HAMLET — A convoy of thousands of cars and trucks will be passing through the Seaboard City on Wednesday as MotorTrend’s Hot Rod Power Tour heads to Rockingham Speedway.
The “largest traveling car show” will enter Richmond County from South Carolina on N.C. 381 after leaving the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia.
Once in Hamlet, the tour will turn onto U.S. 74 Business, roll past City Lake, and keep straight at Spring Street, turning right at the light onto N.C. 177 to reach the day’s destination.
Organizers say there is no set time for the tour to roll through town.
While many of the drivers will leave from the South Carolina site around 8 a.m., organizers say some may leave earlier and some may leave later, traveling alone or in groups.
The roughly 1,000-mile week-long trek through the south is part of the celebration of Hot Rod Magazine’s 75th anniversary and is expected to bring 6,000 vehicles to the iconic Rockingham Speedway.
Gates open to the public at noon and the event, which runs until 6 p.m., will feature dyno competitions, a sponsor and vendor midway, autocross for registered participants, as well as games, giveaways and a performance by Fayetteville-based band Rivermist.
Registration is open for the event at hotrodpowertour.us and participants can sign up for one day or multiple days. Although admission is free, spectators and participants are required to register before arriving at the venue.
The tour previously rolled through Rockingham in 2018 on the way from Darlington Raceway to PNC Arena in Raleigh.
The tour kicked off at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Monday and moved to the South Carolina State Fairgrounds on Tuesday. Organizers said cars were still rolling around 1:30 p.m.
The convoy will leave the speedway Thursday morning and ride up to Pinehurst and through Carthage before heading west to Troy and through the Uwharries before turning back southwest to ZMax Dragway in Concord.
The tour then heads to its final destination, Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, on Friday.
Note: Site map added 3:58 p.m. 6-13-23
