A great place to be on March 26th-28th, 2010 was at the 21st Annual Spring Daytona Beach Car Show & Swap Meet. The show was held inside the legendary Daytona International Speedway, and proudly holds the title of the second biggest show in the state.
Though we didn’t get the official numbers, about 1,500 show cars and trucks were on hand for this year’s Spring Show, and new for this year was judging. Yep, at a show this large they implemented judging, and while we don’t know how that was undergone, at the first ever award ceremonies the panel of judges recognized Gary Barnes’ completely customized 1994 Chevy Truck with Best in Show honors. Barnes, a local from South Daytona, said he has worked on his show truck since 1996. Other prizes for Best In Class included: Street Rod • Bart Caliaro • 1932 Ford; Late Model • Jim Russell • Magnum Wagon; Rat Rod • Howard Masters • Ford; Classic Truck • Dave Denny • Chevy Truck; Muscle Car • Victor Iannelli • 1967 GTO; Custom • Walt “J” • 1954 Mercury. Congrats go out to all the winners.
The Spring Daytona show also has several “shows within the show” that take place, held independently by various clubs. Those include ones catering specifically to the Mercury Cougar, Impala SS, Pontiac Fiero, AMC, and more. It is always fun to check these areas out, since they draw some great vehicles in their respective categories, and this year was no exception.
A nice surprise for many attendees was that drag racing legend “Big Daddy” Don Garlits had a display set up, which included his Swamp Rat 12-A Top Fuel Dragster. Garlits drew big crowds all weekend, and was shaking hands, sharing stories, selling memorabilia, and signing autographs.
Great aspects that are always a part of the Daytona shows included the huge swap meet area, where you could find just about anything you needed, the car corral, which offered up a vast variety of options for those looking for a new ride, and the new parts vendors that could hook you up with whatever you needed. Even if we ultimately don’t wind up buying much, we always scour these areas as well, because you never know when you’re going to find that “must have” item.....even if you didn’t know you needed it before you saw it. It truly can be surprising what you’ll find at a show inside Daytona International Speedway.
The Spring Daytona Beach Car Show & Swap Meet is only second in the state to the Daytona Turkey Run, which is also held inside the Speedway over Thanksgiving weekend. With a great Spring Show in the books, everyone is looking forward to the 37th Annual Daytona Turkey Run inside the Speedway on November 25th-28th, 2010. While they have been re-paving the track, it will not affect the Turkey Run in any way....and in fact, should be completed prior to the event. So don’t let rumors and speculation keep you from enjoying the best show in Florida! You can come check out the new pavement, 5,000 show vehicles, and the huge swap meet and car corral after getting your fill of turkey and fixin’s. For complete info, the latest news, and registration, you can visit www.turkeyrun.com. We’ll see you there! CN
