‘Cool’ rides at Maricopa Motorsports Day

Car aficionados of all ages came out to the 3rd annual Maricopa Motorsports Day car show on Saturday morning at the First Baptist Church. The event featured a variety of rides from early 20^th century buggies to modern street racers you would see in the Fast and the Furious movies.  Classics from the days of drive-in movies were there, as well as muscle cars that would give Steve McQueen a ride for his money.

Lynn Stroschein, a resident of Cobblestone, came out with his two young children, Luke and Katelynn. He also brought his blue ’69 GTO.

“I’m more into the muscle cars myself, but everything is pretty cool. The kids are seeing all the new cars and some they’ve never seen before,” said Stroschein. His son Luke, 9, enjoyed the Bang the Car event, where anyone was allowed to take a whack with a sledgehammer on a helpless Chevy Sprint.

Local 4×4 enthusiast, Timothy Allen, used his lifted Ford 250 to finish off the Sprint, redefining the term “compact car.” Allen came out with his brother, Saul Aleman.

“We spent last night cleaning the truck to make it look clean,” said Aleman. “We like to go to all the low rider shows and thought this would be cool since anyone could enter.”

Currently, Aleman and his brother are working on a ’76 El Camino and hope to have it ready for next year.

In between the deafening roars of the engines, people got to listen to a mix of tunes, from Elvis to Credence Clearwater Revival. Kids who were uninterested in checking out the different Hemi blocks got to do arts and crafts and play on the church’s playground. The First Baptist Church also provided free food for those in attendance.

Rancho El Dorado resident, Lucy Kelly, brought her “super- hot” chili. She wouldn’t reveal the ingredients, but admitted, “It’s so hot—I don’t even try it. I haven’t heard any complaints though.”

Alterra resident Heath Vance made it a real family affair— he came with his wife, Melissa, and son Adrian Mitchell. Vance also had his mom, Spooky St. James, and her boyfriend, Kris Anderson, ride down in their choppers from Peoria. Vance was showing off his ’64 Impala.

“I prefer the American classics,” said Anderson. “That’s my style.”

“I just like to see everything and all the work everyone puts into their rides,” said St. James. “But this isn’t just a hobby—this is a lifestyle in our family.”

“This is the first time entering this ride,” said Vance. “I came out though for the good time, and it’s good to see everyone together.”

Participants were asked to bring canned food donations for the church’s pantry to help people in need.

“We like cars, but we love people even more,” said Pastor Jim Johnson. “And we like to help as much as we can.”

The event organizer and the guy who had the loudest engines on his high performance speed boats and nitro-powered dragster, Steve Barcak, thanked the church for their help and efforts, and commented on the variety of rides, “Each generation showed their particular interest, and I’m grateful to Pastor Johnson and the First Baptist Church for allowing everyone this opportunity.“

Maricopa Motorsports Day winning entries included the following:

Most Nostalgic- Kempton & Eileen Ashburn  1903 Alvera
Special Interest- Earnest Adams  '49 Mercury dwarf
Best Modified- Turner Walker  '33 Plymouth
Best Engine- Mark Herron  '57 Chevy
Best Restored- Gene Tucker  '36 Ford
Best Truck- Sharron Lovvorn   '52 Ford PU
Best Project- Pete Parr  Sandrail
Best Paint- Angel Graham   Lexus sedan
Pastors Choice- Kempton & Eileen Ashburn  1903 Alvera
Best of Show- Stanley Tourangen '59 Ford