We got an earlier start for leg two (actually leg three for us) of the Hot Rod Power Tour, making for an earlier arrival at Montgomery Motorsports Park.   

Had we researched this a little better, we would have hitched a trailer to our van and brought the B3 for some quarter mile passes since the first two stops of the tour are at dragstrips. Each stop of the tour also has a chassis dyno that entrants are welcome to sign up for. We saw a couple of Mopars on the dyno, and can only assume the record for the tour will be set by a Mopar (or at least something with a Mopar engine).

With no NASA facility to drive through, we got a much earlier (and cooler) start to the day on Monday, cruising up I-75 a few miles north of Valdosta  before hitting the state highways through southern Georgia and into Alabama. This was a great route, with rolling hills, smooth roads, and plenty of rural scenery. It was cool to cruise with a bunch of Mopars and other old cars on the roads, and at times you'd swear it was 1969 because every car you'd see was vintage. The van did pretty good on this leg, running cool and riding nicely, but man the Holley double pumper on this 360 drinks fuel. Averaging 8-9 mpg so far, but it seems to have a pretty big tank. Since the fuel gauge doesn't work (nor odometer) we're basing mileage on Garret's navigation Ap. We brought a 5 gallon gas can just in case (ensuring we won't run out, or if we do we'll need six gallons to get to a station)

Pulling off I-85 to get to Montomery Motorsports Park, traffic stopped abruptly as several hundred Power Tour participants made the exit. The temperature was above 100 by this time and we saw several cars on the side with overheating problems, but the only Mopar had stopped to help someone else.

We'd lost Matt and Dave on this leg as they had to get back to work, but Paul, Jim, Chris, and Brandon were all hanging tight in their Mopars. For car show guys, the tour must be heaven since it's basically a rolling car show and cruise every day. Even late at night in the hotel parking lots there was plenty of bench racing going on, and we witnessed more than one impromptu burnout contest (not that we condone that sort of thing . . .)

We enjoyed Montgomery, and really got to check out the array of vehicles that both participate in the tour, or just come out for a stop or two along the way. It's been a fun trip and we hate to leave it, but obligations back in Tampa mean that while the tour goes north to Memphis, we'll be heading back to Florida for our longest leg so far, the one home.

Best thing about driving the van so far: watching people walk by $100k cars to photograph it

Worst thing about driving the van so far: still the smell. does Stanley Steamer come to the race track?