…and they said it wouldn’t last! That’s right everyone, BangShift.com celebrates its sixth birthday today and we couldn’t be happier.
On November 21, 2008 Freiburger made the very first post on the blog at FreiburgersJunkyard.com, the site that Chad and I renamed BangShift.com when David went back to work for the magazine company. When David left we had a couple thousand members of our message board, a couple hundred readers of the daily blog, and we were like any other fledgling website that no one had ever heard about before. We would typically publish like four blog items a day at that time on a Monday – Friday schedule. I was working a full time job that I hated every second of and pounding the keys all night at home. Chad was announcing events, trying to sell companies on the idea of advertising with us, and spreading the BangShift gospel far and wide.
From those humble beginnings we have worked and thrashed, and not slept, and broken stories, and brought you live streaming drag race coverage from all corners of the country, featured some of the coolest cars in the hot rodding world, won internet awards, fought, pissed you off, made you laugh, made you think, and generally plowed ahead every day with the idea that the stuff we think is cool, you’ll think is cool, too.
Chad and I have certainly had our moments over the last five years but the reality is that once the dust settles from whatever donnybrook we find ourselves in, we’re damned near best friends and there’s no one that either of us would rather be taking this trip with. In many ways we are an odd couple but in many more we’re a perfect fit. We both wake up too early, stay up too late, and spend every waking minute of our lives planning, working, and trying to make the thing you see here better every day. We’re also both attached to amazingly strong an understanding women who have believed in this concept as much as we have. Without exaggeration, I can tell you that there have been more than a few go ’rounds regarding what it has taken to get the place to where it is today, but they have stood with us and believed when no one else did.
Both of us have been very fortunate to have met BangShifters from all over the world in the last six years. Nothing is cooler than being at an airport, a race, or a car show and to hear, “Hey are you Brian/Chad from BangShift?” It still blows our mind because we had less people reading this deal when it started than graduated lower than Chad or I did from high school and that’s not many.
Some interesting stats…because we’re hot rodders and we love stats:
Our readership is now tickling 7 digit numbers per month
Just the other day we passed 271,000 fans on Facebook
We have published 12,784 blog items since November, 21, 2008
That’s an average of 5.83 blog items for all of the 2,190 days that have passed between then and now.
On those items we have had more than 56,000 comments, most telling me how dumb I am.
We have published thousands of photo galleries.
Those photo galleries comprise a photo archive of over 200,000 images
We have had photo contributions from the USA, Canada, Mexico, France, Japan, England, Australia, and other countries
We have sold t-shirts to people in more than 20 countries as well
When Chad and I are together for an event, be it SEMA, Bonneville, etc, we (honestly) average roughly three hours of sleep a night
We have attempted to kill more rental cars per year than most people do in a lifetime
We have loved (almost) every minute of it.
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We wouldn’t be here without dedicated contributors who attend races, car shows, and oddball events across this continent and beyond who dutifully share their photos and stories with us so that you can revel in them, comment on them, and enjoy their talents.
We also wouldn’t be here without an ever expanding group of sponsors and advertisers who believe in BangShift as much as we do and who know that this place is the spot where the coolest, most well rounded, engaged, and hardcore gearheads in the world hang out.
So what’s coming in 2015? We’re going to be spilling those beans in the coming weeks but it is going to be so awesome that we can hardly stand it.
One of the quotes that is amazingly fitting about the “story of BangShift” comes from an unlikely source….Ghandi. Here it is:
“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.”
We’re pretty much in the third stage of that mother right now.
From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU. If you thought the first six years were cool, wait until you see what we do over the next 20.
TO SUM UP WHAT 2014 IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE ON BANGSHIFT IN ONE PHOTO, HERE IT IS –
(Ken Barlow photo)
Congratulations to all of you. You rule.
Since CarjunkieTV it is daily routine for me to check this site.
Keep up the good work for many years to come.
Big Thank You
Gerrit
Netherlands
Much goodness and merriment on this anniversary.
