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ENGINE BAY ART FORM
The goal of many builders in today’s high-class, high-dollar world of rodding is to develop new trends to help keep the hobby fresh with new ideas. For some time, the focus has been on the bigger picture—the external appearance of a vehicle. Now builders are focusing a lot more on the details and areas such as the engine compartment, as they become a canvas on which to display the latest and slickest art form.
METALFLAKE: The Roth Way
Spraying flake isn’t a black art; it’s simply a slightly different medium. It’s no tougher to spray than anything else, although you do have to be meticulous, pay attention to the details and resist the urge to rush. Plus, unless you have a spray booth, it doesn’t matter how well you seal off your chosen spraying area: This stuff will escape and get everywhere.
FINDING THE RIGHT C10
The Action Line C10 series, produced from 1967 to 1972, is one of the most popular of the classic era of Chevy trucks. They have been transformed into every form imaginable, from sweet shop trucks to double-throwdown showstoppers, from strip-burning quarter-pounders to boulder-flattening off-roaders, and certainly everything in between. We’ll long remember the days when a black ’70 stepside would pass you on the street, dumped low in the front with Americans all around, running fat rubber out back and sweet-sounding exhaust dumping out in front of the rear wheels. You just knew that guy had something trick in the garage at home, too.
Women’s Em[POWER]ment Summit Builds Momentum in Its Second Year at HPX 2026
Returning for its second year, the Women’s Em[POWER]ment Summit brought together women from across the automotive aftermarket, racing, performance, and motorsports industries for a morning focused on leadership, career growth, and personal development. Built around the theme Life by Design: Driving Your Life with Intention, the program encouraged attendees to
The Cars That Defined HPX 2026
HPX 2026 in Charlotte established its identity on the show floor rather than through announcements or spectacle. At the center of that approach was the inaugural HPX Shop Car Challenge, presented by Killer Performance, which brought together five curated shop builds representing some of the most current and capable work
The Hottest New Products from HPX 2026
If HPX 2026 proved anything, it’s that the performance aftermarket isn’t slowing down—it’s accelerating. Held in Charlotte, North Carolina, the High Performance Expo has quickly established itself as one of the industry’s premier gathering places for manufacturers, builders, racers, retailers, and enthusiasts looking to see what’s next in automotive performance.
NOPI Georgia 2026 Proved the Revival Is Real
The NOPI Regionals NDRA and NOPI Drift event at South Georgia Motorsports Park didn’t just meet expectations — it reinforced exactly why the name still carries weight in the automotive world. What started as a revival effort in 2025 came back stronger this year, with bigger crowds, deeper competition fields,
Goodguys Launches Inaugural BASF Legends of Hot Rodding
The first-ever Goodguys BASF Legends of Hot Rodding event brought the heart and soul of traditional hot rodding straight to downtown Nashville, Tennessee, delivering a premium weekend packed with world-class hot rods, customs, live music, and the unmistakable energy of America’s golden automotive era. Held May 15–16 at the newly
Grand National F-100 Show Packs Pigeon Forge with Over 1,100 Classic Ford Trucks
The Smoky Mountains were once again overflowing with classic Ford truck horsepower as the 2026 Grand National F-100 Show took over Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, for another massive weekend of Blue Oval domination. Held May 14-16 at the LeConte Center, the event continues to cement itself as the largest classic Ford
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Pete & Jake’s Complete Front-End Packages for Model A – 1934 Fords
When it comes to building a traditional hot rod that actually drives as good as it looks, the front suspension can make or break the entire project. That’s exactly why Pete & Jake’s Hot Rod Parts has remained one of the most respected names in the industry for decades. Their
HPX and Street Car Takeover Are Turning Charlotte Into Horsepower Central
Charlotte becomes the epicenter of the aftermarket world as HPX and Street Car Takeover merge business, racing, and car culture into one nonstop performance week built on horsepower, innovation, and pure chaos.
Poole-Adams Racing Doubles Down at HPX 2026
Daren Poole-Adams doesn’t chase trends—he builds what makes sense, then lets the results speak. That philosophy was on full display at last year’s HPX, where his reengineered Gen 5 Toyota Supra debuted as a ground-up NHRA Stock Eliminator concept. Built from a bare shell and developed in collaboration with NHRA,
HPX 2026 Puts Education in the Driver’s Seat of the Automotive Industry
The High Performance Expo isn’t just coming back in 2026—it’s doubling down on what made the inaugural event hit so hard in the performance aftermarket world. HPX 2026 has officially unveiled a stacked education lineup for this year’s show in Charlotte, North Carolina, bringing together shop owners, racers, manufacturers, builders,
