Fifth BlackTop Nationals draws a crowd

It’s hard to believe that the fifth annual BlackTop Nationals has already gone into the books. It seems like only a few months ago that organizers were planning and promoting a brand new downtown car show to help fill the calendar for lovers of classics, hot rods, street cruisers and muscle cars.

But last week’s BTN, sponsored primarily by Ford Motor Co. and K-TAG, showed it has staying power, as Century II’s exhibition halls and the surrounding streets again filled up with great cars, trucks and motorcycles.

There were no torrential downpours like a couple of years ago to put a damper on outside activities, and for a mere 5 bucks spectators could escape the heat and slip inside the exhibition halls and check out the Million $ Car Show, Gasoline Alley and a wide array of automotive vendors. And if one day didn’t work for your schedule, you still had two more chances to take part in the goings on, which included the always-popular Ride & Drive demonstrations, plus several new features, like the “Average Joe” road rally and the live top chop/sectioning of a hot rod put on by Chris Carlson Hot Rods.

All in all, it looks as if the torch has been smoothly passed to new BTN executive director Jim Petty, who never seemed to stop moving for a moment.

If despite everything you missed this year’s action, here’s some photo highlights we snapped. For even more photos, thanks to the Eagle’s photo staff, go to: www.kansas.com and click on the “Auto” tab.

This story was originally published August 29, 2014 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Fifth BlackTop Nationals draws a crowd."