UNLIKELY CANDIDATE
November 20, 2024
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Classic Boat Part 5
In our last installment, we prepped the bottom of our behemoth Spectra 20 for extensive modifications to its lifting strakes. As we were on the cusp of getting into the lamination of the actual structures that would be shaped into the lifting strakes, a patch of bad weather stopped us dead in our tracks. Luckily, the motivation to get the bottom of the boat done, which had waned early in the project, wasn’t going to be thwarted with a couple of rainy days. Once the clouds cleared, we got back to work preparing for the modifications to the bottom of our hull.
SUBTLE STANDOUT
From the low-key approach applied to this ’55 Chevy, it’s obvious that Jack and Gail Jenkins’ reasons for building it were based around applied craftsmanship, when you take into account the subtle style it displays. While the bodywork and paint are flawless, there’s little sign of the modifications beneath it, or the effort that went into them.
HOPPING UP A FIRST- GENERATION 265 V-8
If you have been around Chevys for 40 or 50 years, think of this story as a sort of “reunion.” For oh-so-many of us, that’s just what it is, a good ol’ reunion with Chevy’s very first small-block V-8 engine. Tens of thousands of our readers had one, and many still do.
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.
