1929 Ford Roadster owned by our friend Brent Rector of Roseville, CA. Winner of the NorCal Car Culture Coolest Car Award.
It was a sunny, warm Saturday when my son Ryan and I went to the 61st Sacramento Autorama. It is hard to believe only two weeks earlier it was foggy and freezing at the Turlock Swap Meet. It had been five years since we last went to the Autorama but it appeared well attended. There were cars everywhere, every building at Cal Expo was completely filled with cars and displays. Every time we wanted to take a picture we would have to wait for people to clear out of the way. The Saturday drive in event, where they allowed people to drive their own cars in and display them outside the buildings was great. A lot of the cars outside were just as nice as the ones inside. It seems that even in this bad economy and with admission prices of $18.00, people still love cars!
Paul LeMat who played John Milner in the movie American Graffiti signing autographs.
We had a good time looking at all the cars and collecting flyers of upcoming shows and swap meets. Ryan got to sample new and strange kinds of beef jerky. We saw the 32 Deuce Coupe from the movie American Graffiti as well as Paul LeMat who played John Milner. He looks a little older than I remember but then again I probably do too.
I was hoping to have the 2011 award winners but they haven’t released the results online yet. So, we thought we would pick a few of our winners. My son Ryan loves Shelby Cobras and Mini Coopers so it is no surprise that this car wins the “Ryan’s Favorite Car Award”. The following are a few of our favorites.
This is an accurate reproduction of the famous 1965 FIA Cobra which raced with great success in European Championships. Winner of the Ryan's Favorite Car Award.1960 Front Engine Dragster owned by Frank Bartlett. Winner of the NorCal Car Culture's Favorite Race Car Award.1972 AMC Gremlin is owned by James Eger of Antelope, CA. Winner of NorCal Car Culture's Most Unique Hot Rod Award. 1951 Chevy Pickup owned by Anthony Orta of Sacramento. Winner of NorCal Car Culture's Best Truck Award.1948 Indian Chief with a sidecar owned by Matt Blake. Winner of NorCal Car Culture's Best Motorcycle Award.1940 Mercury Coupe owned by Paul Hoffman. Winner of NorCal Car Culture's Coolest Custom Award.
Sadly, the 2011 NorCal Car Culture award winners will not receive large cash prizes, or even small cash prizes or even a plaque but we do appreciate all the hard work, the time and the money, that goes into building these beautiful cars, trucks and motorcycles. To see the actual 2011 Sacramento Autorama award winners you can check out their website: http://www.rodshows.com/.
Also, you can see the rest of the photos that we took in our 2011 Sacramento Autorama Photo Gallery.
Let us know which ones were your favorites.
The 53rd Annual Daytona 500 can be seen this Sunday, February 20th at 10am PT on the FOX TV newtwork. It is the official start to the 2011 season and the biggest race of the year in Nascar Sprint Cup racing. It is always interesting to see who starts out the year with a win.
SONOMA, Calif. (Feb. 15, 2011) – Infineon Raceway announced that race fans are invited to an old-fashioned Ice Cream Social at legendary Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco on Tuesday, Feb. 22, with the winner of the 2011 Daytona 500.
For the third consecutive year, the winner of the Great American Race will come to San Francisco to meet with race fans and members of the media, courtesy of Infineon Raceway and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
The appearance marks the Official Countdown to the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at Infineon Raceway, June 24-26.
The Ghirardelli Square Ice Cream Parlor will create a very special ice cream sundae in honor of the 2011 Daytona 500 winner. It will be called the “Sundae, Sundae, Sundae.”
Race fans are invited to the event, which begins at 6 p.m. at Ghirardelli Square. The race-winner, who will arrive via a CHP escort, will first walk the red carpet to the Ghirardelli Square Ice Cream Parlor, where he will create the very first “Sundae, Sundae, Sundae,” complete with all the fixins. The item will have a permanent spot on the Ghirardelli Square Ice Cream Parlor menu for fans to enjoy.
