It was a banner day!

Before the sun reached its peak in the sky, some volunteers  pitched in to erect the official DT Road Rally banner.  Local law enforcement had Main Street temporarily closed while the task took place.  Stopped in the traffic was another one of this year’s

sponsors,  HO SlotCarz.com.  Once the road was cleared, the delivery van was waved through to race headquarters to drop off another generous show of support from one of our Sponsors!

Just after lunch time, the first two teams arrived for this year’s Dragon’s Tail Road Rally. Outlaw Hippie Racing returns followed closely by Piston Slap Racing, the team newly resurrected  from the remains of the reigning DT champion outfit that recently secured sponsorship from Krispy Kreme and Texas Pete.

Both teams based in North Carolina, apparently met on the road,  the gauntlet was dropped and a little friendly wagering took place as to who would reach the track first.  It’s not clear what the winner receives, but perhaps Outlaw Hippie Racing is now the recipient of a lifetime supply of donuts and hot sauce!

A crowd gathered and cameras clicked as the transporters backed into the pits.  Each team taking advantage of the two car rule,  so four machines were rolled off the ramps into the staging area.

Outlaw Hippie Racing’s team owner, Sal Matthews brought back a fan favorite and familiar sight, “Jagarrari” along with a colorful V dub beetle referred to as the “Flower Punch”.

Piston Slap Racing delivered a VW Ghia and a Beetle.  Both fine examples of what we have come to expect from the garage of  team owner, Tom Hobgood.

Race officials have received word that several more teams are en route and will arrive soon! Just 10 days away from the deadline.

Screw drivers donated by HOSlotCarz.com

Dash arms donated by HOSlotCarz.com

The weeks before race time are always exciting!  The town is busy making all of the final adjustments  before they lay down the red carpet welcoming all of the spectators and racers.  The buzz of anticipation is in the air wondering who will be the first team to arrive.  And one of our favorite signs that race season is upon us is when the Sponsors start rolling in!

School is out for the summer and the days are heating up.  The local tots are taking advantage of every shady spot and watering hole in town.  While a flock of “ducklings” were busy doing back flips off the diving board at the Siesta Motel’s pool, they saw a strange sight of several automobiles hovering above the tree tops.  With their young imaginations running wild with UFOs and anti-gravity beams, they rushed to the scene to find two semi trucks loaded down with some goodies from Jim’s Custom Rod Shop.

Speaking of watering holes,  Jerry Schmoyer owner of One Stop Slot Shop stopped by one of his favorite spots (say that 3 times fast) to take in the crashing waves by the boat house before dropping off his generous additions to the trophy pool.

Some young kite enthusiasts taking advantage of the breeze up in the hills, spied another semi making the final turn of the Dragon’s Backbone.  It was none other than returning DT Sponsor, JAG Hobbies delivering some wonderful race rewards.

Near the humps, the Super Tires truck was held up in traffic as some good Samaritans helped the wiener mobile back on to the road after a little mishap.  Super Tires have been a great supporter of the DT Road Rally from the start.

First time Sponsor M.E.V. Originals was seen down on Main Street near section 28. While folks were visiting the Farmer’s Market,  Mike Vitale dropped off a 65 Skylark and a C type Jag along with some of their special chrome wheels.  It is fantastic to have M.E.V. Originals on board this year!

Bright and early this morning there was quite the stir out at Riverbend Camp Grounds when someone started yelling,  “Snake, Snake, Snake!”  No cause for alarm, however.  It turned out to be another first time sponsor, Viper Scale Racing looking for directions to Race Headquarters in order to drop off some great race prizes.

There are several more Sponsors due to arrive in the next couple of weeks.   The DT race officials and Participants appreciate the enthusiastic continued support from the Sponsors.

If you’re a caster or maker of products for this hobby, it’s not too late to be part of the prize pool. Please contact the track if you would like to join the list of Sponsors.

Racers, while you make your final wrench turns and tweaks, don’t forget to visit the sponsors for those last minute parts.  And to all of the spectators out there,  when you’re looking for parts to help you go fast and stay on the road, think about this list of fine suppliers and mention the Dragon’s Tail!

