Where to Stop and What to Bring

A keystone of the HOT ROD Power Tour ethos is exploring the backroads and byways of America as we journey between venues. Roadside points of interest identified solely by the locals, mother and pop eating places that may not see 100 prospects in per week, service stations in the midst of nowhere that flip into impromptu automobile exhibits when a bunch of Energy Tourers pull in for a fill-up—locations like these have the potential to be the highlights of your journey.

We have scouted the every day routes for HOT ROD Energy Tour 2022 (check them out here) to give you a choice of issues to do or see, locations to eat and chill out, and even get a automobile labored on if somebody is experiencing a mechanical illness. Do not consider this as an all-encompassing information to this 12 months’s Energy Tour, although; we need to encourage you, pricey participant, to embrace your sense of journey and make that random flip down a scenic aspect highway or pull into that roadside vintage retailer parking zone.

Every venue will function dwell music carried out on the eBay Motors Essential Stage (take a look at the photograph gallery for every day’s web site map), with Jeff Thisted taking part in emcee all 5 days of the Tour. The eBay Motors Essential Stage is the place registered individuals may choose up their every day giveaway packages (some collaborating distributors will probably be handing out swag to individuals as nicely). Monday, June 13, and Thursday, June 16, are themed days (learn on to find the themes), and we encourage everybody to decorate accordingly!

Edelbrock Group Grand Opening Cruise-In
8649 Hacks Cross Rd, Olive Department, MS 38654
Edelbrock.com
*Sunday Earlier than HOT ROD Energy Tour Begins, JUNE 12, 2022*

To have fun HOT ROD Energy Tour 2022 and the opening of their new faclitiy, Edelbrock is opening its doorways to the general public from 2:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. EDT on June 12, 2022, for his or her Grand Opening Cruise-In. Scorching rods, muscle vehicles, trick vans, and extra will probably be on show. The primary 50 company to point out up will recieve a goodie bag and there are raffles for different nice prizes. If trying out all of the superior vehicles on show sounds boring, there’s additionally a bounce home and a choice of meals vans. Scan the QR code to schedule a tour of Edelbrock’s new facility!
Click Here for the Edelbrock Grand Opening Cruise-In QR Code
Click Here for the Edelbrock Grand Opening Cruise-In Site Map

Wherever you are ranging from to get to Liberty Park, Memphis has a lot to supply for everybody. After all, being the house of Graceland and The King, Elvis, is the theme for Day 1 of HOT ROD Energy Tour 2022. Credential pickup begins at 9:00 a.m. CDT, and Brian Lee Howell will probably be acting on the eBay Motors Essential Stage starting at 12:30 p.m. The autocross pad goes scorching at 10:00 a.m. When dwell music concludes on the eBay Motors Essential Stage at 3:00 p.m., the giveaways and interviews with trade notables start.

What’s a go to to Memphis with no cease on the residence of the King? Situated lower than 20 minutes from Liberty Park, Graceland is extra than simply Elvis’ previous home. The 120-acre property holds a four-star resort, enterprise convention middle, wedding ceremony/occasion venue, live performance venue, rotating artwork displays, quite a few eating places, and, in fact, all types of Elvis memorabilia, together with his airplanes, vehicles and bikes, gold data, jeweled jumpsuits, and a lot extra. Graceland is a bucket checklist merchandise for anybody with an appreciation of artwork, music, or American tradition.

Smithson Velocity and Engineering, LLC
4188 Sulphur Springs Rd, Murfreesboro, TN 37129
SmithsonSpeed.com

Situated about 20 minutes north of the guts of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Smithson Velocity and Engineering is rising as one among Tennessee’s premier scorching rod outlets. Earlier than proprietor Ben Smithson established Smithson Velocity and Engineering in 2018, he studied engineering at Tennessee Technical College and labored for the likes of Toyota, Nissan, and Destaco. Ben and his father, Bobby, additionally constructed the Smithson ’32 Chevy Coupe you see right here, which was featured in Road Rodder journal in 2014. Whether or not its small upkeep, or a turnkey construct, Smithson Velocity and Engineering has you coated.

One other metropolis well-known for music, Nashville may very well be a weeklong trip in its personal proper. The Grand Ole Opry and the Nation Music Corridor of Fame, the Lane Motor Museum, and Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage are only a few of the locations to go to. If you cannot discover something enjoyable to do in Nashville—outdoors of trying out all of the superior vehicles collaborating in Day 2 of Energy Tour at Nashville Superspeedway as you benefit from the sound stylings of January Noise on the eBay Motors Essential Stage—we do not understand how that can assist you.

Ditto Touchdown is a marina, occasion house, and campground positioned on the north financial institution of the Tennessee River, simply outdoors of Huntsville, Alabama. The house presents some attractive riverside views and can be a pleasant spot for an image or to let an overheating muscle automobile calm down for a short while. For a extra distant or scenic view, Hobbs Island Street SE and Outdated River Street run parallel to the Tennessee River (north and south banks, respectively), and look secluded sufficient to cease and relaxation some time. Carry your fishing poles! Clearly, do not do something that might hamper the movement of site visitors or is a direct violation of native rules.

