SODA BLASTING
March 25, 2024
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
The Steel Wheel Deal
Wheel choice is probably the single biggest factor in determining the direction of your project. Just as the thought of installing stock steel wheels on anything other than a restoration seems absurd, the idea of installing race-styled wheels on a restoration may be just as absurd. Or is it?
Vintage Fabrication
For every hot rod shop that has a show on TV, there are countless smaller shops that will never get mainstream TV exposure or clothing lines sold at Wal-Mart. But all across the country, it’s these smaller shops that turn out the majority of the street and super rods that you and I enjoy, and that we see at shows. And even though these little guys may not have big reputations yet, they churn out consistent and excellent work—and, that is precisely how some of these smaller shops will eventually become bigger shops with even more prestige.
MERC-O-MATIC MAKEOVER
Gil Losi, the owner of this super-slick ’54 Mercury Monterey—which was a year in the making—has quite a liking for the ’54 Mercury body style. He’s owned several of the stylish Monterey hardtops, but this one tops them all with its slammed stance, laser-straight paint and bodywork and 32-valve DOHC engine. One of the many great aspects of this particular Mercury Monterey is that Steve Cook’s team started with a good body. It was solid and already featured a low-down stance, but the crew reworked every part of the car into what you see here.
Spotlighter
HOT ROD POWER FEST TAKES OVER ATLANTA
A Weekend of Drag Racing, Autocross and High-Octane Fun at EchoPark Speedway
Author
The Auto Builder Staff
Photography by Scott Killeen & Charlie Leach
HOT ROD brought the Power Fest name back for 2026, filling Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway with a weekend of fast cars, cool builds and nonstop action.
Held August 28–29, Power Fest transformed the NASCAR facility into a giant automotive playground with drag racing on pit road, an autocross course, a huge car show and a manufacturer midway. Classic muscle, traditional hot rods, modern performance cars, trucks and homebuilt street machines were all part of the mix.
The Weekend Gets Rolling
Power Fest kicked off with the Show ’n’ Shine, racer registration and tech inspection. Competitors also got their first taste of the courses during drag-racing and autocross test sessions.
It was a chance for racers to dial in their combinations, learn the surfaces and make a few adjustments. Meanwhile, spectators could check out the cars, visit the vendors and watch the weekend’s action begin to build.
The weekend also included a 50-mile cruise through the back roads near the speedway. Approximately 100 cars joined the drive, led by Angie and David Hurt of AnD Hot Rod Shop in “Sid,” their well-traveled 1939 Chevrolet sedan.
Plenty of Action
Drag racers battled in Small Tire, Daily Driver and Stick Shift classes, bringing out everything from turbocharged Mustangs to a nitrous-fed GMC S15. On the autocross course, drivers pushed an equally varied group of cars and trucks through the cones.
When one part of the speedway went quiet, something else was firing up nearby. Fans could watch a pair of cars blast down pit road, catch the autocross action and then walk through rows of cars in the show field.
Plenty to See Around the Speedway
The car show was every bit as diverse as the racing. Novas, Chevelles, classic pickups, full-size cruisers and more unusual builds filled the grounds and NASCAR garages.
That variety was a big part of the event’s appeal. Power Fest wasn’t limited to one style, make or era. Some cars were polished showpieces, others were built to race, and plenty landed somewhere in between.
Familiar faces from across the hot-rodding world were also on hand, but the real stars were the cars and the people who came out to enjoy them.
Built to Be Enjoyed
Power Fest had a laid-back atmosphere, but there was still plenty of serious competition. Owners could cruise their cars, race them, throw them around the autocross or simply park and enjoy the show.
That combination made the return of HOT ROD Power Fest feel like more than another car show. It was a full weekend celebrating the many different ways people build, drive and enjoy performance cars—and one big excuse to spend a couple of days surrounded by horsepower.
