of our Little Rock kick-off, look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow in Springfield, MO (after a couple hours of sleep).

The 2008 Hot Rod Power Tour hit the road for the approximately 225 mile trip to Springfield, MO. Like most manufacturers, the COMP Performance Group "Road Warriors" made the drive last night after packing up the trailer and displays. The drive was uneventful and the countryside was beautiful (at least what we saw of it between naps & before darkness). The group arrived in Springfield at 12:30 AM after a slight off-course detour (damn those GPS navigation systems) tired and ready for some sleep.

After a scorcher in Little Rock, everyone had their fingers crossed for cooler temperatures and mother nature did not disappoint. The sunshine was abundant and the temperatures were still quite warm but a strong breeze and lower humidity made it much more pleasant.

The Springfield venue was perfectly suited for this event as there was plenty of parking, grass and shade trees for the all-important Long Hauler pinics. The local community came out in full force to support the event and the car count appeared even better than Little Rock (supposedly 3,500 cars). A check of license plates revealed that Missouri definitely has a strong hot rodding community with some very nice iron calling the "Show Me" state home.

Again today, the COMP Kidz 500 coloring contest was popular with the kids, both long haulers and locals alike. The adults kept the CPG "Road Warriors" busy purchasing lots of the new apparel (click to buy new apparel online) that is being debuted on this year's Power Tour and signing up for a chance to play Hailey's "Deal or No Deal" trivia this afternoon or at an upcoming stop. Both TCI and FAST representatives seemed to be in high demand today as many enthusiasts stopped by with questions about electronic transmission and fuel injection products.

Sunday's Winners
COMP Kidz 500 Coloring Contest: Lindsey Shank, age 5
"Deal Or No Deal" Trivia: Charlie Harrell of Addison, IL ($100 ZEX product certificate)

That's a wrap from Springfield, MO. Time to load up and hit the road again - Kansas here we come, ready or not!

Well, Day 3 of the Hot Rod Power Tour is over and we’re almost halfway through the trip. Topeka, KS proved to be a great stop with overcast skies and cool temperatures during the morning and warming up with sunshine later in the afternoon. Perfect car show weather. Cars started arriving at Heartland Park Topeka around 1:00 with local spectators taking off of work early and bringing their families out for a late afternoon of fun and hot cars.

Hot Rod participants were allowed to make passes at the Heartland Park dragstrip and show off their skills while others took it easy. You can see that at least two men took the opportunity to take a midafternoon nap beside their street rod. Today seemed to be a day to notice all of the license plates and other things on the cars as well as some more interesting rides that caught our attention. You can see that Power Tour participants take this event and their rides seriously.

The COMP Performance Group "Road Warriors" were in high demand today. Our techs stayed busy helping customers, including replacing a rocker arm for one gentleman, talking flat tappet tech with another and of course making cam and other recommendations. The COMP Kidz 500 coloring contest has proven to be a big hit as a group of local preschoolers on a field trip decided to show their art skills and camped out right on the asphalt beside the booth to color. Our COMP Kidz 500 winner for the day was Cole Smith, age 8, from Missouri. Our COMP Deal or No Deal Trivia has turned out to be a hysterical addition to the COMP Performance Group agenda this year as it has caused laughs every night. Today’s winner was Joe Trittin from Wausau, WI, who (with a little audience help) walked away with a $100 COMP Cams gift certificate.


Monday's Winners
COMP Kidz 500 Coloring Contest- Cole Smith, age 8
"Deal or No Deal" Trivia - Joe Trittin of Wassau, WI ($100 COMP Cams product certificate)

We’ve loaded up to head the 175 miles to Lincoln, NE, tonight but you can see there was some nasty weather in store for Topeka after we left. We’re hitting the midway point tomorrow in Lincoln, so stay tuned for more! It’s sure to be a wild ride.

2008 Hot Rod Power Tour Coverage Part 2