The hottest bodies around can be found this weekend at Fairplex – that’s right, hot rods, customs, muscle cars, classic trucks and motorcycles (what did you think I meant?). The 61st annual Grand National Roadster Show starts tomorrow. Wheels rolled in today and I had to sneak out to the grounds to take a look. You will not be disappointed! Whether you’re a car enthusiast or not, there are some amazing works of art at the show. Take a look:
 

James Hetfield’s (of Metallica) 1936 Auburn Boat-tail Speedster

1968 Mustange Fastback

My photos can’t compare to the real thing. See great customs by designers Chip Foose and Boyd Coddington. America’s Most Beautiful Roadster will be awarded. There’s a great exhibit on Cars that Made a Difference: Famous Magazine Car Covers and vendors galore. Plus you can meet Lorenzo Lamas and John Schneider and Catherine Bach from the original TV show “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
Show hours are:
Friday noon to 9 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Admission is $20 for ages 13 and up; $10 for children ages 6-12 and free for ages 5 and younger.
Check out the show Web site at rodshows.com.

Happy New Year from all of us at Fairplex – the destination for all your entertainment needs in 2010! Thank you to everyone who joined us in 2009 for the L.A. County Fair and the more than 500 events that take place year-round. 2010 is going to be even better! We are kicking things off just right this weekend with the Easyriders Bike Show Tour and the Reptile Super Show.
For motorcycle and chopper fans, don’t miss the Easyriders show. The show offers competitions, vendors selling the finest in rider leather gear, bike shops selling the best on two wheels and live entertainment. And talk about things to see! Full Throttle Saloon, the world’s largest biker bar from the reality show on True TV, will be pouring the fun. And don’t miss the world’s fastest motorcycle – the BUB Seven Streamliner designed by Denis “BUB” Manning, which rolls into the show at 367 mph. Big Bear Choppers will also have illusionist Criss Angel’s chopper on display. The show runs Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check the Fairplex events page for admission prices.

Looking for something more on the slithery side? Look no further. The Reptile Super Show is back for its second year at Fairplex with more than 300 tables of rare and unique animals. Find thousands of lizards, turtles and frogs and a variety of supplies and more. The show is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. We’ll probably bump into each other. My deskmate is a bearded dragon, Brutus Maximus, formerly known as Heather. We had to change his name when we found out he wasn’t exactly a Heather.

Coming out to one or both of these events is a great way to start your new year! Burn some rubber and get here!

WOW, I just went on a mini tour of the Auto Club NHRA Finals and I can safely say that I will never look at the Drag racing the same again!  First, I walked through an area known as THE PITS there I saw and heard the loudest most amazing looking drag cars and motorbikes I have ever seen in my life. Even better, I saw how some of the beast machines were built and fixed up to beat the competition.

Then I made my way to the Sky Boxes, where only the VIPs sit and enjoy an exclusive crystal clear view of the drag races and the entire event! It’s a great place to catch a photo  like the one posted at the bottom.

After my trip to the Sky Boxes, I found myself at the Staging Area. There I saw what looked like a pack of drag cars waiting impatiently to be driven at Full Throttle™ . It’s a great opportunity to check out the drag cars up close and see the hard work that is being put into these astonishing machines.

Continuing my journey, I made my way on over to the Top Eliminators Club, where food from the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel was served and eaten by me (in my mind).

After this awesome mini tour, drag racing at the Auto Club NHRA Finals will never be the same for me. It’s one thing to sit on the bleachers and watch the drag races. It’s a whole other experience to see them when you’re high–like up on the skyboxes, rolling with the big guys.

Looking for a different experience this weekend?  Check out the Auto Club NHRA Finals right here at Fairplex.  Now for a step-by-step guide to looking like a die-hard fan this weekend.

