*2021 Sneak Peek
1965 Plymouth Barracuda
Owner: Krzysztof Kozlowski, Michigan
2021 MCACN Participant
2021 Contender for MCACN Award for Owners Aged 25 and Younger
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Yes... There is a Future For Our Hobby!
Dealing with the many issues this past year has been quite a challenge for all of us. With the cancellation of so many events, closure of schools, restaurants, theaters and concerts, not to mention the 2020 MCACN show, it is even more important now than ever to share our passion with the future generation of enthusiasts.
Kate Ashton admiring a Pantera at a local car show
So, you ask, is there a "future generation" of enthusiasts and if so, how do we do that? Well...allow me to share a bit of what the MCACN team is doing! Many promoters talk about it, but we want to make sure we actually do something. First and foremost, we want to encourage you, the car owner, to show those younger potential enthusiasts just how much fun we have, and how cool the people involved are. To this day I can remember my Uncle Ron taking me for my first real ride in a 4-speed car, (a '69 Chevelle SS with an L78 396 under the hood!). Yes...I can remember that ride like it was yesterday. I can also remember going to the indoor car shows, being mesmerized by the shiny paint and chrome and huge engines. OK...I'll be honest; there was some metal-flake paint, jacked up rear ends and fat tires in abundance back when I was a kid. And I think back to my neighborhood and the cool cars. In fact, I can list many of them in detail; a black on black Duster 340, the Monaco Orange '69 427 Corvette up the street and of course, the many cars my Dad had as company cars would blow you away. He was a Senior VP at Chrysler, and would get a new assigned car every 2-3 months. 340 GTS Dart, Roadrunner convertibles, GTX's were all in the mix, and some of you have heard about Mom's FC7 383 shaker equipped Challenger R/T convertible. I even had a neighbor who drove home the Rapid Transit System Duster when it was still candy-apple red. See a kid at a car show? Invite him to sit behind the wheel of your car. It just might plant the seed. But alas...allow me to get back on point.
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Encourage Enthusiasm by having younger people
become Car Show Exhibitors:
At the top of this email you see our "sneak peek" car and young man who truly inspires me. You see, I met his Dad over 20 years ago when he was a "kid". Gary Kozlowski told me stories about his Dad's FM3 Pink Roadrunner convertible. Yep....that is the one you saw in our Barn Finds & Hidden Gems a few years ago! The seed his Dad planted back in the day lives on, not only with him but now with his son, Krzysztof. And while Krzysztof 's car is far from being a super shiny restored gem, it is HIS, and he has big plans for it. Seeing Krzysztof's love for all things on wheels, (hmmm, kind of like my son Ian!) his parents decided that the ultimate Christmas present would be a vintage Mopar for them to restore as a family. And yes, Mom is also into this in a big way. I am pleased to announce Krzysztof will be joining us this year with his Barracuda. Please make a point of meeting him. I can tell you he has big plans, plenty of knowledge and lots of enthusiasm. He has been gathering parts and has already spent quite a few hours working on it!
Photo Credit: Tim Costello Images
And that is just one of the stories we want to share. By now you have probably met the Straub family. While a bit older, you would certainly recognize sisters Adrianna and Brooklyn, as they are two of our Official MCACN Models. Last year Adrianna signed posters of the '69 340 Dart that she races in the Pure Stock Muscle Car Drag Races. And before this one, she ran her '70 442 W30 Olds. Brooklyn has also spent some time blasting down the track, along with her Dad, her Mom and her Uncle! The Straub Family will again be joining us with different cars this year. Maybe another MCACN Official poster?
And then we have Keegan Sobillo. Remember that black race car in the lobby with the big MCACN logo on the hood? Well that is the racer of 13 year old Keegan. We had Keegan show his Mini Cup car with us years ago, which he started racing when he was 8 years old. Keegan has graduated to the Junior Late Model division. These are real full size race cars, with Chevy V8 engines under the hood. Keegan was off to a great start, but when Covid hit, it reduced his opportunities to race. That didn't discourage him, as he is planning on hitting it fast and hard this season! And of course, we welcome Keegan and his parents back, to share stories about how he got into racing. Keegan is one of the most passionate and polite young enthusiasts I have ever met, and we are proud that he is wearing the MCACN colors on his race car!
Inline Tube (John and James Kryta) are vendors at MCACN so its no surprise that Austin Kryta should follow in their footsteps as an automotive enthusiast. Austin appeared at MCACN with his quarter midget race car in 2019 and won a Shining Star Award (for owners 25 years old and younger). He graciously invited other kids to sit in his race car for photos at the show, and even a few adults. Austin races the car and wins and will surely be an automotive enthusiast and racer in years to come.
So that is just a sampling of some of our MCACN younger enthusiasts that prove there IS a future in our hobby. That covers drag racing, restoration and racing round and round. And the best part is that ALL of these young folks are totally hands-on. Of course they have super supportive families, but rest assured, none of them are afraid to get their hands dirty!
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Encourage Enthusiasm by participating in
Kids Activities at MCACN
Photo Credit: Marc Rozman
And then...So not all of the potential future enthusiasts have a car or can race. But WE can encourage them to get involved and have some fun. As always, the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals show has a long list of kid friendly activities.
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We have our fun Scavenger Hunt for the younger kids, with great prizes supplied by many of our Official Sponsors. Kids can "find" items on the Scavenger Hunt list (prizes) at sponsor booths and then they can collect a prize from MCACN in the Kids Zone and enter a Grand Prize drawing just for kids.
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The Hagerty "Operation Ignite" Youth Judging Program is always a hit, and I personally match up some of our most fun participants who love to share their passion with the kids. The participants judge and then pick their favorite cars and an award is given to the cars of their choice. They learn how to properly approach show cars and how to evaluate show car quality and esthetics.
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The Model Car Make and Take, Presented by our friends at Auto World, allows kids to actually build a model car right at the show, with assistance if they like, and take it home.
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Photo Credit: Tim Costello Images
And then we have our neat old school (as in not fancy!) Hot Wheels races.
Every youth participant gets a 1/64th car to take home.
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ALL of these activities are 100% FREE. And here's another point; show admission for kids 12 and under is FREE, and it always has been since our inception. We will always have a variety of fun activities for boys and girls, and again, they will always be FREE.
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And Don't Forget about our Muscle Bike and Vintage Mini Bike Display
If you are a young enthusiast that would like to join us, whether showing a car, a Muscle Bicycle, a BMX Bike or maybe even a Go-Kart, Mini Bike or anything else that has wheels and is cool, please let us know. Our Muscle Bike and Vintage Mini Bike and Go Kart Display is sponsored by Koolestuff.
We encourage you to think about ways to keep this great hobby of ours alive by sharing your passion. As always, if you have any thoughts or ideas on how we can continue to encourage participation from younger folks, please let us know. Make a point of meeting Abby, Krzysztof , Adrianna, Brooklyn, Austin and Keegan at the show. If you see any of them in 2021, say thanks for being a part of our awesome hobby. Join MCACN in encouraging a future generation of Muscle Car owners and Car Show enthusiasts!
Rob Ashton, Automotive Enthusiast, Detailing His AMC Hornet
Be Safe, Be Nice and let's get out there and have some FUN!
Bob Ashton
MCACN, LLC
Managing Member
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Austin Kryta- One of four winners of our
Shining Star Award MCACN 2019
Note: If you or your company is interested in Sponsoring the Awards for our Under 25 year old car owners, contact Bob Ashton at bashton426@gmail.com
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