Posted on Sat, Nov. 07, 2009

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Two plan four days of car-related events next year

BY MIKE BERRY

The Wichita Eagle

Sometimes it's amazing what a couple of car guys cruising to show events together can come up with.

That was the genesis for the BlackTop Nationals, a 4-day event planned for Wichita Aug. 26-29 next year. Rick Nuckolls and Frank Upton conceived the multi-venue idea covering a gamut of car-related happenings, from cruising Douglas to a drifting competition to a major collector car auction, a concourse level judged show of classics, a 4-day car build, a women's fair and children's activities.

They were shuttling between events where Nuckolls was having a car judged by top-rated experts and the two spent a lot of highway time in between. "Hence the name, BlackTop Nationals," Nuckolls said.

The plan is to make the event an annual occurrence that will help make Wichita a car-guy destination for people from all around the country. "We thought, wouldn't it be great to have a national event here in Wichita," said Nuckolls. The two organizers picked the most popular events from several national shows they attended to include in the premier BlackTop Nationals.

Following the announcement of the event on Monday, Upton said were leaving for the big Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, where they would be talking to potential corporate sponsors and participants. "Ford has already committed to coming ... they will have a ride and drive program here," Upton said.

Organizers also will be working to line up local sponsorships for the various events and the overall program. They said they have received excellent support from the city and Go Wichita for the inaugural event.

The plan is to keep costs down for participants with T-shirts and caps available in the $10 price range and vendors encouraged to keep food prices reasonable, said Upton. Admission will be by a $2 wristband.

Two deserving Kansas entities will benefit from proceeds of the BlackTop Nationals: the Kansas Aviation Museum and McPherson College, home of the nationally recognized automobile restoration program.

One of the more appealing aspects of the car show portion of the event, at least for those of us who don't have high-end cars, is that we will be able to display our cars for a nominal $25 early registration fee and skip the formal judging competition. For those vying for the sizable car/truck awards and judged motorcycle awards, the early judged registration fee will be $40, $50 after Aug. 18. Best in show awards of $25,000 are planned for the top judged car or truck, and for the most outstanding motorcycle.

Organizers are hoping to have 300 or more cars sold by nationally recognized auctioneers, including the car built during the show and a '64 Impala built by local high school auto shop students, with the proceeds from the latter car going back to the schools.

"We're going to expect many thousands of cars and motorcycles here," said Nuckolls, who expects those visitors to give the local economy a boost tallied in millions of dollars. Putting on a first-time national event, he cautioned, "We don't want to overpromise and underdeliver."

Tim Bonnell, president of the Kansas Aviation Museum's executive board, noted, "We've always thought of Wichita as an aviation town. But you see all these great cars in garages and Wichita really is a car town, too."

"It's not about anything other than getting the city of Wichita recognized in the car world," Upton added.

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