1. Arrive early!  The best time to get autographs and enjoy the pits (not to mention finding some prime parking) is before the racing starts.
2. While wandering the pits, feel free to chit-chat with people like you know what you’re doing.  “Hey, did you see John Force’s qualifying run last week?”  Simple statements like that make you seem much more knowledgeable than you are.
3. Before walking up to a driver to get his autograph, make sure you know his (o her) name.  Their faces are huge on the sides of their trailers and their names are always there too.  You have no excuses for not knowing who Brandon Bernstein is when his face is plastered about 12 feet high.
4. Now this is one decision you get to make: Do you buy a t-shirt or just ask the drivers to sign the cards they provide? If you buy the t-shirt, be sure to put it on so they can sign your back (this is the ultimate in pit groupie cool).
5. Find a good spot to sit.  Now, depending on which tickets you purchased, you may have a reserved seat or you may not. If you do, come and go as you please, but if you don’t, you are going to need to camp out in your spot for quite some time.
6. Earlier, I mentioned Brandon Bernstein. If you do see him, wish him luck in his new ventures.  Budweiser is pulling out of NHRA at the end of these races, and he has found a great new team.
7. Drink water and wear sun-block!  You are sitting outside all day. I don’t care if it is overcast, the UV rays still come through and you can still get dehydrated (sunstroke is definitely not pit groupie cool).
8. And, the most important one…HAVE FUN!  The Drags only come twice a year and they can be a great experience.

If you follow all my steps you are sure to have a great weekend!  The Auto Club NHRA Finals run now through Sunday at Fairplex.

AMA/Gene Romero Grand National Flat Track Championship is ON for Saturday, Oct. 24 in the Grandstand infield. This is the deciding race for AMA Champion and it’s the first time in 10 years that AMA’s Pro Grand National Twin Flat Track Series has come to So Cal. Buy tickets online, at local Harley dealerships or the Fairplex box office on the 24th. Gates open and practice starts at 3:30 p.m.; first race at 6:30 p.m. Admission $10-$40; ages 5 and under free.

Harley Davidson lovers and the charities they support hope that California Bike Week and Love Ride 26, brought down by the economy, will return next year to carry on their 25-year tradition.

If you’re a car buff with a nostalgic streak for the early days, this is your show. It’s the 60th year of the longest running indoor car show in the world. To commemorate the anniversary of where it all started, at an armory in Oakland, California, GNRS will make time travel possible right here in Pomona.

When the show opens Friday, Jan. 23, Fairplex 9 will look just like those 1950s roadster shows, complete with oil drums lined up to rope off the show cars, ceiling banners announcing the show queen and, of course, vintage cars of that era.

Hundreds of new and old custom-designed roadsters will fill all seven Fairplex exhibit buildings and surrounding grounds. Movie stars, tv actors, rockers, and just plain "roadies" will be here. Don’t miss this.

Friday, Jan. 23 – Sunday, Jan. 25 

Friday noon – 9 p.m.
Saturday 10am – 9 p.m.
Sunday 10am – 7 p.m.

General Admission: $20
Seniors (62+) $18
Children (6-12) $10
5 & under free

  Ever seen Wall of Death stunt riders? Well, they ride sideways around the inside of a wooden barrel–sort of. It seems to defy gravity, actually, but they’ll be doing it Friday, Oct. 24 as part of California Bike Week at Fairplex.

Then imagine dirt bikes screaming around Fairplex Park’s 5/8ths mile horse racing track at 189 mph. Flat-track racing takes place on Saturday, Oct. 25. If you like metal-to-metal interaction, this is the place. All the events and music on Friday and Saturday are the lead-in to the big event on Sunday when LOVE RIDE 25 brings thousands and thousands of Harley riders rumbling down the 210 freeway from Glendale to Fairplex for a barbeque, more events and a concert with the Foo Fighters and ZZ Top. The parade of bikes is visible from several overpasses and is really something to see. It’s all for charity and over the years California Bike Week has raised more than $20 million for a variety of favorite causes. Jay Leno will return as grand marshall of the event, along with various other Hollywood luminaries who are also bike fans. You don’t even have to like motorcycles to enjoy this event. The people-watching is worth the money. You’re likely to see someone famous or someone who at least looks famous and they have really neat t-shirts and other Love Ride souvenirs.   Friday, Oct. 24 – Sunday, Oct. 26, Fairplex Grandstand and grounds. Admission: Friday: $10; Saturday: $30; Sunday: $50. Three-day pass: $80.