CORVETTE TODAY #162 - A Preview Of The GM Nationals
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Jul 11, 2025
CORVETTE TODAY goes back to our friends at Carlisle Events to preview one of the largest GM shows in the country (next to Corvettes At Carlisle). Event Manager, Ken Appell, sits down with your CORVETTE TODAY host, Steve Garrett, to preview everything going on....and there's more going on than you think! There is a multitude of things happening during the GM Nationals...Steve was truly amazed! After you hear this show, you might want to put the GM Nationals on your events calendar!
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[Music] Welcome to Corvette Today, the podcast
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that talks about everything Corvette with your host Steve Garrett, MC and DJ at one of the largest Corvette weekends
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in the country, Corvette Funfest, president of the Corvette Club of Kansas City, Missouri, and radio disc jockey at
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the number one radio station in Kansas City for over 40 years. Here's Steve Garrett.
0:28
Thanks for listening and watching Corvette Today, the show that talks about everything Corvette and the only
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Forum.com, welcoming Corvette enthusiasts from around the world. The GM Nationals are coming up at the Carile
2:45
Fairgrounds, which is home of Corvettes at Carile. And here to give us a preview of the GM Nationals is events manager
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Ken Appel. Ken, welcome to Corvette Today. Hey Steve, thanks for having us.
2:57
We're excited to be on the show. That's great. Give me a little bit of history about the GM Nationals. How did
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it start? How many years has this event been going on? So, this event's been going on a little over 20 years. We started it basically
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in the early 2000s. It kind of became a transition event from our summer car,
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which was very similar to spring and fall car from a swap mate standpoint. Since then, basically we've grown it to
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about a thousand GM vehicles of all makes, models, not just Corvette, but
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everything from Camaro to Firebird to Fiero to Buick Grand National. It's a
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all-encompassing GM event. Chip at the time had started. Very cool. Now, what are the dates of
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this year's show and where's the event going to be held? So, it'll be held at the Carlile Fairgrounds, same place as the Corvettes
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at Carlile event. It's happening June 23rd and 24th. And then we'll also be
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open on the 22nd for early bird shopping as well. 23rd and 24th are the main show
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days. 24th being the Saturday is the big show day and really gets a good amount
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of cars in. That sounds fantastic. Ken, let's talk about some of the special displays that are going to be there this year. Go over
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all those for us. Yeah, so we actually have a number of awesome displays this year. We have 50
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years of the Buick Regal. That's all-encompassing from the current model all the way back to the muscle era and
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everything in between including the Gbody Regals which obviously include the GNX and the Grand National which are
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super super popular today. We have the 40 years of Pontiac Fiero which believe
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it or not actually at this show is actually one of the largest gatherings of Vieros actually in the country each
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year. They actually represent over a hundred some registrants at the show each year which is awesome to see. the
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Mid-Atlantic Fiero Owners Association. They do a great job setting up an entire weekend of activities for that group.
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And this year is no different. They have a ton of stuff that's coming up that's unannounced. We'll be featuring a number
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of those Fieros inside the building just like we will with the Regal. So, it's going to be a great weekend for those
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enthusiasts. We also have the 120 years of Buick Motor Company which is also happening in building T. That's a great
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great display that's shaping up. We have a number of different eras of Buick that will be in the building. We also have
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the solid lifter showroom over in building Y that's presented by our friends at Supercar Workshop. They do a
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great display of Yankos, copos, and everything basically that's a supercar
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GM essentially from that time period in the late60s early '7s. We have the third gen nationals which is happening over in
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building R towards Gate 2. That's kind of going on the momentum that we did last year with the third gen anniversary
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which basically was a third gen Camaro and Firebird gathering that we did. Those guys came back, they said, "Hey,
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we need an event for ourselves." So, we're kind of doing a great show within a show for them. They have a number of
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vendors lined up, some third gen guests, some really awesome cars. They're going to do a big tent as well, which is a
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little bit of a unannounced thing. Something that we found out today, huh? So, it's going to be a pretty cool 200
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foot long tent of different third gen Camaro and Firebirds which will pair up with some of the vendors and they're
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going to have seminars and stuff like that as well. So, it's going to be a great showing there. We also have the fourth gen Camaro and Firebird
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anniversary going on in building T. So, that goes along with the third gen stuff. So, definitely two things for Fbody enthusiasts. We also have the
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Malays era celebration. It's going to be a great tent display that we have going on. And then we also have the Corvettes
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for chip event that's happening in the Chafield area. So which I know we'll get to in a little bit here.