O’Reilly Auto Components
2317 Bob Wallace Ave SW, Huntsville, AL 35805
OReillyAuto.com

Are we actually together with a nationwide auto components chain as a HOT ROD Energy Tour vacation spot? No. However the realities of an extended highway journey in a traditional automobile generally imply roadside upkeep or repairs, and this Huntsviille, Alabama, O’Reilly Auto Components location is inside a half-mile of the Energy Tour route, making it a handy place to cease. Plus, we have by no means had hassle discovering the components we want at O’Reilly. In case you do not have the mandatory instruments or expertise to alleviate your car’s points, there’s additionally a Pep Boys, lower than a mile southwest of this location down US-231 Memorial Parkway, that has a full service middle. There are many nationwide chain and privately owned eating places to refill the human gasoline tanks within the space as nicely.

Hoover, Alabama, could also be identified largely for its golf programs and the Riverchase Galleria—an enormous, mixed-use shopping center and lodge advanced—however the fast-growing suburb additionally presents a few of Birmingham, Alabama’s prettiest nature excursions. Take a look at the waterfalls in Moss Rock Protect or go to the Aldridge Gardens (identified for his or her hydrangeas) in your means into Hoover Met Advanced for Day 3 of HOT ROD Energy Tour, however do not be late—the autocross pad is open for enterprise at 12:00 p.m. CDT, and simply half-hour after that, The Roads Under will probably be performing dwell on the eBay Motors Essential Stage.

Cajun Roux Bar & Grill
5220 Peridot Pl Ste 132, Hoover, AL 35244
CajunRoux.net

Louisiana-native and proprietor of Cajun Roux Bar & Grill, Jeff Thompson, had issue calling Birmingham, Alabama, residence after transferring there within the early Nineteen Nineties for one cause—he could not discover any good Cajun cooking! A roadside crawfish stand, a residential building enterprise, and a distinct Cajun restaurant later, Jeff is comfortable to name Alabama residence (although he is in Hoover now). Cajun Roux Bar & Grill may very well be an important place to have dinner or lunch on the finish of Day 2 of HOT ROD Energy Tour 2022, however the buying middle additionally boasts numerous different outlets and eating places, so do not be afraid to discover.

Shell/Circle Okay
13400 AL-113, Brewton, AL 36426
CircleK.com

Typically, you simply want a break and a snack, and this Shell fueling station and Circle Okay comfort retailer is true on HOT ROD Energy Tour Day 3 route, about 200 miles south from Nashville Superspeedway on the I-65, AL-113 interchange. There are a few different service stations/truck stops on the interchange as nicely, so even when the majority of the Energy Tour parade is coming by means of, there ought to be loads of pumps and snacks for everybody. Attempt to share the house if it is crowded, although; we do not need HOT ROD Energy Tour to develop a nasty status in its twenty eighth 12 months.

House to the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron—aka the Blue Angels—Pensacola is greater than only a seaside city with a proud Naval historical past. Pensacola’s seashores on the Gulf of Mexico are a few of the finest one can expertise within the decrease forty-eight, so do not skip out on the Florida panhandle’s slice of tropical ocean waters. Thursday, June 16, is ’80s day on HOT ROD Energy Tour 2022, and Horseshoe Kitty will probably be bringing these bangin’ ’80s tunes to the eBay Motors Essential Stage at 12:30 p.m. CDT. Do not forget your skinny ties and scrunchies!

Gulf Islands Nationwide Seashore
3500 Park Rd, Ocean Springs, MS 39564
NPS.gov/guis

Gulf Islands Nationwide Seashore is a good way to expertise the white quartz sand seashores and emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with loads of strolling trails, wildlife sanctuaries, picnic areas, and historic websites and fortifications to see. Should you do not need to pay the $25 automobile entrance price at Gulf Islands Nationwide Seashore, day passes at Large Lagoon State Park and Perdido Key are cheaper and supply an analogous expertise.

To tour the Nationwide Naval Aviation Museum, you should be a present Division of Protection (DOD) ID cardholder, or be accompanied by one. We all know that many proud U.S. Navy veterans be part of within the HOT ROD Energy Tour enjoyable yearly, so get pleasant and speak one among them into taking you world wide’s largest aviation museum if you cannot get your self in. If that plan fails, there’s all the time Quick Eddies Enjoyable Heart, the place you possibly can race go-karts and play mini-golf till it is time to head to Atlanta Motor Speedway for Day 5.

