Portraits from HOT ROD Power Tour 2023

HOT ROD Power Tour is a trip like no other. Each June, thousands of hot rod brethren load up and visit a different city each day on a weeklong journey. Throughout the event, Chevrolet Performance maintains a significant presence.

This year, the five-day tour kicked off at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, and swung through the Southeast, visiting the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia; North Carolina's Rockingham Speedway; zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, North Carolina; and Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee.

At each stop, the Chevrolet Performance team showcased its wares including a variety of crate engines,* transmissions, Connect & Cruise Crate Powertrain Systems, components and vehicle upgrades, while staff offered advice and assistance.

Several vehicles were part of the Bowtie display, too. Among this year's highlights were current generations of the Corvette, Camaro, Tahoe, Silverado and Colorado, along with several crate engine-swapped classics. 

The classic vehicles included a 1978 Silverado featuring an L8T, an LT4-powered 1970 Camaro, and an LT1-powered 1971 Corvette designed by seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson. Our very own "Rosie," a 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Seville with an LT4 E-ROD crate engine†, even made an appearance. So too did Chevrolet's electric 1972 El Camino with its eCrate power plant. The brand's new eCrate chassis was also prominently displayed.

Of course, Chevrolet was also represented in many participant vehicles, which ranged from classic muscle to modern performance. General Motors cousins including brands like Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and GMC showed up along the route as well.

The program is known for its wild and creative builds, and AJ Meadows' LT4-powered, all-patina 1954 Chevy was one of the event's most impressive. Meadows has been on every Power Tour since 2012 and was attending this year with his wife, mother and 90-year-old grandmother. The car community is his favorite part of the annual gathering.

"The first couple of years was just to see the country and to see what was out there," said Meadows, who hails from West Texas. "The more you do the more people you meet. It's just amazing. The venues are great. Having Chevrolet out here is great. That's the reason we keep coming back."

The familial bond is strong during each Power Tour, and lifelong friendships are made or renewed at every event. Our cameras were on hand to document some of this year's highlights and an extensive photo gallery is below.

Also, be sure to keep watching The BLOCK for more on the 2023 edition of HOT ROD Power Tour and coverage from events across the nation.

*Because of their effect on a vehicle's emissions performance, these engines are intended exclusively for use in competition vehicles. These engines are designed and intended for use in vehicles operated exclusively for competition: in racing or organized competition on courses separate from public roads, streets or highways. Installation or use of these engines on a vehicle operated on public streets or highways is likely to violate U.S., Canadian, state and provincial laws and regulations related to motor vehicle emissions.

†Chevy Performance E-ROD engines have been granted CARB Executive Orders, which allows for their installation on specific emission-controlled vehicles to be driven on public streets and highways. An exemption is granted if the product has been determined not to cause an increase in vehicle emissions from the production vehicles for which the part is intended, nor otherwise cause vehicles to be non-compliant with the vehicle emissions certification and anti-tampering laws. For additional information, including which vehicles these E-ROD engines can be installed in, please visit ChevroletPerformance.com.