Thanks for the most
…AWESOME …
website a car junkie
Could ever ask for .
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU
FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO !
PROUD TO BE A
“” BANGSHIFTER “”
….MY FRIENDS … *******
Congrats. Best website on the internet!!
I found this website this year when I got an office job at work searching for new clients and ever since ( I think in March) I’m on here everyday excitingly waiting for new stories. Thanks for making my days at work not as long and boring.
Congratulations!!
Troy
Teal Automotive
From that first year I immediately recognized that you guys were “my people”. Awesome site, Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday, guys. And thanks for sending my productivity down the drain.
Happy Birthday BS! Thanks for ruining productivity on the job for the last 6 years. Looking forward to many more!
Happy Birthday BANGshift’s Big Head Brian and Cheese Wizz Chad. Thank’s for the killer site, content, and people. Happy to be a small part of it all.
Justin
Congrats and happy birthday!!!
Bang Shift Chad and Bang Shift Brian have become part of my family.
Looking forward to seeing you guys at the track again.
I waste WAY too much time here. Every Day. Thank You!!!
I check on this sight at least 3 times a day. Congrads
Is age 6 old enough to drink? Screw it, drink anyway. Happy birthday ya knuckleheads, very proud to be a small part of this.
Thanx for lettin me tag along for the ride
Congrats!!! I visit several times a day and always find stuff to make me smile.
Thanks for posting the stuff I’ve sent in. I promise to always be on the look out for great stuff to share.
Happy Birthday from one carjunkie to another!
In some ways it’s a celebration for all of us that wear the shirts and display the stickers , thanks to David for needing a job , and Chad for roping Brian into believing this was a good idea.
My post count doesn’t show it but I too am here everyday.
I was hooked the first time here! Happy Birthday BANG SHIFT!!!
Found you guys when I was searching for ANY live drag racing coverage and you were doing the winter testing live in Florida 2-3 years ago. Have enjoyed your nonsense ever since and am fucking envious as hell of what you are doing. Congratulations for following your dream(s) and sharing with us all. I go to the March Meet almost every year so perhaps we shall finally meet this March it is pretty hard not to just enjoy all the steel, fiberglass, chrome and nitro (and a little skin) there but I would love to shake your hand to thank you for what you do. If not, thank you for what you do!
Just great. I am in the UK and I love Bangshift. As we say in the UK you cannot get enough of Chad and Brians B/S !!!
The work that these two guys put into this site cannot be easily summed up. The travel, the long hours, the hard work at the track, the networking and the involvement that they put into it…believe that they are putting their heart and soul into everything you see. I’m honored to have been brought on to assist with the madness and just as they do, look forward to what is in the future.
WOW !! ……time flies.
Many Happies……
I still can’t believe you guys are getting away with this. Congrats and many more to come!
happy,happy,guys!!—no matter how crappy my day has been,you always manage to put a smile on my face at the end of the day!!
Congrats guys and thank you for what you do. The site is a daily part of my computer routine.
Way to go guys. Come here every day , favorite site on the web . Thanks also to yer families for putting up with all the away time etc. Heres to many more years.
I love Bang Shift!!! Happy B-Day number Six.
I found you guys by accident but everyday I check back (by accident of course). This is gearhead heaven. Happy B-day guys!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y’ALL!
Congratulations! I haven’t been here for six years, but I do visit every day. Quite proud of you featuring my 1970’s drag photos in your galleries!
All the best from Eastern Canada!
Happy Birthday Bangshift, I got hooked after you did a feature on my friends ’50 Plymouth Business Coupe drag car that was in RacingJunk. Also I enjoy seeing Roadkill every month.
You guys really are the best! I’m still in shock that you were generous enough to share my Return of the Wagon story and even more so now that so many people have seen and responded to the films. It’s all possible because you guys are true car guys that respect the sport, know what we go through just to get these cars moving and best of all…you took the chance 6 years ago and decided to share all of it for us. All the best to you on your 6th year and here’s to lucky number 7! Hope to introduce you to the wagon in Bowling Green next summer!