Rapid coverage of the May 2012 Parkville Cruise

The monthly Parkville car cruise in the English Landing Park parking lot is one of the best around.  It's less than five minutes from my house.  And I try to hit as many local car shows as I can.

That being said, I missed the first one of the year because I was in California, and I almost missed the second one because my wife and I had tickets to see Jersey Boys in the Music Hall.  But don't worry, sports fans, I still managed to get some pictures of this month's cruise, and I still made it home in time to take Mrs. Hover to dinner and see the show.

Lakeside Speedway. Go there.

Lakeside Speedway has a rich history in Kansas City, but when I reported from there at the beginning of last season, it looked like that history was going to come to an end.  Well, I went out there Friday night, and I am happy to tell you that Lakeside is back and better than ever, and it is definitely a place that you want to check out this summer.

Opened at the Leavenworth Road location in 1955, Lakeside hosted some of the biggest names in the early days of racing. Right up until it closed, Lakeside was the most popular dirt track in the area, drawing a rabid following of fans and cars.

Old trucks, Cuban cars, and Lego-mobiles in this week's Thursday Drive-By

Once again, I have scanned the Internet in search of some fun stories and unusual links for your automotive viewing pleasure. This week we look back at the truck races at I-70 Speedway, the car culture in Cuba, and the creative world of Lego cars.

Some of these are more current stories, and some of them are older collections. I’m just trying to find things that I personally think are interesting, which I hope, in turn, will be interesting to you too. Check out the links below and see what you think. And as usual, if you like this blog, feel free to share it with your friends too!

Street rods, Corvettes, swap meets, and more. The Kansas City car show, car cruise, cand car racing schedule for May 3, 4, 5, 6, 2012

I love living in Kansas City. There are just so many options if you love cars this time of year. Looking to rebuild a car? Check out the swap meet in Lawrence. Like street rods? They’ll be in Riverside. Like Corvettes? There’s a big show at Superior Chevrolet. Need to buy some fresh vegetables while you’re checking out the classics? Be at the City Market Sunday morning.

They’ll be cruisin’ ‘em in Parkville and showin’ ‘em in Belton. And that doesn’t even include the full schedule of local short-track racing events throughout the area. So jump in—the water’s fine. The entire Kansas City car show, car cruise, and car racing schedule for this weekend is right here.

2012 GMC Terrain test drive review. The official small crossover of B.A. Baracus

If you are an American male between the ages of 35 and 45, GMC trucks should hold a special place in your subconscious. That’s because from the late 1970s through the mid-to-late 1980s, GMC executed the greatest product placement campaign targeted at seven-to-thirteen-year-old boys in the history of the world.

The onslaught of TV shows and movies that featured GMC vehicles jumping over construction sites, sliding around corners, and dodging bullets and explosives was nothing short of marketing brilliance. For your consideration: The A-Team van, The Fall Guy pickup, Rocky’s pickup in the Rockford Files, Hardcastle’s pickup in Hardcastle and McCormick, the “Robin 3” Jimmy in Magnum P.I., Hooper’s red stepside in the Burt Reynolds’ movie Hooper, Snowman’s rig in Smokey and the Bandit II, and the mobile repair semi in Knight Rider, just to name a few.

Clouds don't keep the cars away from the Liberty Cruise

How strong is the monthly Liberty Cruise?  As I headed up there at about 6:30 Saturday night, I would have sworn there would be no cars there.  The skies were cloudy and ominous, and there were spits and sprinkles all along the way.

But to my surprise, there were still better than 100-150 cars spanning the entire distance around the historic downtown square.  This may not have been the best car count for this cruise ever, but most any other monthly event would kill for this kind of turnout.

Adesa Corvette and Specialty Sale brings big-time collector cars to a big-time auction

Everybody knows when the big Mecum classic car auctions come to Bartle Hall, but that's not the only place in Kansas City where people bid on their favorite collectable cars.  The Adesa Auto Auction in Belton holds their Corvette and Specialty Car Sale a couple of times a year, and sellers and buyers from all over the country get together to swap a little vintage metal.

One-owner Cobra and vintage car crashes in this week's Thursday Drive-By

Week after week, there's just more neat stuff to see out on the Internet for the Thursday Drive-By.

This time, we've got an original, one-owner Shelby Cobra, vintage car crashes, and an amazing car-themed orthodontists office. What's the greatest V8 engine of all time? And what happens to an Enzo Ferrari when you abandon it in Dubai?

The answers to all of these questions can be found in these links below.