2007 Atlanta Super Chevy Show - Swap Till Ya Drop

Drag Racing And Georgia go together like a small-block and high-octane. For probably as far back as the advent of the automobile, rebel-yelling Southerners have been tearing up the streets and back roads of the Peach State. And considering that moonshine running was very recently one of the main commercial activities, there was no doubt that the Super Chevy Show Atlanta stop would be anything but exciting (and maybe quasi-legal).

The Atlanta Dragway, actually a few miles north of the sprawling Atlanta metropolis, is quite a facility, with what appears to be miles and miles of terrace-like paddock areas, and one main "drag" street running through the middle. It also lies just south of the Northern Georgia Mountains, which undoubtedly contribute to the random, quixotic weather patterns. Friday's crowd to witness the test-and-tune sessions was light, but upon closer examination, the majority of the Super Chevy faithful could be found rummaging through the acres of swap meet vendors, which was another theme of the weekend. The size of the swap meet area was really a sight to behold: occupying an area the size of a small village, anything and everything a gearhead would ever want could be found in this spectacle of parts, cars, and miscellanea. When stacked up against the other events of 2007, Atlanta was, by far, the largest swap meet we have witnessed.

Here's Phil Turner's awesome bone-stock 1966 Biscayne. Turner, of Locust Grove, Georgia, was an Editor's Choice Show Car winner.

It's a Willys ... no, wait, it's a WWII-era halftrack ... no, actually it's Editor's Choice Drag Race award winner Eric Ellington's '65 pickup.

Wayne Torkelson and his '59 Corvette were back for more Nitro Coupe racing action. Torkelson, shortly after this photo was taken, survived a nasty accident at the big end of the dragstrip, when his car got a little out of the groove and hit the opposite lane wall. No one was hurt.

Saturday morning saw the car show take off, with a steady stream of Bow Tie machinery awaiting entrance into the gates. A massive turnout of show car participants flooded the areas surrounding the Super Chevy tent, as well as the famous inflatable Bow Tie that travels with the show. The Camaro appears to have a hold on the Peach State-we saw what appeared to be hundreds of the famous model on the show grounds. It was also a Tri-Five festival, especially with the 50th anniversary of the '57 upon us this year.

Some rain came in the afternoon, and sent many of the show car participants scurrying for car covers and shelter from the elements. Surprisingly, the rain was more of an annoyance than anything. The wet stuff would stop for a period, allowing the dragstrip to dry out for a few of the bracket racers to make hits, then start back up, causing activities to cease again.

This Pro Street Nova could be heard from miles around when it was fired up each morning. Delton Hubbard, of Wallace, North Carolina, showed up with his entire family to show off this '74, and the crew won Best Engine during the Saturday awards.

Al Hilderbrand, of Nader's Raiders Corvair Club, was busy tweaking some engine components when we surprised him with an Editor's Choice Drag Race award.

The track conditions on Saturday suited the wheel-standing contingent in Bracket One, including this deuce.

Sunday dawned like a beautiful bowl of oatmeal, complete with a steamish-like fog, and light, soggy rain falling again on the grounds. However, the environment didn't stop one steadfast group, the swap meet, of course, as it was still going strong in the morning, with droves of people holding umbrellas and towing Radio Flyers full of project-completing parts. By 10 a.m., the sun finally burned the rain off, giving the Nitro Coupes an opportunity to complete some unfinished business from the Saturday eliminations.

Sadly, especially as we try to pack more drag winners into our Super Chevy Show coverage, the three main bracket racing classes were halted before a winner could be determined. The weather just didn't hold out long enough. However, in the following pages, many of the various award winners and drag racing participants can be found. Check out next month's issue of SC for thrilling coverage of another Southern-themed event, as the Super Chevy Show invaded Virginia Motorsports Park back in June.