Hot August Nights 2014

I thought last year’s Hot August Nights would be hard to beat, but I was wrong, this year was amazing. If you’ve never been to Hot August Nights (HAN), add it to your list of things to do. The population of the Reno, Sparks and South Lake Tahoe doubles with 500,000-plus automotive enthusiasts during the five-day event. Eight thousand modified cars of every description cruise the streets as far as the eye can see. It’s no wonder that in 2013 Autoweek Magazine named HAN one of the top three automotive destinations in the world. In fact, a few of our old friends attended this year, rock guitarist Jimmie Vaughan and wife Robin along with Jimmy and Nikki Shine. There are literally dozens of events offered on a daily basis at every venue for everyone—believe me, there’s no time for boredom.

Add to this the Barrett-Jackson Cup with its combined purse of $100,000-plus in cash and prizes and unprecedented TV coverage, a mighty test for the planet’s finest custom car craftsmen. Show up with the right hot rod and you might get lucky enough to walk away with the goods.

This year, judging was a little easier for Bob Millard, Bobby Alloway and me as the 125 eligible cup cars were parked on 4th Street and Virginia between Circus Circus and The Silver Legacy, but selecting the final 25 was still daunting. Whittling those down to the top 5 on Saturday would have been impossible without the help of our Reno “minders,” Bill Heath and Ken DuBois. The “Bobs” and I had our work cut out this year for sure, but here’s how they stacked up. I’m proud and honored to have been involved with them all:

Ultimate Best in Show Winner: 1957 Chevy Pickup; Owner: Allen Beers; Builder: Hot Garage-Jason Smith

• 1st Runner-up: 1932 Ford Fordor; Owner: Don Smith; Builder: Hot Rods by JSK-Jeff Kinsey
• 2nd Runner-up: 1935 Chevy Phaeton; Owner: Wes Rydell; Builder: Rad Rods by Troy
• 3rd Runner-up: 1964 Buick Riviera; Owner and Builder: J.F. Launier
• 4th Runner-up: 1967 Chevy Nova; Owner: Steve Turnari; Builder: Miranda Built-Jerry Miranda

The success of the Reno Barrett-Jackson Auction showed up in the performance numbers: $11,000,000 in gross sales with 97% vehicles sold. Craig Jackson, Chairman/CEO of Barrett-Jackson Auction also said, “I’m very pleased with the Reno numbers, and you will see us back here in 2015.” Of course, we’ll be back in force with the cup judging and hope to see more of our friends doing what they do best, checking out the rides in the Reno area during HAN.

---