It has been a decade since the first Tri-Five Nationals was held in Bowling Green. I was there and remember vividly just how many machines were there for a show that celebrated vehicles made for only three years. Sure, GM cranked those cars and station wagons out like they were still supporting the war effort, but seriously… after all those years, despite the popularity and the classic status that these vehicles provided, how many could possibly be left? And even more concerning, after all these years: how many fans of the finned shoeboxes could there be left?
It’s safe to say that there is no danger to the Tri-Five Chevy’s iconic status. Name your poison, it was present: perfect restorations, street machines, drag cars of all types, and custom builds that you could pick out by era. Keystones and white-letter tires with a metallic color, or billet aluminum wheels and a factory two-tone combo in custom colors? There were former Army staff cars with their Stovebolt sixes still thrumming along and there were supercharged big-blocks. CRC even brought out their project car for their “Build For The Future”, a custom ’57 Bel Air that features an Arrington-built, hydrogen-fueled, supercharged Gen III Hemi. Clay Millican and Jeff Lutz were on-hand to support the cause… at least, when they weren’t wheeling down the dragstrip.
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