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Whether you’re a diehard hot rod guy or dabble in the more modern performance sector, the annual Super Chevy Show series is sure to have something right up your alley. Just last weekend, we got the chance to attend this highly-anticipated show when it hit the Colorado mountain town of Morrison and the famed Bandimere Speedway. Check out all the happenings, including some awesome drag races among famed contenders and some of our favorite rides from the show below.
Running Friday, August 15th and Saturday, August 16th, the 2014 Super Chevy Show at Bandimere Speedway provided something for everyone. From a small swap meet, where you could buy anything from toys to full-bore race cars, to the rows and rows of both show and racing contenders, there was no better way to spend the weekend than immersed in a sea full of Chevys at the Mile High.
Chevy Hardcore’s Top Picks From the Colorado Super Chevy Show
The show portion of the event brought out about 150 cars this year, with sports cars, trucks, vintage hot rods, full-size sedans, and factory rarities all on display. Among some of the notables were a genuine Yenko Stinger, one of the original 69 1969 ZL1 Camaros, a ’69 Indy Pace Car Camaro convertible, and even a modern Hot Wheels Edition fifth-gen. While these vehicles were certainly crowd pleasers, nothing beat some of the custom creations that owners had poured countless money, time, and heart into.
1) Dale & Rozanne Buck’s ’37 Pickup
In the first row of the show area, we came across one of the nicest vintage Chevy trucks we’ve seen. All the way from Mesa, Arizona, this unique two-toned Tangerine and Cinnamon ’37 pickup is owned by Dale Buck, who’s had the truck since he was just 18 (bought in 1968), and his wife of 45 years, Rozanne.
Among the list of custom body modifications this classic truck features are suicide doors, shaved handles, smoothed running boards, a one-piece hood with shaved cowl vent, rear tubs, a custom tailgate, custom oak bed, and rolled rain gutters. Under the hood, the ’37 boasts a supercharged 383 stroker with Quick Fuel 650 CFM carburetors, a dual quad air cleaner with K&N filter, and a serpentine belt system. This powerful engine is capable of producing 600+hp and 585 lb-ft of torque.
Backing the power plant is a 700R4 automatic transmission, which spins a 3 ½-inch driveshaft and a narrowed Ford 9-inch rearend with 3.90 gears.
Under the truck you’ll find a DD Street Rods-modified chassis featuring a Mustang II frontend and a Chassisworks rear with billet adjustable coilovers all the way around.
Baer Street-Strip brakes take care of the truck’s stopping needs while Mickey Thompson HR1 wheels wrapped in MT radials take care of all the pavement-gripping performance.
Amazingly, most of the work on the truck was done by Dale himself at the couple’s home over a 10 to 12-year time period. It has been on the road now for three years but still only has 300 miles on the odometer since its makeover.
2) Dennis Wellbrock’s 1962 Bel Air Bubble Top
With its rare bubble top roof, which was carried over from the 1961 model, as well as its smoothed bumpers, custom wheels, and Metallic Burnt Orange paint scheme, this 1962 Bel Air built by Greening Auto Company and owned by Dennis Wellbrock was another great Chevy that immediately caught our eye.
Bought already built with many of the unique details and finishing touches furnished by its current owner, this Bel Air features a rare GM Ram Jet ZL1 454 marine racing engine (number 81 of just 200 made) under the hood, capable of producing 525 hp. This is tied to a Tremec 6-speed transmission, which spins the car’s Winters quick change rearend.
Under the car is a custom Perimeter frame, which rides atop one-off 18 and 20-inch Budnik wheels. Stopping power comes from 15-inch Baer brakes.
Inside, the car features a custom leather interior designed by Paul Atkins. This includes a custom dash, one-off Classic Instrument gauges, electric windows controlled by switches under the dash, and a Pioneer sound system and Vintage Air heating and air conditioning unit hidden in the glove box.
3) Howard Hall’s 1955 Chevy 210
Bought in 1961 by its current owner, this 1955 Chevy 210 was originally intended to be drag raced in the 1960s before it turned into a project car like no other. Owner Howard Hall’s very first car, this Tri-Five has just enough uniqueness to set it apart while maintaining its authentic Chevy Bowtie pride.
Painted by Greg Allely of A&G Collision, the ’55 features a custom Sunshine Yellow paint scheme concocted from Dupont paint by Frank Faliano. Inside, the custom interior follows suit, with a clean and functional design from the Classic Instrument gauges to the hidden dash controls.
4) Ed Sawallesh’s “Triple Black” 1972 Chevelle
Not quite as in-your-face as some of the rest of the vehicles on display at the show (in a good way), the small details of this classic Chevy made every bit of difference in setting the “Triple Black” ’72 Chevelle owned by Ed Sawallesh apart from the rest.
Subtle in all the right places, from the matte black stripes overlaid on a gloss black exterior (a color combination suggested by Sawallesh’s wife) to the refined black interior, which features Auto Meter gauges, a MOMO steering wheel and an on-board iPad, which does everything from control the radio via Bluetooth to display the Chevelle’s stats, like the G-force it pulls. This classic Chevy is one hell of a machine.
