Yes, we know the ground is still frozen in many parts of the country, and you’re suffering from a serious case of cabin fever, but it won’t be long before the rod run season is upon us once again. The NSRA Nationals East in York, Pennsylvania, is one of the first major events of the National Street Rod Association’s 2001 season, and it’s a very popular run that nearly 5,000 owners and their families attend—if last year’s attendance is an accurate barometer. The York Fairgrounds are deep in the heart of cool car and tough truck country, in spite of the pesky Pennsylvania DMV and it’s anti-modification laws. We continue to see a unique and interesting bunch of rides year after year. In May 2000 we were in the process of shifting gears from R&C to CCT. This meant we were a tad more serious about checking out the trucks and commercial vehicles in attendance, and there were plenty of honeys in the usual mix of fine street rods.
What got our attention rather quickly was a well-presented vehicle that obviously showed the owner’s pride; it could have been within a wide variety of makes and body styles and painted or primered. Of course pickups and panel trucks obviously caught our eye. Cabover trucks and larger-than-half-tons could be equally provocative.
The Nats East drew well from the Harrisburg/Hershey area. We also saw a wide variety of street rod and trucks from the surrounding states. This event has grown steadily to become the largest NSRA regional event. Besides the thousands of vintage vehicles on the fairgrounds, there are many historically significant sites to see in and around York. The exhibitors generally agree that York is a good indicator of how summer sales are going to stack up. They count on a few diehards picking up a project vehicle in the swap meet area—and purchasing a truckload of new parts to rebuild it. Regardless of what brings you to York, you’ll undoubtedly take home plenty of pleasant memories, perhaps some new friends, or possibly a new pickup. Hope to see you there this year.