Cherry Bomb, the official 2008 Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour "Cruise Night" Grand Finale sponsor provided the Long Haulers (participants who traveled the entire tour) a much-needed break at their final destination in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday, June 13. During Power Tour week, the participants found themselves in the middle of some of the worst storms and flooding the Midwest has ever experienced. While making their way from Rochester, Minnesota, to Madison, the beleaguered group came to an abrupt halt when the interstate was completely shut down due to massive flooding. Five hours later, and after a complete re-route, they made it to the Alliant Energy Center, where Cherry Bomb provided them with VIP treatment.
Within the air-conditioned comfort of the exhibition hall, every Long Hauler was treated to a delicious free meal while enjoying the great-sounding Southern rock entertainment of the 8 Mile South band. At the front of the room, Stacey David, host and producer of Stacey David's "GearZ TV" (SPEED network), was on hand as a celebrity guest of Cherry Bomb. He spent hours signing autographs, fielding tech questions, and giving advice on the participants' current projects. As the party came to a close, Paul Banks, owner of Cherry Bomb, took the stage, praised the Long Haulers as the industry's most hard-core enthusiasts, and handed out giveaways that included two Cherry Bomb leather jackets signed by Brooks & Dunn, plus a custom Cherry Bomb exhaust, and a plant tour in Loudon, Tennessee.
Matt Graves, marketing manager for Cherry Bomb says, "This year's Power Tour was rockin'. From day one, we were covered up at our booth with hundreds of people signing up to win our official Cherry Bomb R/T Hemi project car. We also conducted our second annual Cherry Bomb Calendar contest, where we had to narrow it down to 12 of the coolest rides on the tour running Cherry Bombs. Each of the winners were staged for professional photography at the Energy Center in Madison, and will be featured in the newsstand issues of Hot Rod magazine in the Cherry Bomb 2009 fold out calendar. Needless to say, we had it goin' on this year!"