Aero Cars @ Monster Mopar Weekend

[hemigeno]

Hey everyone,

The annual Aero Car "gathering" at the Monster Mopar Weekend (MMW) show is coming up soon.  For those who are wondering what the dates are, the show is normally held on the weekend after Labor Day – which this year will be September 8-10.

Rich Bolzenius has lined up former NASCAR driver Neil Castles to be on hand for questions & autographs the entire weekend.  Among other cars, Mr. Castles drove the #06 Daytona in Grand National competition as an Owner/Driver.

As is normally the case, a bunch of Aero/Wing Car people are meeting at Rich's house in Union, MO on that Friday (September 8th).  That is our chance to quiz Mr. Castles in a more informal setting, without all the distractions of the car show to worry about.  We will also try to do a videotaped interview again, although that may be subject to whether either of the Liebrandts can attend (Danny:  hint, hint!).  Most years there are also a few former St. Louis Assembly Plant workers who stop by Rich's shop for a visit, to regale us with stories that make me wonder how any of these cars ever left the factory in one piece!  As much fun as the MMW show is, I will readily admit that Rich's event-before-the-event is often my favorite part of the whole weekend.

The car show portion itself will be about the same as last year.  We have arranged with the promoter of the MMW to reserve up to 40 show spaces for Aero cars, and I plan to stake them out on the Thursday before the show.  As of now, I do not have any idea where those spaces will be, although we can always request a particular location if some of you folks have ideas to pass along.  If possible, we would like to have all of the Wing Cars (clones welcome too!) parked in a row in this area.  It's not required that everyone park together, but it sure looks great to have all the Daytonas and Superbirds lined up!  I plan to be there throughout the morning to help get the cars parked in the reserved areas.

Like last year, we have arranged for a processional-style entrance into the track through one of the side gates.  This has been arranged strictly as a convenience for the Wing cars, since it eliminates the long entry line that can quickly overheat a cooling-challenged car.  Any Aero cars can join in with this group, as long as they all come in together.  There will be only one group of cars (fairly early on each day) allowed into the track area this way – and if you miss the boat, we won't be able to keep opening up that side gate.  There is no MMW Car Show pre-registration requirement to enter along with this group, although if you have pre-registered it does make things simpler once you are inside the show area.  The MMW staff has only made one stipulation about this – we MUST make sure that everyone who comes in this way DOES REGISTER.  They will only allow us to continue doing this "special entry" deal as long as they don't get burned by some freeloaders.  More details about the where & when of this perk will follow.

I have also confirmed with the Track Management Staff that we will be able to get the Aero cars out on the oval track to do some hot laps.  There are several changes to the format from recent years though:
>>   First, the Track guys have requested that we only bring out Aero cars for the laps.  In our estimation, that means 1969 Charger 500s, '69 Daytonas and '70 Superbirds.  Clones of these cars are allowed.  (Since I can't push my engine-less Daytona very fast, I won't be doing any laps myself this year.)
>>   Second, the Track guys have also requested that we group everyone according to the speed that they would like to go.  For those who want to drop the hammer, they are willing to pace us to some pretty high speeds.  For those who only want to do a couple of slow parade laps, they will gladly do that for us as well.  What they don't want is to have a group mixed with fast and slow cars.  If we ask you how fast you would like to go on the track, this is the reason.
>>   Third, the MMW promoter has stipulated that the track laps be open to any MonsterMoparWeekend participant with an Aero car.  There is no club membership requirement in order to participate.
>>   Fourth, the Track guys are only going to allow us to do laps on one day.  They are doing us a tremendous favor by allowing us out on the track at all, so we don't have too much leverage with them.  They did give Rich and me the choice of which day, and the consensus opinion is that late morning on Sunday would be the best day and time.  If we tried to do it on Saturday, the track laps almost always interfere with the car show judging.  If we do it too late in the day on Sunday, some of the participants won't be able to make it since several get an early start on their trips back home.  My guess is that we will line up for the laps sometime around 11:00am on Sunday the 10th.
>>   Finally...  Like last year, there will be a mandatory driver's meeting shortly before the cars go out on the track.  I will try and make it around to all the Aero car owners before that meeting, and hopefully I'll have some printed instructions about the track's procedures.  If everyone knows which "speed group" they want to be in ahead of time, we can have the groupings all lined up.  That will make the laps smooth and orderly for everyone.


