Knowing What To Expect

Tomorrow is the long anticipated show at Shaw's Ridge. Last year was their first show, and some things did not go smoothly, but many of those kinks have been worked out. However, there may be some new ones in the works. I am writing this for just one reason - so you will know what to expect, and not be taken by surprise. Hopefully, that will take the edge off any of the new "kinks".

The Shaw's Ridge show is not going to have any of the normal classes. All classes are by decade, only, regardless of the type of vehicle. For example, if your vehicle was built in the 50's, it will be in the 50's, regardless of whether it is stock, modified, customized, or a truck. This is the way it is expected to be in all classes - or, rather, decades.

If your vehicle is 1990 or newer, you will be in with ALL vehicles from 90-present, including the tuners (and their sound systems), and, if he shows up, the fake '50 Mercury with the Buick engine and frame, since it was built in the 2000's and is built from a 90's Buick.

I do not know where they will place the kit cars and fiberglass replicas. They should be in with the decade in which it was built, but more likely will be in the decade they represent. So, your stock vehicle may be up against the flawless fakes.

Bear in mind, there is a purpose to this set-up. The folks putting it on are putting on The Art of Transportation Car Show. That is the key. This show is not set up so much to be a competion show, but an ART show. By setting the classes as decades, spectators can go from decade to decade and see how designs changed over time - the evolution of autos, so to speak.

So, before you get into a tiff, first realize this is an ART show first, and a CAR show second. Therefore, you may not be able to be competitive in your class, and you should be aware of that. But it should not keep you from having a good time, since you now know what to expect, because you read HotKarz :o)

Knowing what to expect, and understanding why it was designed that way will help everyone to enjoy the day more.