By Katelin Carroll
Staff Reporter 

28th Annual Hot Rod Power Tour came right through downtown

 

Katelin Carroll

Raymond Borgman and his 1969 Plymouth Barracuda

More than 3,500 show-worthy cars came cruising down Highway 412 on Tuesday, June 14, after kicking off their thousand mile journey in Memphis for the 28th annual Hot Rod Power Tour.

The parade of classic cars and hot rods were on their way to the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, the second city out of their five-city tour of the south. Their day-three destination was the Hoover Met Complex, Hoover, Alabama. Day four was Pensacola Fairgrounds in Pensacola, Florida, before ending their tour with a drag race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia on the fifth day.

One driver, Raymond Borgman, from Williamson, Michigan, said that although he loved to show off his 1969 Plymouth Barracuda that he painted himself. His favorite part of being in the Hot Rod Power Tour was being able to see new places and watching little kids get excited over all the cars.

Borgman said he enjoys driving in other tours throughout the year as well, putting thousands of miles on his car each year. For the thousand mile journey, Borgman said he doesn't even carry a spare tire, just three cans of fix-a-flat.

Katelin Carroll

While some get by with little to no maintenance needed, others aren't as lucky and carry basic tools in case a break-down does happen along the way. It's a general rule of thumb for those who participate in the hot rod tour to employ the buddy system. When one car has a problem, others will stop with them to fix it.

During the tour, participants loosely follow a pre-mapped route which leads them to their next destination. Once at the planned city, they'll all stop for a while and host a large scale car show that lasts from 12:00 noon to 6:00 in the evening. The event is sponsored by eBay Motors and Continental Tire who provides entertainment and giveaway packages at each destination.

To attend a Hot Rod Power Tour car show or drag race is free, but you would have to register to be guaranteed entry. If the event comes close to us next year, you can find the info on motortrend.com or go to their Facebook page.

 

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