Hopefully those who can make it will come.  This has normally been one of the largest annual events for Aero cars, and is eclipsed in numbers only by the Talladega Reunion hosted every 5 years by Tim Wellborn & DSAC.  There is no need to register with me or Rich ahead of time, we just hope that everyone comes and has a good time.  It's one of the highlights of the year for me to meet with this many Aero car owners & aficionados at the same place.

If you have any questions about the Aero-related events we have planned, please do not hesitate to contact me.  My email address is genlewis@fidnet.com, or you can call me at my office (636) 583-8811.  Hope to see you there!!

Geno

[hemi68charger]

    I can't go.............   Dana wants to play with her younger brothers/sisters.................

3 more years and no military obligations in the way, I can retire !!!!!

Troy

[Aero426]

We will be there.

[69_500]

I'm hoping to be there. If it means that I have to quit my job, I might just do that. I will try my darnest to make it on Friday as well to tape the stuff at Rich's house.

[3--Daytona]

Geno;;;;;;;;;;;;Got room for me?-------------3--daytona

[hemigeno]

Geno;;;;;;;;;;;;Got room for me?-------------3--daytona

Got room for you??... hmmm....             OH YEAH....         

Glad to hear you're thinking of coming, Jim!  Which car (or cars) are you going to bring up?  Any of them would be great --  even the black one you're still working on.

[69_500]

Gene it is my plan to make it out to Rich's house on Friday for the get together. If they won't give me the day off of work, then I'll just take the day off, but either way I'm 99.99% sure that I will be there at Rich's house on Friday in my 500 to tape it. I probably won't make the actual Monster show, as I've been told countless times that we will be working that weekend, but hey everyone can call in 1 day right.

Jim, you better show up for this show. I'll be looking forward to seeing at least 1 of your Daytona's there. And Jim, if you do come, drag Jerry along with you, I wanna drool over his HEMI 500 again.

[daytonalo]

Do they do this every year around  labor day ? I will have my hemi daytona clone finished up this winter .

[hemigeno]

Do they do this every year around  labor day ? I will have my hemi daytona clone finished up this winter .

Historically, MonsterMopar has always been the weekend after Labor Day.  As long as Scott Sieveking (MMW's promoter) doesn't change that schedule, our wing car gathering date won't change either.

The more, the merrier!

[hotrod98]

Hey Geno, Is the meeting at Rich's house open to future cloned wing car owners? We're building a daytona and a bird as well as wing car cloner parts. My wife and I are going to drive her Ram Daytona up and leave the show cars at home. I'm picking up some wing car parts from Gean Gregory on Saturday and had to bring a truck. Let me know, would love to hang out with the wing car people.

[hemigeno]

The meeting at Rich's house is not limited to current (or even future) wing car owners.  Several people bring "regular" B-bodies over, myself included.  Rich's family has some nice E-bodies, and his son has an A-body, so they have lots of different things there.  Last year, there was even a Mustang customized like "Eleanor" from GI60Seconds.

When Rich first started inviting people over several years back, it was mostly a reunion for former (Chrysler) St. Louis Assembly Plant workers.  Later on it sorta developed into a Wing car thing since Rich knows a lot of folks through both DSAC and WW/NBOA and has a really nice 6-pack 'Bird.  Several Aero club members regularly came to hear all the stories from the plant workers.  With Rich bringing in some former NASCAR drivers here lately, there is a natural tie-in with Aero cars so it has sort-of gravitated away from the Plant Reunion emphasis over to more of an Aerocar deal.  It's not an Aero-exclusive deal though.

Rich doesn't advertise this "meeting" at his house, mostly because he doesn't want to have a huge number of cars show up at his house.  MoparMuscle magazine did come about 3 or 4 years back, and they ran several pictures of the event in one of their issues.  Typically, anywhere from 10-20 Mopars show up (with maybe 5-10 Aero cars), and several others w/o a classic Mopar attend as well.  Anyone who wants to show up is welcome, and Rich usually has plenty of food and space for everyone.  Chances are there won't be that many guys from either this site or Moparstyle that can make it, which is why he didn't mind me mentioning the "meeting" (I did ask him first).

