Hot Rod Riot 2020: 10th Hell of a Great Time!

Howdy, Fellow Addicts!

Hope all is well with everybody, despite the turmoil and that damn Beer Virus that we’re dealing with. Been a while, as life has still been hectic, but . . . . things are smoothing out, and me and the Vehicularly Addicted Gang have been out enjoying some Vehicular Addiction events.

Although we’ve been to a few events prior to Hot Rod Riot, I wanted to feature it first, as it’s one that I’ve gone to for years, and this year it was HUGE.

South Texas Performance Hot Rod Riot 2020, number 10. I’ve been to most of them, starting back at #1. I actually have a trophy from the first event. My ’65 Impala Super Sport and I took the Sponsor’s Choice award. Pretty cool I thought. (Shame I don’t have a pic, or I’d show it off. Maybe next time I’m down at the South House, I’ll shoot one.)

Well, that first show was not real big, actually small enough to fit at South Texas Performance’s shop and a bit of ground around it. It was the start of something that became very big. I don’t know the numbers of vehicles and attendees, but the Heibel’s place was packed, as were the road sides. It was huge yesterday.

The show was huge, and it got hot. That with the dust that was constantly in the air, I spent only about 3.5 hours wandering, shooting pics, listening to music, checking out vendors, and visiting with folks, before the heat and dust prompted my decision to head to a cooler, cleaner environment. Sure was a good time, even though I didn’t stay the whole time. Glad I didn’t, as I had an idea what it was going to be like at closing time.

I can’t forget that Hot Rod Riot was held in conjunction with Jennifer’s Mother Clucker’s Market, which was a draw for everybody. As car shows are typically Geared towards male Gear Heads (Pun Intended), the market offered women and kids something else, in the event that they weren’t really interested in the cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

Started the morning wandering around, getting the lay of the event, and hunting down a friend who had a vendor booth set up. Just sweeping through the event gave me an idea of what I was going to be doing; shooting pics, enjoying great music, and having a great time. Wandering around, I bumped into a number of friends I hadn’t seen in a while, it was great to reconnect.

Speaking of reconnecting, I got to do just that with April, Jason, and Ashlyn Hall, a great family of musicians, that played, again, this year. I met the Hall’s YEARS ago, when I was counseling at Kenedy ISD, and we’ve been friends since. I’ve seen Ashlyn grow from hip high to looking me in the eyes. This young lady is an accomplished dancer and singer, and the crowds were treated to her performing on stage with her parents, backing her up, instrumentally.

As I mentioned above, 2020 Hot Rod Riot was HUGE. Parking overflowed into the CR, despite the no parking signs that had been placed. Speaking of huge, there was and Abundance of vehicles, as usual. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to bring one of my rides, as I’ve done in the past, but I sure enjoyed the event, despite not having a ride at the show.

Speaking of rides, let’s get on to some pics.

Most all of the entries were pretty awesome, but some just stood out, like a 1963 Corvette Split Window Coupe Survivor, resplendent in chipped black paint.

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Most would agree, that’s an awesome car, for shore!

How about some more pics? You bet!

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Most times I shoot only one pic of a car, but some (like the ’63 Vette) I have to shoot a few more, this Flamed Ford fits that bill.

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Don’t see True Flames awesome, and these are awesome! Car is very well done. Shame I didn’t think to shoot the interior and the back side.

So, how about a nice T-Bucket? This one sure is, and it’s has a Saucy Little Devil on the cowl. Who doesn’t like that? If you don’t, please don’t share. 🙂

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I’ve really had the hankering to do a T-Bucket. A friend of mine has a V-6 and drive train from a wrecked Mercedes. I’m talking with him about us using his setup in a build. Maybe next year. The rest of this year is just too busy.

You don’t see many Fords in Fords, but here’s a great one, and IT’S Got A Flat Head!!!

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Did I mention that Hot Rod Riot 2020 was huge? It definitely was. Although Darrell and Jennifer have a large chunk of land that it was held on, the spectator parking overflowed out onto the county road. With it being so jam packed, that and the lack of breeze, heat, and dust, I decided not to stay for the whole thing.

Next year I’ll ask about setting up my trailer, so I have a place to chill, and stay until everyone else is out. Maybe Darrell and Jennifer will oblige me. We’ll see.

Back to photos. How about some trucks? There were a number of really nice ones there. Here’s a few.

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Okay, I’m going to admit something. I was remiss in shooting pics of the motorcycles entered. Why? I can be a dumb a$$ at times. Shame, I didn’t think to shoot when I walked by. In my defense, I’m getting back to covering shows after a lengthy hiatus, and I’m NOT a professional. Just saying.

Well, I did get some good shots of cars and trucks. I think. More pics, now!

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When I was a toddler, my Dad had a VW Beetle, so I have an affection for them. I’ve never owned one, although I did own a ’69 Karmen Ghia, and flew hundreds of hours behind a ’67 Beetle engine in my Volksplane VP-1 homebuilt airplane.

There were a couple of nice bugs at the show, so I had to shoot them.

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Hot Rod Riot draws all kinds of awesome rides. Not all are slick and shiny, some wear rust very well, and exhibit some interesting details in their persona, as you can see in the pics below.

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How about some ’50’s era rides? There were a number of nice ones present. I’ve never owned a ’50’s era car or truck, other than a basket case ’59 Ford Step Side, when I was 18 or 19. It needed more money and expertise than I had back then (1978-1979).

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Not as big as Lone Star Rod and Kustom Roundup, but Hot Rod Riot is really growing. Nice thing about HRR, it’s not too big, which Lone Star Rod and Kustom almost is. How about some more rides? Sure!

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So, there you have it. THE first show coverage posted here. It’s not the first that I covered this year, but since I go back a ways with STP, I thought it was fitting to feature the STP Hot Rod Riot First. I had too many pics to share in this post, but they can be seen at the Hot Rod Riot 2020 gallery HERE.

I KNOW that I’ll be there again next year, and I plan to have one of my rides there, too. Probably, Toadster, my ’31 Model A Roadster Pickup.
Until next time, PEACE! Keith