Ah, Spring in Texas! That can only mean one thing — it’s time for Goodguys Rod & Custom Association Spring Lone Star Nationals at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Of course, it can also mean unpredictable Texas weather, but that never stops the show from going on, and the Edelbrock Group trailer was on the premises for the 14th annual show sponsored by LMC Truck. Technical Support Specialists Jesse Shappley and Jeremy Dent, aka “The Beard Bros,” made the long trek from EG headquarters in Mississippi to man the event trailer and brought back photos of their journey to share with EG Nation.
Friday
For many who came in a day earlier to attend the legendary Pate Swap Meet, the party had already started, with thousands of vendors selling vintage parts, memorabilia, cars, and everything in between. Of course, for Jesse and Jeremy, it meant a set-up day, so there was not a lot of time for parts searching. Friday morning, after making their obligatory stop for breakfast at Buc-ee’s across from TMS, the guys entered the Lone Star Nats to be greeted by a deluge of rain. “A River Runs Through It” was the theme for the day, as a heavy stream ran under the awning most of the morning. Sun, wind, clouds, rain, then repeat it all over again was the story for Friday — blame it on Texas.
Despite the rain, the attendees’ unwavering spirit was a sight to behold. Like the stream running through the EG booth space, vehicles were steadily streaming in through the south tunnel, and the positive vibes kept the good times rolling. Nowhere was that more apparent than at the LMC Ultimate Truck Showcase, which was obviously a popular spot. The Goodguys Lone Star Nats always brings out some of the best trucks — blame it on Texas.
Texas-Sized Saturday
Saturday was a different story, as the rain held off most of the day, but the wind stepped in to fill the void. The show got started early as participants filled the specialty parking areas. Meanwhile, the newly expanded autocross cranked up the volume with the Texas Lone Star Shootout presented by Speedtech Performance. Autocross actually had to be cut short due to the high winds. Speaking of cranking up the volume, there were multiple Nitro Thunderfest dragsters cackling on occasion. Throw live music, cruising cars, and the wind into the mix, and it was a cacophony of sound.
Texas showed out on Saturday with a healthy spectator turnout and amazing vehicles in the Builder’s Choice area. Jesse managed to roam around to snap a couple of photos and found his favorite car. Being a father himself, he spotted a sweet drop-top Caddy with two car seats in the back. He loves the passion of the dad to take his kids along for the ride — teach ‘em young, folks!
Jesse and Jeremy were busy all day answering tech and product questions from current and potential customers. Jesse says the questions they were asked the most on the Edelbrock side were about choosing between carbs or EFI. That question has been going on since the inception of EFI. The answer is often a personal choice and the customer’s comfort level with either option. You can search for articles to help with this on EG Nation.
On the COMP side, Jeremy says most of the questions were around pairing a cam with a particular build. That is always a tough decision based on how the user will be using the vehicle. These guys are experts at helping with those types of questions as long as you can provide the right information. Do you need a custom camshaft or something off the shelf?
As the day died down, many of the participants lined up for the track cruise on the Texas Motor Speedway NASCAR oval. The night was finished off with some two-wheeled flat track action at the Progressive AFT Mission Foods “Texas Half Mile” on the TMS Dirt Track. The races were interrupted several times by rain showers. Jesse and Jeremy chalked it up to being in Texas.
Sunday
Sunday started cold and windy, but eventually, the wind blew the clouds away, giving way to blue skies and sunshine (for a while). The highlight of the event for Jesse was being asked to help pass out the Edelbrock Best Engine Award to Alex Gardner with his super-clean K5 Blazer. He also got to meet Shorty from Shorty’s Dream Shop and KC from KCS Paint Shop, who was also on Gas Monkey for a time.
With that, it was time for the fellas to help break down the trailer and make tracks back to the Mid-South. As luck would have it, the rain started to fall as they hit the road. It rained the entire way back until Brinkley, Arkansas. Blame it on Texas!
If you talked to Jeremy or Jesse at the show and need to get back in touch with them, you can reach out to them through the Tech Line at 800.999.0853. You can contact Jesse through email at [email protected] or by phone at 323.500.0414. Jeremy’s email is [email protected]. They will be happy to help!
More Photos from Goodguys Texas Lone Star Nationals
