The 49th Annual Daytona Turkey Run offers one of the largest and most diverse displays of special automobiles in the USA. A huge variety of parts and an excellent car corral await you in the infield of the Daytona International Speedway. We expect 5,000 collector cars in the show area. The car corral will have over 1,500 vehicles for sale. The swap meet is so big it will take you all day to walk through it.
How do you show your appreciation to a NASCAR legend? Our Dream Restorations out of Mooresville, North Carolina had an idea. Tim Walker, an automotive body expert at Our Dream Restorations, knew that Bobby Allison had a Studebaker R2 pickup truck that he had dearly wanted to restore. So Tim Walker and Our Dream Restorations decided it would be a fitting tribute to restore Bobby Allison’s 1950 Studebaker Pickup for him the way he wanted it done. Bobby had seen drawings and artist renderings of what his truck would look like, but until this week he had not seen his dream project completed. Friday here at the Daytona Turkey Run was going to be the day.
They just unveiled Bobby Allison’s 1950 Studebaker Pickup Friday morning at the Daytona Turkey Run here in Daytona Beach, Florida. Being an old hot rodder, Bobby had started by stretching the cab and working on a special Grand National Buick Turbo V6 motor for the car. Then he had several friends who ran shops in the Miami area that did some work for him over the years. But last year the car was still all disassembled and it was looking like it might be one of those projects that just doesn’t happen. NASCAR legend Bobby Allison had been waiting since 1988 to see his dream come true. Finally today he was able to take his first look at the incredible custom restoration of his 1950 Studebaker Pickup truck they call “EJ.” And was he ever proud.
A large crowd of racing fans and interested spectators filled the Yellow Garage area of the Daytona International Speedway tha morning for the event. Bobby Allison and his wife Judy were there along with family and friends for the unveiling. The truck had been under a canvas cover here since Thanksgiving Day. Bobby Allison was introduced by Dave Chamberlain of Our Dream Restorations, the shop that custom built the classic pickup truck as a tribute to Allison, a man they consider a living legend.
We were told that this truck would be debuted last month at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. But as it turns out, Our Dream Restorations never completed the truck in time. In fact, the owner of Our Dream Restorations told us today that they just hung the doors on it Monday night. You don’t want to rush anything when you spent seven months creating it.
Bobby Allison is the storied NASCAR Champion that won many races and sacrificed much for his sport. In 1988, after winning the Daytona 500, he later hit the wall at Pocono and nearly lost his life. The massive head injuries from that crash have left him with no memory of his career. Bobby also lost both of his sons in NASCAR crashes within eleven months of each other. But it was also in 1988 that Bobby purchased this 1950 Studebaker pickup truck you see pictured here. Bobby was an old hot rodder from the Alabama Gang years. He always intended to restore the old truck but it sat in storage for all this time.
After the crash at Pocono, there were so many hospital bills that needed to be paid that the Allison family had to sell most of his cars and racing equipment at auction to raise money to pay the bills. Bobby and Judy Allison paid for the hospital bills out of their own pocket. About the only thing left was this 1950 Studebaker pickup and they couldn’t sell it because it was just there in pieces. It was the only thing that survived from a proud racers long career.
Recently a filmmaker and NASCAR fan decided to put together a TV program and possibly a movie celebrating the life and successes of Bobby Allison. The Allison family told us this weekend that the funding for the movie had been acquired. Barring any delays they tell us the filming may be done by next spring. The 1950 Studebaker Custom Pickup may be a featured part of that script. Our Dream Restorations owner Jeff Arnold said he wanted a new generation of NASCAR fans to get a chance to know Bobby Allison and appreciate his contributions to NASCAR. By debuting the Studebaker truck here at Daytona they believe it may rekindle the enthusiasm for Bobby Allison’s many successes in the sport of racing. Bobby and Judy Allison are scheduled to go on a nationwide tour of car shows to promote the movie.
Allison had given so much to the sport of auto racing, it was a fitting tribute to see so many NASCAR fans here this weekend during the Turkey Run to shake his hand and get his autograph. I think Bobby enjoyed it too.
Click here to review all the action here at the Daytona Turkey Run.
DAYTONA BEACH, FL — Nov. 30, 2014 — For the final day here at the Daytona Turkey Run we’ll have the best weather all week. It’s the perfect day here at the Daytona International Speedway for parts hunting and show going as the Daytona Turkey Run goes into its final day. There are some spectacular deals here in the Swap Meet area. Indications are that some of the vendors are starting to mark down some items and you can get some real deals here this morning.