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Absolutely. Now you brought up something that I want to get a little bit better definition of. Talk about what a Malays
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era car is, Ken. So Malaise obviously is a word that basically came out during that period
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that was used by different politicians to basically describe what was going on in the economy, the world, the gas
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crisis, all that sort of stuff. But basically the enthusiasts of those cars of the middle '7s to late '8s have kind
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of adopted that term as a calling card for those cars. It's kind of the forgotten cars of that period. It's
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really really unique to see all this come together. We've got some really really cool vehicles for the Malays. We
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have everything from a Chevet to an old Omega from 1981 that was actually the
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PPG pace car. We have a old Kais. We have a Monza Town Coupe. We have a whole
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number of other cars that we're still yet to select for that tent display. But it's really hearkening back to those
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cars that quite frankly we've forgotten from the 70s and 80s. And the enthusiasts that own those cars have adopted the name as a Malays era of
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cars. That's really cool. I mean, they're embracing that, which is really neat to hear. Yeah. and the Fiero celebration that
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we're doing and the Regal celebration with especially some of the 70s and 80s Regals are going to kind of tie in
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handinand with that. So, we're really excited to see it all come together. That should be really fantastic. You
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know, I noticed also that you're going to have the Nova Nationals, which should be really cool. That sounds like a lot
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of fun. Yeah. So, National Stogic Nova, which is a club and magazine, they put together a
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great Nova Nationals over in our pavilion area that at Corvettes at Carile you would see as the car corral
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pavilion. Okay. At this show, it's a little bit different show just like every single one of our shows is different from the
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other, but that'll actually be the home of the Nova Nationals. They do seminars throughout the weekend. They do gold
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class judging for some of the top level NOVAs. They really have a great gathering of about 70 80 Novas usually
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each year. That sounds like fun, man. That sounds great. Ken, let's take our first break. When we come back, we're going to talk
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about some of the other cars that'll be on display. We have Ken Appel with us from Carile Events here talking about GM
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And now back to the only current podcast on Corvettes, Corvette Today with your host, Steve Garrett.
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Hey, thanks for listening and watching Corvette Today, the show that talks about everything Corvette, brought to
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call them 833-639-4231. I'm your host, Steve Garrett. With me is
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Ken Appel, the events manager at Carile Fairgrounds. We're talking about the GM Nationals coming up in June. Ken, you've
13:12
got some really cool displays coming up. Talk a little bit more about those like the third and fourth gen Camaros and
13:17
Firebirds. Yeah. So, the third gen Nationals, which is basically an indoor display and an outdoor display, as
13:24
mentioned prior with the tent display they're going to do, really came together as a continuation of last
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year's awesome third gen anniversary that we did down in building T. Basically, all those enthusiasts came
13:36
together and said, "Hey, we need a home for basically a third gen gathering nationwide." So, and that's third gen
13:43
Camaro and Firebird that we're talking about. So, they kind of said, "Hey, let's get together. Let's create this
13:48
new event called the third gen nationals. Let's have it at Carlile and let's see where it goes and let's build
13:54
it as something that's going to be a pillar in that community for years and years to come. They've built it as not
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only having a number of displays, but having a number of vendors like our friends at Camaro and Firebird Central,
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they're stepping up and doing a great showing of what they offer part-wise. Ben and his crew are going to show up
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and have a number of different stuff. We have about 10 other vendors that are lining up near that area for the third
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gen nationals as well that we're hoping to announce here real soon. But that is going to be kind of the hub for
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everything going on for the third gen nationals. So they're going to have a number of cars indoors. They have Phil
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Boris Indep car which if you know anything in the Fbody community, Phil Boris is a great author of many of the
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Norwood Camaro and Firebird books. There's some really awesome custom cars. Seth Seth Starbucks from Starbucks
14:45
Designs is basically bringing his 92 Camaro that's really done up real well. Bruce Hawkins of Hawkins Performance is
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bringing his 91 Firebird Formula which is a very rare car as well. And there's a number of other IRock Z's and Trans
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Ams and other Camaros that are going to take a display up basically in building R. And then we're also going to have a
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200 foot long tent where we're going to showcase a number of thirdgens as well right next to that building. So, we're
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really, really excited for that display and that show within a show as we call it coming up for the GM Nationals.
