kustoms of san diego

Traditional hot rods and kustoms are a niche within a niche within a niche of the automotive hobby. And even in this tiny space dedicated to speed, style and cool, it sometimes seems like hot rods get all the spotlight. There are much more events catering to hot rods, and while traditional custom cars usually are allowed to join the festivities, it's the wild fenderless jalopies that get the crowds' blood pumping.

Being a kustom guy at heart, each publication and every event devoted to the sinister, to the low and slow, gets my instant and full attention. Just like the monthly cruise of the Kustoms of San Diego. Usually held on the last sunday each month, they gather at the Seahive parking lot in Oceanside. And as I happened to be in town, I took the rental, my wife, and my three year old, and enjoyed a California morning dedicated to true American custom tradition.

a day at the drags

The Barona 1/8 mile drag strip looks like it's been there forever. It's a simple, no-frills race track that's located in northeastern San Diego County, and it comes to life many weekends a year. On the last Sunday this past March, I joined the crew of Phillips Automotive Racing Division, a small group of friends from Oceanside California, and instead of helping them unloading and race-prepping their cars, I was busy standing in their way taking photos and just having a great time in general.