August 3-6, 2022: Hot August Nights – Reno, NV
Jon Kunzman, Bob Harrell & Ed Monte – Michigan Area
The 35th Annual Hot August Nights saw a full week’s worth of record crowds and car show participants – including people from Canada, New Zealand and Norway. If you’ve never been to HAN, the week can be too short to try and see everything in one shot. The Reno-Sparks area is covered with events at all the major casino/hotels, the Downtown main strip, along with the Summit sponsored Big Boy’s Toys Store at the Reno Expo. If you look at any indicators of turn-out, note the crowds at the food concessions!
August 4-7, 2022: NSRA – Louisville, KY
Matt Ross & Mike Sherrill – Midwest Area
After continuing to run the show through the COVID years, we weren’t sure what to expect at this year’s NSRA event – however, we were happy to see that things seemed back to normal! We estimate that the car count was around 10,000, and Friday and Saturday were packed with people. We stayed busy until 3:00 pm every day. The car giveaway started at 3:00 pm, which turned off the tap for the vendors. Rumor had it that ALL the prizes were to given away at that time, which drew the crowed there.
August 5-7, 2022: Carlisle Truck Nationals – Carlisle, PA
Jay Lambert – NE Area
We attended the Carlisle Truck Nationals in support of the A&A Stores, and set up in their tent along with several other vendors. There was a mixture of attending trucks, which ranged from gigantic lifted 4×4 trucks to slammed trucks on air suspension and a whole section of conversion vans. There were a lot of people who seemed to be casually browsing parts and gathering information, rather than being on a mission to buy specific items.
August 14, 2022: Rockin’ Rods ‘n Rochester – Rochester, MI
Bob Harrell, Tim Carnacchi & Jason Sugden – Michigan Area
The Rockin’ Rods ‘n Rochester event was very well attended! There was a threat of rain early, so it took a bit to get the crowd there, but they eventually arrived and we had great traffic through the trailer. Customers continued to ask questions about their projects that indicated they are spending money and trying to complete what they started. We saw lots of interest in brake systems, full suspension kits, full cooling systems, rotating assemblies and fuel injection kits. There were no complaints about the price of anything or the issues relating to inflation. There were about 400 vehicles, which is always the goal of the Lions Club who put this on. All proceeds go to the Leader Dogs for the Blind, a great nonprofit organization in Rochester, Michigan.
August 18, 2022: SEMA Garage Grand Opening – Detroit, MI
Bob Harrell & Michael Kunzman – Michigan Area
The SEMA Garage Grand Opening in Detroit was very well-attended, with over 1,000 people coming through the event. There were a lot of really cool cars at the event, with the building itself being a technological marvel. They are able to run dynos and emission testing, and do just about anything a manufacturer would need for any vehicle. Quite an investment for our industry!