Power Tour

It was at this moment I realized things had gone horribly awry. Day 04 of our 2018 Hot Rod Power Tour started innocently enough and we were laser focused on our impending mission. Completing today's 295-mile route from Hampton, Georgia to South Carolina's Darlington Raceway required us to adhere to a strict, dare I say, even militant schedule. This called for us to be wheels up and rolling out at precisely 0700. This is what makes it all the more confusing as to why the time stamp on this picture reads 7:23am. Nor does it explain why Forrest is holding his nose, although the latter may have something to do with the fact that I crop dusted the area shortly before taking this pic. What can I say, those breakfast sammies exact a heavy toll. Forrest, just be thankful you're not locked in a car with me for hundreds of miles at a time (forgive me and my irritable bowels, Shane). Might I posit that one reason we were late was because Shane wouldn't open the hangar when he clearly saw the plane coming in for a landing. Or it could have been because Forrest refused to head out without his Bauer blouse or Jaunty hat. Maybe we were late because Jim wouldn't leave until Shane accepted his claim that the light shmear of cream cheese indeed made his bagel Whole30 compliant. Our ability to stay on schedule notwithstanding, we were all feeling lucky today, with the exception of Steen, who, in a moment of divine foresight toward the events of the day, appears to be staring at Brian with a look. You know the look. It's that, "Dude, really?" look. But did I see the signs? No, not even remotely. What I lack in foresight, I more than make up for with 20/20 hindsight and now, I can only imagine how much more Mrs. Steen is going to be disappointed with me. At least she'll be in good company with every other woman in my life. A little rain overnight wasn't enough to dampen our spirits. Shane's bark bar proclaims, "No B.S." While my tasty little morsel is all B.S. - Breakfast Sammie, that is. At least these two meals have one thing in common, Shane's bars taste just like the box my breakfast sandwich came in. This is what happens when you abandon those who love you, Shane, you get jumped out of the Muddy Buddies. Welcome aboard, Hunter. Now, there's a little matter about your monthly dues. I see you, Forrest. And apparently you see me (not much of a challenge with my XXL Green With Envy shirt). Here's a greater approximation of what a real photographer should look like. Hot Rod's Wes Allison in action. Construction delays ground the Tour to a halt for a brief delay. While Shane used the down time to do it all for the 'Gram... I perfected my running board slide technique. As if riding on the outside of our ride wasn't enough, I then had, what at the time felt like a bright idea. I wanted to see if anyone was up for a little burnout. Steen, being the responsible adult that he is, declined, citing the potential of showering the car behind him with a barrage of spent rubber bits and chunks of crumbled tarmac. But Brian was game and it looked to my clearly untrained eye as there was enough room between his Chevelle and Steen's. My miscalculation was immediately clear when I learned that neither Brian nor his 950hp LSX'd Chevelle know the meaning of a "little" burnout. Charley was amused by the outcome... but not Steen, who's pristine Chevelle took a full frontal assault of both tire and tarmac bits. Once we got past the construction zone all was good on the drive to Darlington... until it wasn't. At our lunch stop, Brian's Chevelle was stricken with a flat. Was it karmic retribution? If so, I can only imagine the special brand of payback that awaits me in the afterlife. This cone held a nasty secret (in this regard, every facet of my life is a traffic cone). Proving that he's a much bigger man, it was Steen of all people who came to Brian's aid, helping get him and his three-and-a-half wheeled Chevelle to a local Discount Tire. Back on the road and look at how blissful these two are. I would be completely blissful too, if this was my Tour ride. My favorite twin-turbo LS-powered Volks Rod spotted on the route. We finally made it to Darlington Raceway. Jim and Jonathan set to work on one of the Chevelles in our group. We had a special guest vehicle with us in Darlington. NASCAR's founding father, Bill France Sr. raced this Nash Ambassador in the 1950 Carrera Panamericana. So much history here and so fitting to have it at Darlington. In today's installment of Ford vs. Chevy. This was once a 1928 Studebaker Commander. It now sits on an International 9200 frame, but the most interesting feature is the Cat C12 front loader engine. Gives the term brozdozer an entirely new meaning. This Nissan President hits me right in the feels. That's it for our Day 4 coverage. Tomorrow we’ll go 186 miles to PNC Arena in Raleigh, SC. In the meantime, feel free to enjoy our gallery of pics from Day 04 here. John Naderi for Mothers® Polishes•Waxes•Cleaners facebook.com/mothersusa