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There's something undeniably appealing about a road trip. Devouring the miles with nothing more than a never-ending ribbon of blacktop filling your windshield. It's as if nothing else matters. Not the job, mortgage, family, or any other responsibility. What if you emptied out the 401K and bought a rattle-canned Nova and just drove? Could you leave the kids and their incessant questions about common core math in your dust? Could you assume a false identity under the guise of Novagabond Charlie and scratch out enough cheddar as a social media influencer criss-crossing this great land as you document your travels? Um, you know, I’m just asking for a friend (although X-body Novas are a bit spendy these days). In case the good people of Child Welfare Services are reading this, I just want to emphasize how much I love my children. But this doesn't mean that I can't get away from the grind (and those god-forsaken math grouping worksheets) at least once a year. There’s no better way to do that than with thousands of like-minded gear heads on the Hot Rod Power Tour. Yup, it’s that time of year again and I couldn’t be more ecstatic (unless I was behind the wheel of that flat black ’72 Nova right now). This is the 23rd year Mothers Polish has been on the Power Tour. Much like my o-fer in the water bottle challenge, it’s an easy stat to remember, because this is the 23rd year of the Tour. That’s right, our perfect attendance continues unabatedly (shouldn’t we get a participation ribbon or something?). To put it another way, we are the longest of the long haulers. This group right here, they are the rock to our roll on the Power Tour. Our Big Rig and crew of car care experts - led by front man Jonathan Stone - will be back on Tour, holding it down at each and every stop. Our Big Rig is always a must-see with demos, tips and tricks, and some of our Mothers finest products and swag. And of course, they’ll have our special-edition Mothers Power Tour shirts (this season’s it-look for the long hauler on the go). Collectively these dudes know more about car care (and boy-band level outfit coordination) than most and they’re eager to help your ride look its best on the Tour and beyond. Where there’s a will, there’s a way - a Holloway, that is. Namely Jim Holloway, the man who is both Master and Blaster of our Power Tour presence. I always make an effort to stay as close to Jim as possible while on Tour because it usually leads to something special. From ripping off the top times on the auto-x to private tours of some of the finest hot rod shops and hidden collections, Jim always seems to be at the center of the action. And, it goes without saying, but he has great melons too. EF Hutton be damned, when this man speaks, everyone on Tour listens. Now we’re getting into the meat in our Power Tour batting order and this delectable cut of bacon-wrapped sirloin is our own Forrest Tosie (who never has to put his coffee down, because he’s a closer). This most interesting man has been on nearly every Tour along with our own jaunty chapeau’d Ken Holland. That is before Ken’s unfortunate demise (he’s not dead, but may as well be to us since he stopped going on Tour). Forrest’s recaps of Tours past are the stuff of legend - dare I say, even Proustian. The best I can offer you is some poorly plagiarized Suessian platitudes (do you like green eggs and ham? no, yellow and scrambled will be just fine). Forrest is part Zagat guide and part walking GPS with a dash of Jeopardy Grand Champion throw in for good measure (who is William Tecumseh Sherman?). Pro tip: when Forrest tells you that he knows a good spot, you don’t argue. You just get in, sit down, and shut up. This year, my man main is back in action too. That is not a typo, for Shane Christman is my man main, my ride or die, my muddy buddy. Suffice it to say, he has one of the hardest jobs on the Tour – namely being locked in a car with me for 1,336 miles over six days. Shane is both driver and navigator, DJ and karaoke king and most importantly, road trip snack epicurean extraordinaire. Fun fact: I asked him to jack this F150 and trailer because I felt like that Texaco sign would really tie the room together and he went for it. No questions asked. Until he tried, unsuccessfully to open the locked door, after which he had a bunch of questions, as did the truck’s rightful owner. Thanks, Shane! Once again, the roster of Tour-worthy rides in our convoy will not disappoint. Well, Shane’s massive rental chariot might smell of disappointment (and reek of desperation after a week with me), but the rest of our line-up is solid – starting with our Shelby Terlingua Mustang. Jim’s been messing with supercharger pulleys and tuning maps to bring the power up to the mid-800 range. I would have just taken the restrictor plate off, to give it a little more juice. But you’d need to keep that on the down low, because she wouldn’t exactly be street legal. What happens when Troy Trepanier and his crew turn your rare beast into a Rad Rides creation? Some might be pressed to vacuum the carpet BEFORE they unload it from the trailer at the show. That’s one way to go (and an unfulfilling one at that). Or, you could drive the hell out of it on a no holds barred 1300-mile road trip with thousands of your closest friends. Yeah, I like Option B and so does our Mothers Polish team as we’re bringing our 59 Sedan Delivery back on the Tour. Do you prefer to do your business up front and your festivities in the back? Then you’re going to love this. After a long hiatus, our meano Camino will be back on Tour this year. We told Forrest if he wants to drive the Elky on Tour this year that he’d have to rock a Joe Dirt hairstyle. He said he’d mullet over. Although I’m sure the feeling is certainly not mutual, I cannot wait to see these guys again. Yes, even Scott Timberlake on the far right (I'm just bitter because that silver fox refuses to slide into my DMs like...). It’s always an absolute honor to work with the team at Mothers. Their products are built to an exacting standard and every member of the team brings a tireless work ethic to the table. All of this makes me wonder why they keep bringing me back on Tour. This will be my seventh year on Tour and when I’m not sitting down on the job (or drinking my special “Gatorade”), I’ll be documenting all the goings on for this, the 2017 edition of the Hot Rod Power Tour (that is, between naps). Stay tuned as this Power Tour is shaping up to be best ever. But none of this matters to me, as long as I can escape common core math for a week. Anyone know of a good Nova for sale?