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That's fantastic, man. Now, if somebody has a car from this era, Ken, how do they enter their car into the show? So,
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as far as that goes, it's just like we do for Corvettes at Carla. We have online registration or you can call us
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in person and basically that's 7172437855 or visit carevents.com
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and you can get all the info to register right then and there. There is a fee to register for the showfield. Get you in
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all weekend and then basically you can have your car right on the showfield. You can go for judging and it's really
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really a great time to celebrate your car with the rest of the enthusiast community. Very cool. If someone just wants to come
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as a spectator and enjoy everything that's going on that weekend at the GM Nationals, can they also register
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online? Yeah, they can go on carick.com or even our carvents.com website and click
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through to get your tickets. You can get a weekend pass, you can get a daily pass, or if you don't purchase in
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advance, we'll take payment at the gate day of as well. Oh, that's good. Yeah. Now, we always recommend in advance. You save a little
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bit of money. You can also buy your parking in advance, too. Which nice thing about this show, we do have parking on site. So, it's right there.
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If you're going to be buying parts or just coming to to check stuff out, you don't after walking around all day, you
16:32
don't want to walk, you mean blocks to your car. You can just walk across the field and be right in your parking zone.
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That's a smart idea for sure. Ken, with most of your shows, you guys do professional judging and also celebrity
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judging. Talk a little bit more about that and who's going to be there this year. So, as far as celebrity judges, I
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can't get into that just yet. Most of them that we have for this show are different club leaders, different
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authors, basically people that represent the GM community as a whole. Whether they're a collector, whether they're a
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builder, whether they own a company, that's typically who makes up the bulk of our celebrity judges. As far as our
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main celebrity, we have not announced that yet. We are still working on that one. Still just a little bit too early
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to have that locked in. And then from our professional judging standpoint, we have a group that we hire in from ejudge
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that does our standard of excellence judging, which is limited to about 50 different cars from the GM segment
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basically. And they're judged for either their originality or their customization on a scale of 100. And basically the
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same group actually judges the Mother Shine award out SEMA. They do a number of other events and stuff like that. So
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they're really really in tune with what's going on in the automotive world. And then we also have our main showfield
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judging which is based on participant ballot which is you the enthusiasts get to vote who has first, second and third
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in your class. Now we do divide that up pretty well so that way there's no club favoritism or anything like that going
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on which is kind of nice because when people hear about participant ballot that's one of the things that people
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frown upon. uh we do a really nice job to make sure that we split the ballot up very well. So that way one club or one
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group doesn't control it or you don't really see a lot of people voting for their friends because their friends are spread out across the entire field. So
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you really get a good base of what cars should actually really win in that class.
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Very nice. That's a smart idea. We try. We try. Also, you have Carile Elite. Talk about
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what that is and is that a new thing for you guys? No, we've actually been doing Carl Elite for at least on this show for
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probably about 10 years, but it's been around for much, much longer than that. Certain shows have it, certain shows
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don't. We do it at our import nationals, which is coming up here in May. We do it at our truck nationals in June, and then
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we also do it at our GM nationals. That's basically where on Friday of the
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show, our staff will go around and we'll pick 10 GM vehicles that stand out for one reason or another. It could be
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because of their uniqueness. It could be just a standout vehicle. Could be that it was preserved. It could be due to a
19:04
level of customization. It's very subjective, but it's basically 10 vehicles that stand out for one reason
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or another. There's no real criteria to it. It's just when we go around the field on Friday, we'll kind of look at
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the different cars that are on the field. We'll kind of go up on the hill, close our eyes, and all right, which 10
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cars stood out to you when we were riding around to pick those 10 winners. And basically they'll get a acrylic
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award which is a very very nice award. Honestly, it's one of my favorite ones that we give out all year. They'll get a
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hat, sticker, and shirt basically to signify they are part of the Carile Elite winners for that year. We've had
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cars that have been rollers before that have won that award. But no disgrace to
19:44
a car being a roller, but because it was so historic or so different in build
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nature or anything and everything. We've had cars that are thousand point winners at a show win the award. So it really
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runs the gamut and it's really said 10 cars that stand out for one reason or another.
