2012 Chevrolet Equinox test drive review. Warm cinnamon rolls and brown sugar

The Chevrolet Equinox. You see them everywhere. My mother-in-law has one. This is definitely not a controversial vehicle choice.

This week I had the opportunity to test out a new 2012 Equinox front-wheel-drive 2LT. And while I wouldn’t say it stirred me to my very soul, I can certainly see why this medium-small crossover has become so popular. The Equinox is not as cumbersome as a full-sized SUV, it’s more practical than a car, and it does it all in a neat little package that has a fit and finish that rivals luxury SUV’s costing much more.

From Belton to Liberty, and all points in between, the Kansas City car show, car cruise, and car racing schedule for April 27, 28, 29, 2012

Well it’s not like there isn’t anything to do this weekend. You can find huge cruises in Liberty and Belton, Weston and Overland Park. There are so many places to go look at old cars, you might get sick of them. OK, not really. But you can see a lot of them around town.

Meanwhile, check out the races at Lakeside or I-35 Speedways, or one of the many other great tracks around town. You got a taste of racing last week at Kansas Speedway—now it’s time for some real racing.

Need a little more inspiration? Check out the entire Kansas City-area car show, car cruise, and car racing schedule below.

Hamlin wins the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway

The NASCAR weekends at Kansas Speedway are among, if not the biggest events in the area.  I'm not just talking about car-related.  I mean biggest period.  The sheer number of people in attendance is staggering, and the number of people who are watching it via TV or Internet, or listening to it on the radio, is several times bigger than that yet.

Since the focus here is Kansas City car events, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about this weekend's STP 400 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and of course the SPF 250 for the NASCAR Camping World Trucks.

Outta' Control Hot Rods takes control of the April Platte City Cruise

In Kansas City, many people think of Platte City as the place where Sonny Hill used to sell cars, or maybe where you stop to grab a Whopper before you head up to St. Joseph.  Well, there is at least one more thing that is worth checking out in Platte City, and that's the Outta' Control Hot Rods Car Cruise in the Pizza Shoppe/Mr. Goodcents parking lot.

Last year, the hot rod club that organized this monthly event pulled out of it, so it was kind of left in limbo for awhile.  Larry Colstion was a big fan of the Platte City Cruise, though, and endeavored to make it thrive again.  Attendance was a little weak in 2011, but all of Larry and the crew's work from Outta' Control Hot Rods is finally paying off, because there were easily 100 cars there for the first one of the 2012 season.

12th-Annual KCCA Corvette Show brings fancy fiberglass to Wal Mart

Any day that starts out looking at a bunch of Corvettes is bound to be a good one, so I was definitely pleased with the way Saturday shaped up when I took a few minutes to check out the Kansas City Corvette Association Wal Mart Cruise for Camp Quality.  It was KCCA's first cruise of the year, and they had a great turnout of cars at I-29 and Barry Road in the Northland.

The Petersen Automotive Museum features '41 Buicks, Italian masterpieces, and automotive history galore

Last week I was in Southern California test driving some new cars. I really wanted to hit one of the many local car cruises that this area is known for, but there just wasn’t time at night to pursue that. Luckily, I had one more shot to check out some vintage vehicles on my way to the airport when we stopped in at the legendary Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

I’ve wanted to go to the Petersen for a long time. I mean, it was founded by the guy that started Hot Rod Magazine. Any car lover worth his salt should go there at least once or twice in his lifetime. There’s some real automotive history here

Vintage Corvette footage, Motorama concept cars, and local racing in this week's Thursday Drive-By

When I was a kid, there were things that my dad taught me about cars that I figured no one else knew about. I just never ran across anyone in my social sphere that had much knowledge or interest. But the Internet changes everything. Clearly there are thousands of people that are interested in the same things I am, and most of them know more than I could ever hope to.

We look at some more of those people in this week’s Thursday Drive-By. Do you like car jumps? Watch the General Lee take to the skies courtesy of the Hemmings Blog. Concept cars your thing? The Palm Springs Automobilist has you covered. You’ll even find a little local car racing mixed in with a vintage California Corvette club. See all the good stuff below.

2012 Ford Focus Electric test drive review. Ford sets the pace on electric vehicles

On Monday, Ford announced that the new 2012 Focus Electric would pace the NASCAR Sprint Cup Race in Richmond on April 28. As I was listening to the Ford official talk about this on my Sirius NASCAR Radio, he stated that electric vehicles like the Focus are the cars of the future. And while I have no doubt that he knows what he is talking about, I would also contend that electric vehicles are deeply rooted in the past. This technology has been dealing with the same issues and perceptions since the beginning of the automobile, and simultaneously, electric cars have been ahead of their time for more than 100 years.