2010 Bristol Super Chevy Show - Super Chevy Magazine

2010 Bristol Super Chevy Show Bristol Dragway

For our ninth stop of the 2010 tour, the Super Chevy Show landed at Bristol Dragway in the heart of Volunteer Country for some tire smoking, high octane-burning Chevy excitement.

For our ninth stop of the 2010 tour, the Super Chevy Show landed at Bristol Dragway in the

It was my ninth Super Chevy Show of the year, and after the excitement of the other eight, I was out of breath. Still recovering from the action at the Houston event, I was feeling a bit worn down as I pulled into the show area at Bristol Dragway in Tennessee. But all it took was exposure to the enthusiasm of the Chevy fanatics who had come out in force to revitalize my spirit.

Unfortunately, this year's show in "Thunder Valley" was only going to be a one-day affair. We'd played Russian roulette with rain at the Houston, Topeka, Norwalk, and Virginia shows earlier in the year, but came out on top with two days of fun. This time our number was up, and Sunday morning dawned with a drenching rain that washed out the day's festivities.

2010 Bristol Super Chevy Show Field Of Cars

The show car field was full of great Chevys of various types, mild to wild, resto to restomod. Chevelles, Camaros, Tri-Fives, Monte Carlos, Corvettes-the whole gamut of Bow Tie power was out in force.

The show car field was full of great Chevys of various types, mild to wild, resto to resto

But Saturday was still a great day. At the dragstrip, racers were filling the lanes for their sprints down the 1320, and in the show-car area the rows were packed with great Bow Ties ranging from all original to full-on restomod. The photos are more entertaining than my words, so I'll quit my scribbling and let you, the readers, get to looking.

Randall Matheson and his son brought out their home restored '68 Camaro for all to see. The Ash Gold SS396 was originally sold in Fairburn, Georgia, for $4,400 and came with a list of options, including a 3.31-geared Posi rear and the more uncommon...
Randall Matheson and his son brought out their home restored '68 Camaro for all to see. Th
...350-horse 396 (only about 2,500 built). The Mathesons did all the work, even paint, in their home garage.
...350-horse 396 (only about 2,500 built). The Mathesons did all the work, even paint, in
This killer '55 custom truck belongs to Dennis Bunton. We had to give Dennis an Editor's Choice award for what was one of the nicest Tri-Five trucks we'd ever seen.
This killer '55 custom truck belongs to Dennis Bunton. We had to give Dennis an Editor's C

Over in the swap meet, we spied this set of factory big-block aluminum heads. We couldn't tell if they were from an L89 Camaro or Corvette, but they had a machine shop's stamp on their front, which meant they weren't virgin pieces.
Over in the swap meet, we spied this set of factory big-block aluminum heads. We couldn't
Old racecar parts in a street car are always cool, and Teddy Meclure's '68 Bel Air had some ex-NASCAR power between its front fenders...
Old racecar parts in a street car are always cool, and Teddy Meclure's '68 Bel Air had som
...Teddy installed the SB2 small-block backed by a Tremec gearbox into the original 307 car, giving the base-model Chevy cruiser a lot more horsepower than it ever had.
...Teddy installed the SB2 small-block backed by a Tremec gearbox into the original 307 ca

Check out the engine shot of Ken Nester's '61 Impala...
...Yeah, we thought the same thing at first glance, but when we looked closer the realization hit that this was a Mark IV Rat in W-motor disguise.
...Yeah, we thought the same thing at first glance, but when we looked closer the realizat
Robert and Keith Crane's '56 210 was another worthy Editor's Choice award winner. With a 402 big-block and built TH350 for motivation, the car sported tubular control arms up front, a power rack-and-pinion steering conversion, and 2-inch drop spindles up front. He added 1.5-inch drop leaf springs in the back.
Robert and Keith Crane's '56 210 was another worthy Editor's Choice award winner. With a 4

When we called to tell Campisano they had deep-fried Oreos AND Twinkies at the event, we thought he was gonna get on a plane that day to come up and join us. Don't lie, Jim, you know you would've gobbled them down faster than any cannoli! [Editor Campy's note: Watch your mouth, Hill!]
When we called to tell Campisano they had deep-fried Oreos AND Twinkies at the event, we t
While not a "super" Chevy, D.T. Jeter's super-clean Nova was still an interesting sight...
...How the plain-jane X-body survived all its years without someone yanking the pedestrian 307 for some high-winding small-block or a tire-thumping big-block is a mystery, but it's still a car worthy of some admiration and attention.
...How the plain-jane X-body survived all its years without someone yanking the pedestrian

The author has a soft spot for first-generation Montes, and David Durst's '72 was a nice one to check out...
The author has a soft spot for first-generation Montes, and David Durst's '72 was a nice o
...The interior was still all original, and the acres of space the front bench seat provided meant this was one comfortable cruiser.
...The interior was still all original, and the acres of space the front bench seat provid

The Vettes of the Smokies Corvette Club came out in force, and as a special club bonus, got to go out as a group on the track at Bristol Motor Speedway next door for some exciting laps around the half-mile concrete bull ring that is normally NASCAR's stage for a re-enactment of the chariot race in Ben Hur.
The Vettes of the Smokies Corvette Club came out in force, and as a special club bonus, go
When it was time to really liven things up, the jet cars got the call to light up the show.
When it was time to really liven things up, the jet cars got the call to light up the show

Big Chevys running down the strip are always fun to watch, especially behemoths like this '69!
Big Chevys running down the strip are always fun to watch, especially behemoths like this
This photo pretty much sums up how Sunday was. With a Doppler radar full of green and yellow, by 11 a.m. it was obvious the rain wasn't going to let up anytime soon to even let the track dry and racing to resume. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise stellar weekend.
This photo pretty much sums up how Sunday was. With a Doppler radar full of green and yell
The Pro Mods were burning down the eighth-mile at the strip, and giving the spectators some close races to watch.
The Pro Mods were burning down the eighth-mile at the strip, and giving the spectators som

Doug Winters and his '57 Pro Mod attended more than one SC Show in 2010, with the yellow shoebox being a tough nut to crack in eliminations.
Doug Winters and his '57 Pro Mod attended more than one SC Show in 2010, with the yellow s

Editor's Choice Car Show Winners
Randall Matheson - Jonesborough, TN - '68 Camaro
Teddy Meclure - Chilhowie, VA - '68 Bel Air
Dennis Bunton - Statesville, N.C. - '55 Chevy
D.T. Jeter - Bristol, TN - '70 Nova
Robert & Keith Crane - Morganton, N.C. - '56 210
Gerald Copeland - Tifton, GA - '67 Corvette
David Durst - Cumberland, MD - '72 Monte Carlo
Carroll Rhodes - Hendersonville, N.C. - '64 Chevelle
Nick Blevins - Manchester, KY - '69 Camaro
Ken Nester - Lenoir City, TN - '61 Impala

Editor's Choice Drag Car Winners
Mike Ballew - Burnsville, N.C. - '65 Chevelle
Joe Reeves - Independence, VA - '55 Chevy Truck
Terry Davis - Wytheville, VA - '66 Chevelle
Tim Peters - Mt. Jackson, VA - '68 Chevelle
Melony Peters - Hannover, PA - '72 Vega
Justin West - Dunn, N.C. - '69 Camaro
James McDonalds - Inwood, W.V. - '71 Nova
Cody Mitchell - Little Creek, KY - '85 Camaro