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Man, that's a unique concept. I really like that. That sounds like a lot of fun. It truly is. Usually we can think of
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those 10 cars. Once we go away from the showfield, close our eyes and say, "Okay, these 10 cars stood out for X, Y,
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and Z reason. As I said, it's not always the best car that wins an award, and it's not really an win. It's more of an
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awarding of that award." Gotcha. Very cool. I like that concept a lot. Now, you talked about this just
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briefly before, Ken, but one of my favorite elements of the GM Nationals is the Corvettes for Chip Chafield. That's
20:30
a permanent element of GM Nationals. Talk a little bit more about that. Yeah. So, a few years ago, the Corvettes for
20:36
Chip was its own standalone event that happened over at our Carile Expo Center. It was run by a group called the York
20:42
County Corvette Club. Great supporters of the show, great supporters of our company all together. And they said,
20:48
"Hey, what if we combine this with the GM Nationals?" We were all for it. We were like, "Yeah, I mean, really bring
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something for the Corvette owners to do that's a little bit above and beyond the normal showfield." They have raffles.
21:00
They have their own awards. And it's basically very similar to what we were talking about earlier with the show
21:06
within a show concept. And they also have different seminars going on there. They have Paul Kerner, the Corvette
21:12
mechanic, come in and he does a couple seminars as well. It's a really great opportunity. It's also your first
21:18
opportunity to buy your tickets for the Corvettes at Carile CMAF raffle car
21:23
that's typically done with the Lancaster County Corvette Club. So, it's your first opportunity to get those tickets
21:29
as well. And believe it or not, one of the tickets that won a couple years ago was a ticket that was purchased at the
21:34
GM Nationals. Wow. Very nice. Well, Ken, let's take our final break. When we come back, we'll wrap up and talk a little bit more
21:41
about the GM Nationals with Ken Appel, the events manager for Carile Events here at Corvette Today.
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I'm your host, Steve Garrett. With me is Kenipel, the events manager for Carile Events. We're talking about the GM
25:01
Nationals. In this third and final segment, we're going to kind of wrap things up and talk about some of the off the-beaten path type stuff. Ken, anybody
25:09
can become a vendor for the GM Nationals. Typically what's sold in the vendor area there at GM Nationals?
25:15
Typically what's sold there's two different areas. First off there is the manufacturers Midway which is where you
25:20
typically see some of the major manufacturers come in. One of our great partners runs our autocross courses are
25:26
set up there. Usually some of the top detailing companies in the country are set up there and usually it runs the
25:33
gamut of new manufacturers for the GM world essentially. And then you also
25:38
have the swap meet area or what we call sometimes the automotive flea market. The main thing is you need to be selling
25:44
something that is appropriate to the GM market. Typically that's automotive parts, that's collectibles that are
25:50
automotive oriented. It's memorabilia or literature that's automotive oriented. And obviously it needs to be GM for this
25:57
show in particular. So, it's a real nice small grouping of vendors that have
26:02
everything from used parts to reproduction parts to anything and everything in between. Guys that are
26:08
parting out their cars or the guy cleaning out his garage or guy or girl cleaning out their garage. So, it's
26:14
really really a unique feature to walk through when you're here and potentially buy things for your vehicle.
26:20
And you touched on something I wanted to talk about a little bit more, the ever popular, always popular flea market. I
26:27
know it's so popular at Corvettes at Carlilele. It's got to be a big thing at GM Nationals, too, doesn't it?
26:32
Yeah, it's a little bit smaller than what it is at Corvettes at Carile, but it's very muscle oriented when it comes
26:38
to the GM crowd, but there's a little bit of everything in the automotive flea market, which is really nice to see.