Under the hood of the classic muscle car, you’ll find a boisterous 454 ci Chevy V8 bored .30 over for 461 ci of power. The engine is fitted with features like a Powermaster alternator and an MSD ignition to make it purr even better.
This power plant is tied to a TH400 automatic transmission, which pushes the classic muscle car’s estimated 555 hp and 539 lb-ft of torque to the pavement via intro wheels, which are wrapped in General AS03 rubber. A full Hotchkis Sport Track suspension system gives the Chevy superior handling capabilities while Baer brakes take care of all the car’s stopping needs.
5) Mark Fields’ 1969 Camaro
No Chevy show is complete without classic first-generation Camaros and in Mark Fields’ 1969, we found a unique touch that set his car apart from the rest.
Built in Mike Ramsey’s (Fields’ friend) garage, this early Camaro has been owned by Fields for 32 years, with the build you see here having taken seven to eight years.
In fact, Fields told us that the Camaro sat in primer for almost 20 years with life’s happenings postponing the build, but after all this time, the result was well worth it.
In addition to the car’s custom red and black paint scheme, notable features of this beauty include the 502 ci GM High Performance engine under the hood, Turbo 400 transmission with Gear Venders overdrive, and a full Detroit Speed Engineering quadra-link suspension system with a 2-inch drop. The car also features a 12-bolt, Posi-traction rearend, 3.73 gears, Budnik wheels and Baer brakes.
Inside, the Camaro features a custom interior that matches the car’s exterior paint scheme. For about four years now, this has been the place of Fields’ car dreams come true.
Drag Racing
While the car show portion of the Super Chevy Show certainly brought admiring eyes, the main attraction, as always, was the bracket-style drag racing competition that started at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning with time trials and kicked off into full-blown competition early in the afternoon.
Drag racers competed in five different competitive classes, including DOT, Camaro Guys Gen 5, Nitro Knockouts, and two “Bracket” classes, one for competitors running faster than a 10-second quarter mile, and one for competitors running slower than a 10-second quarter mile. And before we go any further, remember, we’re talking about quarter mile times on a track positioned 5,800 feet above sea level along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
Also entertaining the crowds were a select few exhibition competitors, from the Red Stone College team and their jet car to Larry Larson and his “World’s Fastest Street Car,” a 1966 Nova that has carried Larson to five Drag Week wins.
In total, over 200 vehicles competed in the drag racing event, including show cars, local weekend warriors, and a number of out-of-towners hitting the hills of Colorado to prove that they had what it took to compete against the best.
Racing went well into the evening with many of the car show participants sticking around to show their support to their fellow Chevy enthusiasts. When all was said and done, all of the drag racing classes put on a fantastic show for the crowds that gathered in Bandimere’s stands.
The official race results are below.
| DRIVEDURACELL.COM BRACKET 1 | RT | DI | ET | MPH |
| WINNER: Josh Herman, Pueblo CO | 0.007 | 7.35 | 7.375 | 174.35 |
| RUNNER UP: R. Cruickshank / M. Otis, Wheatridge CO | 0.014 | 8.71 | 8.708 | 149.46 |
| BRACKET 2 | ||||
| WINNER: Scott Southern, Morrison CO | 0.021 | 10.40 | 10.456 | 120.07 |
| RUNNER UP: Bob Myers / Jon Gibson, Littleton CO | 0.063 | 11.12 | 11.117 | 121.38 |
| DOT | ||||
| WINNER: Allan Ray, Littleton CO | 0.002 | 14.83 | 14.841 | 92.82 |
| RUNNER UP: Tim Larson, Littleton CO | 0.013 | 12.20 | 12.192 | 102.88 |
| CAMAROGUYS GEN 5 presented by S&W Race Cars | ||||
| WINNER: Les Grenfell Jr., Florissant CO | 0.078 | 14.20 | 14.208 | 92.63 |
| RUNNER UP: Jacob Kerbel, Colorado Springs CO | 0.339 | 12.10 | 12.186 | 119.56 |
| EXHIBITION | RT | ET | MPH | |
| WINNER: Larry Larson, Oak Grove MO | 0.132 | 7.132 | 208.26 | |
| RUNNER UP: Joe Barry, Colorado Springs CO | 0.330 | 7.295 | 198.99 | |
| NITRO KNOCKOUTS CHALLENGE | ||||
| WINNER: Christine Ask | 0.481 | 14.789 | 96.94 | |
| RUNNER UP: Connie Johanns | 0.336 | 14.932 | 96.03 |
No matter what kind of Chevys you’re into, be it classic, muscle, Pro-Touring, or modern, the annual Super Chevy Show tour is certainly one to check out.
For more photos from the Colorado Super Chevy Show, be sure to check out Chevy Hardcore’s Gallery below!
