From May 30 through June 1, I was on the road again to one of my favorite shows, Battle in Bama Hot Rod, Truck, and Bike Show. However, this time, it wasn’t in Mobile, Alabama, and it was two shows in one. Instead, it was four hours up the road in Lincoln at Talladega Superspeedway and was combined with the OBS Nationals. Edelbrock Group was also on hand for the first time with the 10×20 popup tent manned by Technical Sales & Support Specialists Nobel Del Mar and William Cantrell.
The Big Move to Talladega
“Shake and Bake” was Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) and Cal Naughton Jr.’s (John C. Reilly) tagline in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby to describe their style of driving. However, it could also be used to describe the monumental decision by Show Promoter Craig Rowley and his staff to relocate the Battle in Bama from the picturesque grounds of the USS Alabama Battleship on Mobile Bay to the vast Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. This was a move of epic proportions, requiring the confidence of Ricky Bobby’s “Shake and Bake.”
Battle in Bama has been a significantly popular regional show. For several years in a row, it has hit the cap of 1,700 vehicles months in advance. By 2023, the event had maxed out available space at the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. With plans to make Battle in Bama a dual show alongside the newly spawned OBS Nationals (for Chevrolet pickups 1989 and newer), Rowley knew he needed more space.
It was a time for bold decisions and strategic planning. The team’s choice to leave the familiar coast was a difficult one, but Talladega offered the much-needed space for expansion. With only a year to orchestrate the move, Rowley had his work cut out for him, making numerous trips to Talladega Superspeedway before the 2024 show on May 30-June 1.
Growing Pains
Change is always challenging, and the crew was well aware of this. While there was never any doubt that many participants would follow the show wherever it went, I’m sure it was a nerve-racking time for everyone involved. Rowley, in his wisdom, maintained the 1,700 vehicle cap for 2024 to prevent his staff from being overwhelmed in the first year. The introduction of the OBS Nationals was also a facilitating move, as it virtually ensured a sellout, even if they lost some traditional showgoers from the relocation.
It’s always tough to change venues after you’ve had years of practice at the old one. Despite best efforts, there are always things that can’t be accounted for, but Rowley did a good job leading up to the show with communications through Facebook, including a Q&A a week prior. They asked for patience ahead of time and promised to consider constructive criticism for the ensuing years.
Despite its greater ability to expand within the Talladega infield, the show felt a little more cramped or disjointed than it did in the big field at the battleship park. There are tons of fences within the infield for the NASCAR race, which makes it a little tricky to navigate. However, it was nice to park on asphalt or concrete as opposed to the grass that most had to park on at the USS Alabama. It was always a nightmare when it rained.
The Talladega infield was unfamiliar territory for participants to figure out where to park once they entered the tunnel in Turn 3. However, it wasn’t a problem if you were paying attention. Battle in Bama posted maps on its Facebook page, and sandwich boards directed vehicles from the tunnel through Turn 4 toward the main show area. When you arrived at the show area, plenty of staff were on hand to direct you where to go.
The Show
It seems to have become the norm for any show I go to lately, but the weather forecast was not very promising. We arrived around 8:00 a.m. on Friday. For a few minutes, it looked like it would take a while to get into the infield, even though we already received our armbands on Thursday. But as we approached the registration tent, a staff member waved us by everyone who was registering. Once we turned into the tunnel, it was smooth sailing into the show.
Friday was by far the better day, with mostly cloudy skies and a nice breeze blowing across the track. The clouds made taking great photos of nice, shiny cars challenging, even with a polarizer on my lens. I tried my best to get as many pictures as possible on Friday, as they called for rain on Saturday. It’s a good thing, as it rained off and on until around 2:00 on Saturday.
Show Areas
My first stop at any show is the swap meet if they have one. 2024 was the first year for a swap meet at Battle In Bama, so it was a little light on spots, but again, there is plenty of room to grow. I didn’t find anything I absolutely had to have, so I headed to the vendor area in the lot next door.
There were four rows of primarily truck-oriented vendors, but there was some good shopping to be had. One man selling motorized coolers was making a killing! The International Motorsports Hall of Fame on the grounds of the track had NASCAR cars from Donnie Allison and Richard Petty on display here. Also, some heavy-hitter car builders, such as Roadster Shop, Goolsby Customs, Classic Car Studio, and Twin States Rod Shop, displayed some of their latest builds!