The Ghirardelli® Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop in San Francisco
The driver will then be escorted to the Ghirardelli Square Courtyard for a formal press conference. Race fans are encouraged to attend and give the winner of the Great American Race a warm Northern California welcome. Fans in attendance will receive a complimentary “Sundae, Sundae, Sundae,” courtesy of Ghirardelli Square, while supplies last.
The event will also feature ticket giveaways, event posters and a visit from the popular Infineon Raceway Girls. Be sure and get there early as seats to the press conference will be limited.
Race tickets to the Toyota/Save Mart 350 will be available at the Ice Cream Social, including special packages like the Save Mart Supermarkets 2-Pack (2 tickets for $99) and the Jimmie Johnson 4-Pack (4 tickets, 4 hot dog, 4 sodas, plus a race-day Q&A with Johnson for $195), among others.
Stay tuned to www.infineonraceway.com for additional details on the Ice Cream Social with the 2011 Daytona 500 winner.
AJ Allmendinger in his Richard Petty Motorsports/Best Buy Racing #43 Ford Fusion
AJ Allmendinger, a native of Los Gatos, CA, and driver of Richard Petty’s legendary #43 car, is known as a dog lover partly because of his famous dog. His yellow Lab Misty was one of the stars of the movie Marley & Me. In 2008, Misty appeared in a scene where the puppy ran into a glass door and another one where she knocked over a bowl and ate food off the floor. AJ lists one of his favorite hobbies as playing with his pup who now weighs over 70 lbs. He said: “I’m a race-car driver, [my wife] Lynne is a licensed chiropractor, but I think we’re going to be known simply as Misty’s parents.”
Allmendinger Donation Will Help Can-Do-Canines
February 15, 2011
15 February 2011 (Davidson, NC)– He’s no dog trainer, but AJ Allmendinger will still be helping one dog make the transformation from adorable puppy into becoming a very helpful companion as the racer provided the support to train the newest member of the Can Do Canines family.
Can Do Canines is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities by creating mutually beneficial partnerships with specially trained dogs.
Allmendinger’s support will go directly to training a four month old Black Lab named “Dinger,” described by the staff as “a bowling ball with legs.” Dinger will live with a volunteer “puppy raiser” family who will teach him more than 30 basic obedience commands over the next 12-15 months.
“The family will train Dinger so that he’ll not only know how to sit, stay, fetch and not steal lollipops from little kids, he’ll also be socialized in public and have great manners on the bus, in a restaurant or at the mall,” said Kevin Florence of Can Do Canines.
“From there, Dinger will return to Can Do Canines for advanced training and testing, where they will figure out what Dinger likes and what he is good at,” continued Florence. “For example, if he likes to pick up and carry things or pull a wheelchair, he’ll get advanced training to become a Mobility Assist dog. If he shows an aptitude to detect a low blood sugar scent, then he’ll get further training and paired with a client that has developed a complication of diabetes called “blood sugar unawareness.”
Additionally, Dinger could also become an assistance dog to a child with autism, Hearing Assist dog, Special Skills dog or a Seizure Assist dog. No matter what Dinger ends up doing to help, Allmendinger is pleased to be a part of it.
“When we found out about this program, we were pretty excited about the opportunity to help out,” said Allmendinger, who along with his wife Lynne have a Golden Labrador who hit the big screen as one of the dogs that played the title character in “Marley and Me.”
“We are dog lovers and of course we’ve worked with the Paralyzed Veterans Organization through Richard Petty Motorsports before, so this was something that made a lot of sense and I’m happy to be able to help. I’ll admit–I didn’t know they were going to name the dog after me, though!” added Allmendinger with a laugh.
If you would like to find out more about Can Do Canines, visit them on line at: www.can-do-canines.org.
About Can Do Canines: Can Do Canines is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities by creating mutually beneficial partnerships with specially trained dogs. Can Do Canines envision a world where everyone who wants and needs an assistance dog can have one. Assistance dogs provide the gifts of freedom, independence, and peace of mind to our clients and their families. Our fully trained dogs, often adopted from local animal shelters, are provided to our clients who live with disabilities that involve mobility challenges, hearing loss or deafness, seizure disorders, autism, or diabetes complicated by hypoglycemia unawareness. Dogs, training and supplies are provided to each client free of charge.