Saturday saw the most action of the extended Thanksgiving Weekend at the Daytona Turkey Run with show-goers packing into the Daytona International Speedway all day. It seems only fitting that so much of automotive history was on display here at the most historic racing venue in the country. We saw thousands of show cars on display at the world famous Daytona Turkey Run car show, swap meet and car corral. It is the biggest car show and swap meet in the Southeastern United States, bar none.
Cars On Line.com is here to bring you all the action at the Daytona Turkey Run. Come on out and join us as we seek out the buried treasures here at the Daytona International Speedway, home of the NASCAR Daytona 500. You never know what you’ll find here at the 41st Annual Daytona Turkey Run.
If you can’t make it to Daytona this year you can experience it through our on-the-spot reports and photos here on this page. Also watch for our posts on Facebook and Twitter all during the extended weekend.
The Daytona Turkey Run Car Show fields were located at the east end of the Daytona International Speedway on the infield along the fourth turn of the race track. There were also special displays in the Yellow Garage areas. Car clubs had display areas designated for their members. Top quality cars could be seen everywhere. Here are some of the surprises we spotted in the Car Show displays.
We were suprised at how many really unique show cars we found here in the Car Show today. Click here to view more of the top show cars at this year’s Turkey Run.
There were more unique cars and trucks for sale in the Car Corral today. Click here to see more cars for sale here at the Daytona Turkey Run.
When you watch the people cue into the gates at the Daytona International Speedway for the world famous Daytona Turkey Run car show you wonder where all those people are going. You soon find out as you witness them pouring into the swap meet area. The Daytona Turkey Run Swap Meet is located along the infield and garage areas of the speedway complex. Parts hunters were shoulder to shoulder looking for those special parts they need to complete their project.
You want to get an education on the latest techniques in restoration? Just take a walk through the Swap Meet area on the infield at the Daytona Turkey Run. Not only will you get first hand information on restoration technique, but you will see some of the latest innovations in restoration equipment.
Click here to review more of the parts vendors we found at the Daytona Turkey Run Swap Meet.
They just unveiled the Bobby Allison 1950 Studebaker R2 Pickup at the Daytona Turkey Run here in Daytona Beach, Florida Friday morning. NASCAR legend Bobby Allison had been waiting since 1988 to see his dream come true. Finally today he was able to see the incredible custom restoration of his long waited project truck they call “EJ.”
A large crowd of racing fans and interested spectators filled the Yellow Garage area of the Daytona International Speedway this morning for the event. Bobby Allison and his wife Judy were there along with family and friends for the unveiling. The truck had been under a canvas cover here since Thanksgiving Day. Bobby Allison was introduced by Our Dream Restorations. Our Dream Restorations custom built the classic pickup truck as a tribute to Allison, a man they consider a living legend.
This is just part of this great story. Our Dream Restorations really paid tribute to their NASCAR friend, Bobby Allison. The Bobby Allison legend is topped by his NASCAR Championship in 1983 and his many victories in Winstons Cup racing. But it has some tragic moments also. The Allison family told us here that there will be a movie about his life thought to be out next spring. Click this link for more of the story and photos of the unveiling of this great American ride.
The Turkey Run was created in 1974 by the Daytona Beach Street Rods. The clubs president, Stu Sarjeant and his five year old son Jim had attempted to enter their 1923 Ford Hot Rod in the 1973 Ormond Beach AACA Gaslight Parade. They were denied entry as no modified cars were permitted. The following year, Sarjeant started the very first Turkey Run. This event hosted 45 cars and was held at the Howard Johnson hotel across from Bellair Plaza across from the beach.
Continuing to grow, the show moved to Seabreeze High School in 1982 and added a swap meet. By 1987 The Turkey Run had grown to more than 900 cars and relocated to a property at the Daytona Beach airport. In 1989 the Daytona Beach Street Rods association partnered with the Daytona Beach Racing and Recreational Facilities District (Daytona Beach Car Shows) and found a permanent home in the infield of the Daytona International Speedway. By this time, the show had grown to over 1,520 show quality cars and 250 swap meet vendors.
Today, the Daytona Turkey Run boasts over 6,000 show cars and over 1,000 swap meet vendors, making it the largest combined classic car show and swap meet in the Southeastern U.S.
