Hot Rod February 2023

Editor-in-Chief @john.mcgann “Forty cars, five tracks in five states. A 1,500-mile road trip. It’s the first running of the most epic street car race ever to grace the planet. This is gonna be huge.” That was the intro that David Freiburger wrote in the January 2006 issue in a massive, 27-page article that documented the first running of HOT ROD Drag week. A bold statement for sure, but he and the staff knew they were onto something. The event started in Kansas City, Missouri; then drove to St. Louis; Bowling Green, Kentucky; on to National Trail in Hebron, Ohio; and ended at US 131 in Martin, Michigan. Carl Scott was the overall winner, and his 1967 Nova was the wheels-up cover star of that issue. Powered by a 540 big-block Chevy that ingested nitrous…

20 Years Ago February 2003: 116 pages, $3.99 Thoughts about the Pro Touring movement—for and against—was a theme throughout the issue, beginning with Editor-in-Chief David Freiburger’s assertion that “Pro Touring is as bad as Pro Street, if not worse,” in his Starting Line column. (He did title the column, “Alienating Half the Readers in the First Sentence.”) Later in the issue he wrote a history of the Pro Street phenomenon and wondered if it was “poised for a comeback.” Both Pro Touring and Pro Street also figured prominently in the issue’s cover story, in which 20 experts from the aftermarket, race sanctioning bodies, design houses, and magazine staff were asked to crystal-ball coming trends. Ford designer Larry Erickson was among many who saw continued growth in Pro Touring, while Flowmaster’s Kevin McClelland…

While he was covering the 1955 Bonneville National Speed Trials, Petersen Publishing photographer Bob D’Olivo ran across Gary Guinn’s yellow ’33 Ford coupe. The car’s proportions and Von Dutch pinstriping made it outstanding in its own right, but what really caught D’Olivo’s eye—and assured the car of a feature story—was its engine. “On the uptake among engine-swap circles is the new Chevy V8,” read the opening to “Chevord,” the coupe’s feature in the January 1956 HRM. Even at this early stage of the small-block’s development, what made the swap attractive was the engine’s output relative to its size. “Small in outward dimensions (almost identical in weight and size to the Ford flathead),” the Chevy V8 was “capable of high-power output despite its comparatively low displacement of 265 cubic inches.” The editors…

Tom Bailey and engine builder and co-pilot Steve Morris both agree—this is the most brutal HOT ROD Drag Week they’ve ever completed as Bailey secured his fifth Unlimited title with a 6.58 average in a rain-shortened week. This week was supposed to be a 5-second affair, but it turned into a fight for street car survival for Bailey and Morris in Sick Seconds 2.0, a 1969 Camaro that is purpose-built for drag-and-drive events. It looked promising when Bailey rifled off a 6.03 at 249 mph in the opening round at World Wide Technology Raceway. However, a post-run evaluation proved to be costly. The Steve Morris Racing SMX billet engine had pinched a piston ring. The engine was healthy enough to make the drive to Indianapolis and he limped it into Indy Speed…

There are approximately a dozen different drag-and-drive-type events around the world and one of the longest-running competitions is Sweden’s Street Week. We’ve seen several Swedish racers make the trip across the pond for the eBay Motors Powers HOT ROD Drag Week Presented by Gear Vendors Overdrive, so a strong Swedish presence pre-pandemic wasn’t unusual. The latest to do so is Michael Westberg and his turbocharged S10. The S10 captured Sweden’s Street Week Max Outlaw wins in 2019 and 2021 and has run a best of 6.62 at over 200 mph, fast enough for him and his team to take aim at Drag Week for the first time. They shipped the truck to the United States leaving it with longtime friend and noted small-tire racer Mikael Borggren. You might recognize Mikael as…

The Ultimate Iron category has grown into a fan favorite for good reason: The vehicles fit a genre that is quite popular and very relatable to enthusiasts around the world. This year it was all eyes on HOT ROD Garage co-host Alex Taylor and the ultra-quick Bryant Goldstone. Each brought a unique steed to the party. Taylor was wheeling the family’s 1955 Chevy 210, complete with patina and an expertly crafted chassis under the mostly steel body. Goldstone sat behind the wheel of his refurbished 1973 AMC Javelin. We call it “refurbished” because Goldstone put the car on its lid during the 2021 running of HOT ROD Drag Week, prompting a completely new skin and updated chassis. The repairs took a full year, and he made his first runs since…