Pro Street
The next stop was Pit Road to see my Fat Tires and Blowers Pro Street friends and their unique creations. Bradley Gray (Blown Mafia) and Jamie Pipher had their meticulously restored semi-haulers parked on the pit road as the backdrop. There was a strong contingent of approximately 40 or 50 Pro Street vehicles at Talladega. They are always crowd-pleasers!
Minitruckin’
On the north side of Pit Road was Minitruckin’ Boulevard, which also had a large number of vehicles on display — some old and some new. Though I don’t always know what I am looking at when it comes to minis, I can appreciate the fabricators and talented painters who use them as their canvas. The sky is the limit, and there are some incredible builders.
C10 and VIP
C10 Million Dollar Row and the VIP section took up the south side. Undoubtedly, Chevy’s C10 is still the hottest truck to restore, and it amazes me how many different ways you can modify the same model to get a different outcome. Much like Tri-Five Chevys, it seems like no two are the same. VIP vehicles were made up of high-quality builds hand-picked by Battle in Bama officials including some sweet street rods and specialty vehicles.
Talladega NASCAR Garages
Inside the garages on either side of Big Bill’s restaurant were more hand-picked feature vehicles. These ranged from past winners to high-quality builds, tribute cars, or just cool rides that stood out to the BiB staff. One set of garages was even reserved as the “Ford Garage.”
Club Parking
The club parking area is all about camaraderie. Many of these clubs are national, and members sometimes only see each other at big shows. Some storied clubs parked here included Relaxed Atmosphere, Severed Ties, Negative Camber, Excessive, Square Body Nation, C10’s of the South, and others.
Edelbrock Corner
Edlebrock Corner was only used once, but it may have been the most exciting and visited spot in the short time it was utilized. This is where the burnout challenge took place at 1:00 on Saturday. It seemed like the entire population inside Talladega Superspeedway came to witness participants making clouds with their tires. A pickup took the title after a spectacular blowout, but my favorite was a Pro Street VW Bug stuffed with a blown big-block Chevy and zoomie headers that rivaled a Top Fuel drag car for sound. The owner had to stop because he couldn’t breathe!
OBS Nationals
The OBS Nationals took up an entire parking lot behind Big Bill’s restaurant. All 1989 and newer Chevrolet trucks could park here to be judged for the OBS awards. The top awards included custom toolboxes. I can see this area outgrowing that parking lot very quickly in the coming years.
Nobel and Will’s Experience
As mentioned, Technical Sales & Support Specialists Nobel Del Mar and Will Cantrell made the drive down from the Edelbrock Group headquarters on Wednesday afternoon. They stopped at Barber Motorsports Park to catch some motorcycle racing that night. The guys set up the tent early Thursday morning at the superspeedway as they were crewing on Dewayne White’s 360 Sprint Car for the USCS Thursday Night Thunder at the Talladega Short Track.
Unfortunately, Dewayne tapped the wall in hot laps, making for an eventful night of rebuilding the back half of the car. He missed the heat race and started dead last in the feature, but he salvaged the night with a 10th-place finish. A highlight of the night was seeing 91-year-old Alabama Gang member Red Farmer finish Third in his late-model race. Red is a true racing legend who is still competing regularly.
The guys had a busy day on Friday talking with customers at the tent, with quite a bit of foot traffic coming by the booth. However, they said Saturday was super busy in between rain showers compared to Friday. They enjoyed meeting with customers (and potential customers) throughout the day, including the guys from No-Limit Engineering, who utilize some Edelbrock Group products on their autocross truck. Each of them got an opportunity to get out of the booth for a few minutes to wander around the show to snap a few pictures.
If you spoke to Will or Nobel at the show and need to follow up with one of them, here is their contact information:
Will Cantrell — [email protected], 901.271.9250
Nobel Del Mar — [email protected], 901.271.9234
Talladega Future
There is no doubt that Battle in Bama has a bright future at the Talladega Superspeedway. The show is just as good as it was in Mobile, if not better, and Rowley has plans to add features to attract more cars (could there be a track cruise?). Now that the first show is under their belt, we can only imagine that they will open the cap to allow more vehicles. Keep an eye on the Battle in Bama website for show dates for next year. Registration typically opens in January!
Catch our coverage from last year’s Battle in Bama show in Mobile here!!
