parking near the Las Vegas convention center has only gotten worse this year, as the block of Sierra Vista south of University Center Dr was posted No Parking this year for the first time. I parked all the way East on S Athens and Lisbon this year...

Previous years, this area was just ordinary everyday residential parking. The way it's always been... back in 2010 -2012 even the block of Sierra Vista alongside the convention center was normal parking... but some asshole shut that down around 2013, when the police station was installed on the corner of University Center

This moredoor Datsun must be a hell of a racer to get to the finals of the Optima Challenge

This MG grabbed my attention... it's rare to see anything that isn't an American sports car in the Optima Challenge

the other brands at the Optima Challenge

nice crusty ol Ford!  Just sitting here in the finals means that there is a lot going on that isn't obvious to a view on the surface

Chevys at the Optima Challenge Tuesday morning

I haven't seen this Z 28 for a couple of years, but have photographed it at the Optima Challenge before... cool car

If you look at this, and guess - Nova? Chevy II? Just like I did, that would be close, but wrong. It's close though, it's an Acadian Invader, I shit you not. Here one is selling on BAT https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1964-pontiac-acadian-invader for 12.5k

I knew at first glance that my initial guess of Nova was close, but not exactly right, so I guessed Chevy II... knowing there's something a tiny bit strange with that grill lower section that rests on the bumper. Or, is it a upper piece of bumper, something like a push bar? Anyway, that's the clue it's the Acadian Invader. Thank you Chuck for pointing me toward the Beaumont direction

it's surprising to see how much a Vette gets modified when (from what I've seen at the Optima Challenge) they don't get worked much harder than any regular street car does... VW bugs and a Toyota Yaris have been in the competition... it's not the Le Mans, not that much top speed stuff happens in the slalom or speed stop challenge

I just watched a race at Laguna Seca, speeds didn't top 125. Too many turns drop the speed to around 60

Compliments and congrats to Westen Champlin, SEMA 2025 Content Creator of the Year, a Kansas-born gearhead social media sensation who builds and races custom vehicles. You'll probably remember him from his fun and crazy stuff, like Buttercup.

He’s built a steady following over the years doing unusual mods he calls ‘Redneck science.’

https://www.sema.org/news-media/press-release/2025-sema-content-creator-gen-iii-innovator-and-person-year-announced

interesting Pontiac, but dang it, I didn't get enough photos of it

Monte Mino SS

Hell if I know if this is a real Ferrari or a trick custom. At SEMA, it could go either way

I don't think I can recall seeing a convertible Road Runner before, they only made 1100 of them

always interesting to see what someone's done with an old Mopar to make it look new

colorful..... when I saw it, I was wondering if it was about to get that "cartoony" type of graphics added on top of the paint

Well, I guess if you want to drive a Rolls you want one that looks different from the ones everyone else is driving. What's the point of wasting that much money if you can't tell yours from the other ones in the parking lot, right?

meanwhile, someone decided to see what a Mercedes looks like as a dirt road rally machine the goofballs of Top Gear might have come up with

hard to believe they had the notion to bring back the memory of the Don Knotts "Dude" sticker package truck

Not that the public at large has any memory of the 1965 Dude promo/marketing campaign with Don Knotts, https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2024/11/don-knotts-was-in-1965-sixteen-minute.html 

and in 1971 they were selling it

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2009/01/mopar-truck-ive-never-heard-of-1971.html

How anyone confused a "Tough truck" and "Rugged" with getting Don Knotts to add comedy to the commercials, I have no idea. 

I bet that Don Knotts got them more attention than some Marlboro Man or Brawny paper towel guy