Larry, I don't see it being a problem for you and your wife to come over, even without one of your show cars.  If anyone else is serious about making it to Rich's house, PM or email me and I'll get you some directions (it's about 1 hour SW of Gateway).



P.S.  Is Mr. Gregory coming to MMW?  I'd like to meet him sometime if I ever got the chance.

[hotrod98]

Gean is supposed to be there with some of his new stuff. He just finished the molds for the 3rd gen charger/runner back window louvers. I'll contact him again this week to find out for sure. I'll pm you one day this week from the office re the thing at Rich's house.
Thanks,
Larry

[hemigeno]

Here is the article from the March 2004 issue of MoparMuscle that mentions Rich's get-together:

[hemigeno]

If anyone needs directions on how to get to Rich's house, here they are:

From St. Louis:

Go west on I-44 until you get to the Union / Jefferson City exit (US Hwy 50), which should be Exit #247.  Head west on Hwy 50 for about 5 miles.  You'll go past Wal-Mart, East Central College, past the Phord dealership, and get to a McDonalds.  Turn right at the intersection close by McDonalds, which is Highway 47 North.  Go approximately 1-1/2 miles north on Highway 47 until you get to a signal at Independence Ave.  It is the next stoplight past the nice, new Post Office.  Turn left (west) onto Independence, and go to the stoplight at the top of the next hill.  Turn right (north) onto Highway "A".  Go 1-1/2 miles or so north on Highway A, and you will see a stone subdivision monument on your left with a big eagle on it.  Rich's house is the next house on the left past the last subdivision road (which is Quail Ridge Court).  It is just past the City Limit sign for Union.  The street address is 3871 Highway A, and it is an old white frame farmhouse. 


From the southwest:

Go east on I-44 until you get to the second St. Clair exit, #240.  Turn left and go north on Highway 47  Go approximately 5 miles until you get to the signal at Highway 50.  Turn left (west) onto Highway 50, and go less than 1 mile - you'll come to a McDonalds.  Turn right at the intersection close by McDonalds, which is Highway 47 North.  Go approximately 1-1/2 miles north on Highway 47 until you get to a signal at Independence Ave.  It is the next stoplight past the nice, new Post Office.  Turn left (west) onto Independence, and go to the stoplight at the top of the next hill.  Turn right (north) onto Highway "A".  Go 1-1/2 miles or so north on Highway A, and you will see a stone subdivision monument on your left with a big eagle on it.  Rich's house is the next house on the left past the last subdivision road (which is Quail Ridge Court).  It is just past the City Limit sign for Union.  The street address is 3871 Highway A, and it is an old white frame farmhouse.


From the north:

At the intersection of I-70 and Highway 47 in Warrenton (exit #193), go south on Highway 47 for approx. 25 miles until you get to Washington.  Stay on 47 South until you get completely through Washington.  Go approximately 6 miles south of Washington, and you will come to a signal at Independence Ave. - there is a Pasta House restaurant visible on the left, however you will need to turn right (west).  Go west on Independence, and go to the stoplight at the top of the next hill.  Turn right (north) onto Highway "A".  Go 1-1/2 miles or so north on Highway A, and you will see a stone subdivision monument on your left with a big eagle on it.  Rich's house is the next house on the left past the last subdivision road (which is Quail Ridge Court).  It is just past the City Limit sign for Union.  The street address is 3871 Highway A, and it is an old white frame farmhouse. 



If anyone has any problems getting there, try me on my Nextel number which is (314) 565-1498.  Hopefully those that can make it will get there easily.

Geno

[Hemi_tyme]

Geno it was great to meet with you,Larry and Danny at the Monster!!  And thanks again for all your hard work with putting on a great wing car show!
Ken

[Aero426]

Geno (and Rich), nice job you guys did on the show (as usual).

[hemi68charger]

Geno (and Rich), nice job you guys did on the show (as usual).

Looks like it.. Maybe next year when Julie's a wee bit over a year.........

Troy