Throwback: Hot Rod Power Tour 25th Anniversary

Though there was a static display of power along the \”Half Mile of Mayhem,\” there was plenty of action within the infield. Plenty of vendors set up shop to hawk their wares, some going all out with their spots by including a custom ride of their own.

Along the backstretch near turn 2, attendees could plop down a folding chair for a moment to enjoy live music, likely with a snow cone from the trailer along the frontstretch near turn 4.

Of course, the star attraction was the Power Tour itself. Hot Rod created the tour in 1994 as a way to encourage owners to take their rides off the trailer and on the road. What better way to do so than for the staff to take their projects on the road themselves?

Thus, in mid-May 1995, the first tour set out from the Hot Rod head office in Los Angeles, spending eight days traversing the U.S. to reach the tour\’s final stop, Norwalk Raceway in Norwalk, Ohio, where the magazine\’s Power Festival would be held.

The first Power Tour included 16 cars to complete the entire trek, plus a few drivers who escorted the pack to their first stop in Utah. The 25th Power Tour featured over 6,000 cars, including a few thousand or so who made every stop on the silver anniversary slate.

Here are a few of my favorites to arrive in Martinsville.