Atlanta is greater than only a Coca-Cola bottling plant, the house of the busiest airport on the planet by passenger site visitors, and the third metropolis in the USA to carry the Summer time Olympics; the town has been a key location for transportation within the South since its founding, and was the epicenter of the Civil Rights motion within the Sixties. Now, amongst many different claims to fame, Atlanta is without doubt one of the movie capitals of the world, with quite a few studios calling the town residence, and extra dwell and animated TV exhibits and flicks going into manufacturing 12 months after 12 months. There’s a lot extra to do and discover in Atlanta than we are able to identify, so all we’ll inform is you to not overlook to pre-register your automobile for cruise laps round Atlanta Motor Speedway (tickets are limited, click here), and to catch Goldy Locks on the eBay Motors Essential Stage for the ultimate day of the twenty eighth HOT ROD Energy Tour.

Should you missed the Alabama Safari Park on the journey south from Hoover, Alabama, to Pensacola, Florida, the drive from Pensacola to Atlanta is your probability to discover their 350 acres of drive-through journey. It isn’t only a drive-through expertise, although—the Alabama Safari Park additionally has a Village Stroll-About expertise, the place company can work together with animals, up-close and private. You possibly can even feed a giraffe by hand!

What’s a go to to the South with out some soul meals? Momma Dede’s Southern Cooking is simply 5 miles north of Atlanta Motor Speedway, however get there on time—the restaurant is simply open Thursday-Sunday, from 1:00-8:00 p.m. EDT. Whereas the critiques aren’t in depth, any restaurant that has been open greater than a day that may maintain onto a five-star score throughout a number of platforms (on this case, Google and Yelp) must be good!

Hogg Mine
4098 Whitesville Rd, LaGrange, GA 30240
HoggMine.com

Hogg Mine is a federally permitted energetic gemstone mining web site, and you can’t go to with out permission. Nevertheless, they do supply scheduled non-public digs and have public dig days the place company are welcome to come back and dig for their very own gems (below supervision in fact—it is nonetheless an energetic mine and there are apparent risks related to such actions). And would not you already know it? June 18 simply occurs to be a public dig day, when anybody with $35 and the will to point out up on the mine earlier than 9:00 a.m. EDT can play within the grime and attempt to discover some fairly rocks. Remember to take a look at their web site to learn up on parking and cost procedures first, although!

Tim writes “I as soon as requested a HOT ROD editor to call a very powerful issues to deliver on a scorching rod highway journey. He stated a cellular phone and a bank card, and laughed. Not too long ago, I requested Jerry Dixey the identical query. Dixey led Street Rodder magazine’s annual Road Tour for 25 years, overlaying half one million miles within the course of—in all probability extra time and miles behind the wheel of a scorching rod than anyone ever.

Jerry does not journey with as many instruments as a NASCAR workforce, simply sufficient to make frequent roadside or parking zone repairs. ‘A set of primary hand instruments, together with some duct tape, wire ties, hose clamps, and a choice of nuts and bolts will enable you to limp to the following city,’ he says. He additionally sometimes carries a alternative fan belt, headlight and taillight bulbs, and a gasoline filter. Motor oil, coolant, Rain-X (in case your older rod does not have wipers), and a spare tire (if house permits) are good additions to the checklist.

Except for that checklist of things to deliver, and the usual checklist of common sense pre-travel checks, listed below are a couple of non-mechanical ideas I’ve discovered from my very own Energy Tour journeys and comparable long-distance scorching rod cruises.

Preserve the gasoline tank full. Fuel stations and truck stops are plentiful in populated areas, however not a lot within the rural areas. I do not wish to push my luck, so I will begin in search of stations when the gasoline gauge needle hits the quarter-tank mark. In vehicles with a damaged or unreliable gasoline gauge, I carry a notepad to report my mileage at every replenish, and control the odometer to know when to gasoline up. And visiting the restroom at each gasoline cease is an efficient option to kill two birds with one stone, so to talk. It is also a superb time to restock my provide of (considerably) wholesome automobile meals and bottled water.

Preserve cool. A cooling system inspection and any needed repairs ought to be a part of the pre-trip routine, and retaining your self from overheating is simply as vital. Many early scorching rods have aftermarket air-con, however some do not. A moist towel or T-shirt on the again of the neck serves nicely as poor-man’s A/C in non-climate-controlled rods.

Be pleasant. Attending to know your fellow vacationers makes the Energy Tour extra enjoyable, offers you folks to share a desk with at mealtimes, and other people to share instruments, components, and mechanical assist with within the occasion of a breakdown as nicely. Be pleasant to non-rodders you meet on the highway, too; 5 minutes spent answering questions on your automobile may draw another particular person into this interest. On the very least it’ll give them a constructive impression of hot-rodders.

Discover assist when wanted. The Nationwide Road Rod Affiliation has a nationwide help community made up of NSRA members and automobile golf equipment, whose names and cellphone numbers are listed in a web based listing referred to as Fellow Pages. NSRA members needing assistance on the highway can find and name one other member within the space and obtain help rapidly. We have seen the Fellow Pages program in motion and it is spectacular. Get extra data from the NSRA website.”