Super Tires

One Stop Slot Shop

M.E.V. Originals

Jim’s Custom Rod Shop

Viper Scale Racing

JAG Hobbies

We’re about 4 weeks away from the June 30 deadline for all race participants to arrive at the track.  DT Race officials have been busy intercepting inquiries about this year’s car build rules.  From the nature of the topics discussed, it is obvious that the team engineers are looking for that magic ingredient that will separate their entry from the herd.  The range of resourcefulness runs from the primitive to the high tech; stripping the interior of everything, but the bare necessities to utilizing the latest in diagnostic equipment.

The Dragon’s Tail Road Rally inspection crew will be prepared to go over each entry with a fine tooth comb.  If a Racing Team’s Crew Chef has a question about the legality of their car design, they are strongly encouraged to contact DT headquarters.  It is always a disappointment to have a car arrive safely to the track only to be DQ’d because of a mix up in the garage.

Since our last news bulletin, several photos of potential contenders have leaked to the press.  It appears that a few newcomers are stepping up to the challenge, as well as a few past contestants.

leaked photo of possible contender – Yobear Jones

leaked photo of possible contender – Brian Bueschel

Investigative reporting has turned over some dirt about big changes involving the reigning DT champ, Team Owner Tom Hobgood.  His drivers/engineers, The legendary Girlieman Brothers suffered from the all too familiar disease of egoitis and sought more compensation for their successful DT run.  A gratifying agreement could not be reached and so they parted ways. Rumor has it that two new drivers have been employed and a new home grown team has sprouted from the ashes, Piston Slap Racing.  From the photos floating around it appears that they have secured two well known sponsors, Texas Pete hot sauce, and Krispy Kreme donuts.  We look forward to learning more about this new team.

leaked images of Team Piston Slap’s entries

Now let’s turn our attention track side. 

Race officials are busy once again preparing the course and infrastructure to insure a smooth running and enjoyable event.

This morning two bushy headed film students from California rode in on a motor bike. They are doing some research on a film they plan to produce about two colorful bohemian bikers who travel the back roads of the southern parts of the US.  They offered to provide some additional documentation of the Dragon’s Tail Road Rally.  Here’s a short film they made of a few of the locals testing out the circuit.  This film also features some shots of the official DT Pace Car!

That’s right race fans, DT race sponsor HO Models has supplied this year’s official Pace Car.  A stunning 1958 Plymouth!  Participants of this year’s competition will be racing for the pink slip of this beauty!

Welcome Race Fans!

Since the return of the Dragon’s Tail Road Rally was officially announced, there has been a series of news stories released by some of the prospective race teams that have added a layer of mystery and misinformation unlike earlier DT rallies.

In the previous contests,  some of the racing teams actually invited the press into their labs to share the process of getting their entries ready.  That doesn’t seem to be the case this time around.  Rumors, speculation, intrigue, and mind games seem to be par for the course for this year’s race.

Several weeks ago the Outlaw  Hippy Racing Team announced that their entries were ready, loaded and in route to the big dance, which cause quite a stir in the racing community.  The DT Race headquarters switch board was swamped with calls from concerned racing teams assuming they had the wrong deadline and were prepared to scramble to get ready!  They were reassured that the deadline for entry was and still is June 30th.  Outlaw Hippy Racing has since retracted their announcement and in fact,  has sent their machines back to the racks to “work some bugs out”.

Even the folks over in Stedman, NC who currently hold the DT crown are keeping their cards close to their chest.  There was some chatter about their race sponsorship being pulled,  but now sources report some recent activity in their garage.

Strummer Racing who had an outstanding qualifying run at the previous DT rally in a VW bug that was eventually plagued with mechanical failures, recently had an outing at Grand Sport Speedway in Lexington, KY.  Although his efforts for the day had him near the tail end of the pack, just for kicks he rolled out one of his possible DT entries,  a beautiful metallic red Ford MklV.  The sleek beast was a familiar sight to a few in attendance.  It was first unveiled at a non sanctioned event held on the DT course that feature a hand full of previous DT Road Rally stars. The Ford dominated that day, which caused several to take note and several pictures!

What do these mind games all mean?!?

It certainly sets the stage for what we think will be a competitive Dragon’s Tail Road Rally like no other!

Strummer Racing Ford MklV gets noticed

Racers from all over the world are invited to participate in the Dragon’s Tail Proxy 2018.

Build a car following the rules and mail the car to the track by the deadline, June 30  2018.

The theme of the race is a classic road rally cascading through the Smoky Mountains.

Visit the Car Build page and rules and join in the fun!