G-body underdog rant

[patmckinneyracing]

Ok so I just got back from the New Braunfels car meet down here in south texas. It was a pretty small meet maybe about a lil over a hundred cars and the classes sucked pretty much. I put the my red malibu in the "modified class". Of course the guy who took first drove a factory 69' Charger, meaning he should have been in the "factory high performance" class.

So towards the end of the car show they have the "best engine sound" event. It's optional so I drove the malibu up along with six other cars for the street legal car category. Here's the BS part of this. A guy with a 1927 tall T that has a blown motor and straight pipes is allowed into the class. Has no mufflers while the rest of us do. My turn comes up with the malibu, and we get to do three revs. She gets up to 8000 rpm's and is sounding awesome with no pops, knocks, or backfires. Running smooth as glass and sounds really good with my flowmaster dual exhaust. Of course I'm the 18 years old and can't afford blown motors, chargers, or camaro ss's.

Towards the awards ceremony the guy with the blown 27' tall t gets the best engine sound trophy. DUH! Any jacka** coulda told you he was gonna get it. What really pisses me off is that these older guys get all the trophies while there is no chance that the young guys with muscle cars will get anything. Were not retired and able to dump thousands of dollars into our cars like some of these crooked old farts. My suggestion is they need to start having a "young guns" category at these car shows so we can actually have a fair chance at getting something. Maybe I'm just over competitive, but to me its not fair for us younger guys who work so much harder than the older guys who can afford to do all that.

 

[el_sonoma]

Local car meets.
I like your "Young Guns" class suggestion, mention it to the organizer.
Be proud of what you've got/done and enjoy yourself.

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

i wish there were guys like you around here to roll around with. the youngest person at shows anymore are like 30.

 

[82355supreme]

Take a breath & relax. I hear & understand your b*tch though. Believe me, you're not alone. it's the same BS everywhere across small town USA.

I've taken my Cutlass to many local shows and get my ear talked off for the entire day from people who tell me my G-Body is the finest one at the show (comparing G-Body to G-Body) But when it comes time for the trophys, who wins...... the buddy of the judges brother, uncles, 1st cousins drinking buddy with the Bondo Buggy Monte Carlo.

Why you may ask, well because they are friends & his car is all original with it's polished billet aluminum from front to back and it's 871 blower.

I have never expected to win at any of the shows I go to. I'm not part of the local area "click". I also don't kiss-*ss or buy my way into getting a stupid plastic trophy. I take pride in hearing all the comments on my cars and screw the "judges" at the shows.

 

[crappycutlass]

i have been asked to go to a few local shows... and never do...

why because i find it boring sitting in a lot with a bunch of old doods...

I'd rather be ripping my car on some empty roads..

 

[clean8485]

I understand and appreciate your rant. I went through a similiar situation for years with my Monte. It made the times that I was able to come home with an award that much more meaningful for me. A friend of mine who is also in the hobby once told me that trophys end up sitting on a shelf somewhere and collecting dust (he was right), so its more important to enjoy your car, and enjoy the experience of participating in the hobby. These days, I try to get out to as many hobby related activities as I can during the good weather (car shows, cruise nights, and car tours). I try to worry less about whether or not I come home with an award, and try to enjoy sharing in the experience with other people. I enjoy it when people come up to me and talk to me about having a car similiar to mine, dating their girlfriend (who in most cases ended up becoming their wife), stories about having to sell the car because a child was on the way, or they had to come up with a down payment for a new home, etc. I've found that I get more satisfaction from being able to share the my experiences with other people, and sharing their experiences with the car hobby, than bringing home another trophy which will eventually collect dust on a shelf somewhere. A friend told me that this is a hobby-its SUPPOSED to be fun. Hope this perspective helps you.

 

[Brick442]

They have this very big car show/meet here in New Jersey at the Jackson Outlets near Six Flags. I went there once and a bunch of people there were wearing black shirts with huge white lettering: "1975 and older only" meaning cars from 75 and earlier belong at the car show. And these guys and their wives were so pompous--like they owned the place. I wanted to hit one of them.

 

[78mali350]

"young guns" is called high school classes once your out of that your with the big guns. Kinda how it goes trust me I got third with my bu in the highschool class and then the next year when i had to move to the 78 modified class I did not stand a chance. Just remember most these guys build for show and it's about who has money. Some of us build because we like to drive the cars. I think they need a driver class just my .02 😀

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

we should get shirts that say "all ages welcome 😉 "

:lol:

 

[patmckinneyracing]

I can understand everyones perspective on this. It just really sucks that our cars have not been recognized when they're actually some of the most unique once were finished with them. Most people are suprised to see that I restored my bu and many ask what got me into it. Many others give me a "pat on the back" because I actually drive my car and you can tell from the few bits of chipped paint etc. I'm proud that I can actually drive my car all the way from san antonio to austin and not have it collect dust on a trailer.

I think my "young guns" suggestion would actually promote more participants at the car shows (just as long as its not the troublemakers). A lot of my buddies don't want to go because they know they can't compete with these older guys who have the money. The guy who parked next to me was driving a 78' el camino, and there was another guy across the parking lot with what I believe was a factory restored V6 cutlass. We were definately the "odd ball" cars cause both of our cars looked really good. But unfortunately most of the crowd was older guys in their 50's and 60's and they were playing really bad old music. As long as the previous generation is around, G bodies will have a hard time being recognized and there will never be a "G body" class.

PS If I hear "she had a yellow poke-dot bikini" or any other elevator music I'm gonna put a bullet in brain