Minnesota Motorhead

Photo: Drivers gather around the Power Tour bus for a kickoff meeting June 7 in Madison, Wisconsin, before rolling to Racine.

Hot Rod magazine’s annual road trip, the mother of all road trips, is underway!

The week-long excursion started at a show in Madison, Wisconsin, June 6 and the cars rolled into in Racine, Wisconsin, just 100 miles away, June 7. Next up is South Bend, Indiana, then on to Mt. Clemens, Michigan, followed by Dayton, Ohio, then Somerset, Kentucky, and finally Bristol, Tennessee. Seven cities in seven days is the plan.

My wife, Allison, and I were Power Tour newbies last year and decided to make the trip again this year since it’s back in the Midwest. We’re driving my ‘84 Monte Carlo SS.

For those of you unfamiliar with Power Tour, it’s a week-long road trip – incorporating car shows, drag racing, autocross and other activities – for auto enthusiasts primarily of classic and high-performance domestic vehicles. That’s Hot Rod’s audience for the most part, but you never know what you’re going to see on tour. A ‘36 Auburn parked at the show in Madison was among the most unusual so far.

Power Tour started in 1995 with a handful of vehicles driving from L.A. to Ohio. it has since morphed into an event that draws thousands of enthusiasts from throughout the U.S. and beyond. Last year nearly 4,000 cars took part in at least part of the tour and more than 1,200 drove the whole way.

Those who go the distance get the honor of being called Long Haulers, a term Hot Rod made the effort to trademark. Allison and I joined the long haul gang, as it’s called, last year and we’re doing the whole thing again this year. The route plus random driving around each night and the eventual journey home should total around 3,000 miles.

We arrived in Madison Friday evening so we could spend the weekend. Power Tour started officially on Saturday with a show at the Alliant Energy center. It rained on and off, but attendance was good and it was still fun.

Today started with rain, but the sun eventually came out and it ended up being a nice day. The drive was pretty short and took us down some winding two-lane country roads and through a few small towns, which welcomed us with crowds, signs and food. The tour is really a boon for some of these places.

Other than being cold and windy, Racine was a great venue, with cars lining up for blocks along Lake Michigan.

Check back for updates on the tour, which I’ll be posting daily as long as Internet access is available. And many photos will come soon, too.

For more information about Power Tour, visit www.hotrod.com.

June 7th, 2009 | Articles, Event Articles