Power Tour

The 2019 Hot Rod Power Tour has reached its end. Rather fitting as I've also reached my wit's end, after 1,300-miles spent suffering Forrest's insufferable odes to his precious Precious. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the biggest road trip party in the world, and not-so coincidentally, it's also Mothers' 25th appearance in our campaign to nab the ultimate perfect attendance award. Just look at our presence at this year's Tour. I can assure you, it wasn't always like this. When we started, it was just our own Ken Holland and Forrest Tosie driving a 1963 Chevy II SS convertible, that Forrest recalls as being red with a white interior and top and a 327 Corvette motor with a four speed. It was known as “Slepe 63” and Forrest also called it, "the ultimate chick magnet," which apparently was an acceptable thing to say 25 years ago. To commemorate the 25th edition of our Mothers on Tour experience, I just had to ride with the one and only living legend. But since he wasn't available, I got saddled with Forrest. Once out of our cars, we were an easy lot to spot, thanks to our eye-searingly hued threads - all thanks to our fearless leader, Jim Holloway. Here he is, no doubt researching even brighter shirt colors for next year. I just hope the fashionistas in Milan aren't pegging hi-vis yellow as the "it" color for 2020's Power Tour as my pear-body and soul can only withstand so many traffic cone comparisons. Aside from looking to a Highlighter catalogue for fashion tips, Jim always brings something fun to the Power Tour party. Our new 755hp ZR1 3ZR fit the bill nicely. Better still is the fact that Jim makes a point to drive each and every single mile on Tour - rain or shine. When he's not sharing his meat with us, our Big Rig Big Boss, Jonathan Stone is always on hand to help ensure that our Mothers Polish Power Tour experience is a good time for all. Jonathan can't do all of this alone, which is why he gets by with a little help from his talented friends. I've said it before, but this job requires our super squad to be car care experts, product specialists, and even event producers. Every year, I watch from the confines of my rental car bed fort as they move seamlessly from product demos, technical questions and much more. If you ever see our Big Rig crew on one of the countless events they attend, please be sure to thank them for making all this happen. From left, we have: Andrew Burgoyne; Russel Loggins; Justin Richardson; James Perry; Greg Nigh; Cameron Johnson; Peter DiCandia; and of course, Jonathan Stone. Our contingent has grown over the last 25 years, but one thing remains the same. We still drive each and every mile, cementing our legacy as the longest of the long haulers. Speaking of our contingent, they always manage to bring a great selection of cars. Here they are in all of their Long Hauling glory. I should offer my apologies for the rather disjointed appearance of our friend, Keith Echols (fourth from right). He managed to color coordinate his outfits so perfectly until the last day. Although, I'm sure his fancy yellow kicks are worth more than my car (not the highest bar). And then there was Precious. Forrest insisted on bringing her along for the ride. He said she was only there as part of a charity auction. Makes sense, although I don't know why she needed to ride shotgun.

Shown here with Forrest in their hometown of beautiful Cape Carteret, NC are Stu, Kymm, Jacob and Madison, the winning bidders of our Power Tour charity auction. Their prize? Dinner with Forrest! In that case, I was a winner each and every night of the Tour. But the real winner was the Susan G. Komen foundation, the recipient of all proceeds from the auction. The winner dinner with Forrest was at Caribsea, a seafood place named after a sunken ship in the area. Jacob brought his Hot Wheels, and he had plenty of races with Forrest using tilted menus as the race course with Forrest playing the role of Second Place Hot Wheels Menu Racer. According to the waitress, Jacob and Madison acted better than Forrest during the evening. Forrest's fav part of dinner? Not being able to choose which dessert to get, so they got one of each. TFTI, Forrest. TFTI. Back on Tour, the route often allows us to enjoy some great views. And eat some good food. And even more good food. On the Tour, things don't often work out as planned. But sometimes, they stay right on track. Some Tour rigs are all about the grime. While others prefer to shine. And yet, no matter your preference, there's something for everyone at the biggest rolling Hot Rod party on Earth. We can't wait for next year. Even Forrest is counting the days until the 2020 edition. Provided Forrest doesn't replace me with Precious, I'll be back in 2020 to help tell our Tour tales. Thanks to Steen Gilbertson for sending off the 2019 Power Tour in style (from a private road in Mexico). And on behalf of all of us at Mothers, thank you for following along. See ya in 2020! John Naderi for Mothers® Polishes•Waxes•Cleaners facebook.com/mothersusa