26:44
Like I said, it's anything from reproduction parts to original NOS parts that the guy's been holding in his
26:50
garage for 20, 30, 40 years to used parts. I mean, there's always great
26:56
deals down in the automotive flea market. Anything from dashboards to body panels to engine compartment parts to
27:04
glass to anything and everything in between. We've seen it all here. We've seen some barn finds come out of the
27:10
woodwork and be sold quite quickly. Typically, we had a moss covered Corvette a couple years ago that sold
27:16
very, very, very, very quickly. It was a C1, too, which was quite incredible to see. We've seen everything all the way
27:21
up to the latest and greatest fifth and sixth gen Camaro parts being down in there. We've seen truck beds being sold
27:27
down there, which is actually a very big thing up here in PA, especially with the C10 Chevy trucks becoming so so so
27:34
popular right now. There's a vendor that literally brings in probably 20, 30 different GM truck beds that are of the
27:41
70s, 80s, and early 90s. Wow. He does a quite a good selling of them down in the swap meet. And I said that's
27:47
a very popular market in this area. He does quite well. I bet he does.
27:53
Yeah. And they're rust free. He's getting them out of Arizona, which is even better. Yeah. Oh, yeah. So, they're dry. They're not this northern climate
27:59
that we're in. Right. Now, you can also buy and sell cars at the GM Nationals just the way they do at Corvettes at Carile, right?
28:06
Yes, sir. Yeah. We have a car corral area that's near the food court. It's ever popular as well. There's always
28:12
some deals in that as well. Nice. Now, there's also the car club contest, too. Those are always fun,
28:17
right? Yeah. So, we do the coolest club which is awarded to a club that has stood out from one way, shape or form. That can be
28:25
from having the coolest club tent hangout from decorations to they have a
28:30
number of seminars going on to having other camaraderie or display or
28:36
something like that going on in their tent. There's a number of different criteria we look at for that one. But we also hold a thing that we have with our
28:43
club challenge, which is our first, second, and third place clubs. And that's the biggest clubs for it. The
28:49
past couple years, we've had a pretty good battle going on between the Fiero owners, the Monte Carlo owners, the Nova
28:56
owners, all for that top spot. But there's also usually some newcomers that come into play in that market as well. I
29:03
know the Cossworth Vega owners association, they've competed for that as well. And most of the clubs that are
29:09
in top three are bringing some really great numbers. They're bringing 50 plus cars. So, it's quite a contest when they
29:15
really start getting at it on show weekend. That's amazing. Now, you got a lot of contests going on
29:21
at the GM Nationals like the Rolling Burnout, the donut contest, the open autocross. Talk about some of the
29:27
different contests that'll be happening that weekend. So the rolling burnout and donut contest is something that we tried
29:34
differently last year and it really really took off. We used to do burnouts at the stage. Unfortunately due to some
29:40
insurance changes, we are no longer permitted to do them up at the stage and for safety standpoint and we don't want
29:46
anybody getting hurt. So we moved it back to our autocross track area which we'll get to in a little bit here when
29:52
you mentioned about the autocross runs. But we do that on Saturday afternoon back at the track. We give the person
29:59
two options for doing a burnout. Means they have more area than they used to up in stage. One of those methods is to do
30:07
a rolling burnout which we give you basically 200 foot to lay down one smoky burnout or we have basically a skid pad
30:14
for a donut contest. We had people last year doing both things. We had people
30:20
doing only a donut. We had people doing a rolling burnout into donuts. We had people doing just loud smoky rolling
30:26
burnouts. It was really a great contest to see all come together. Our friends at Turo Tires do a great job at sponsoring
30:33
that contest. So we also have the rolling exhaust contest which is a exhaust contest where somebody
30:39
accelerates up our hill over towards gate six and gate five and we do it to where the exhaust note is under load.
30:45
Nobody wants to hear an exhaust just sitting there revving. We want to hear it underload to see how it would
30:50
actually sound going down the road. That's why we do it towards the hill area over there. So that way we get the
30:56
car under load. We basically have a judging zone where it's judged on sound quality, not on loudness, not on does it
31:03
pop, does it crackle, all that sort of stuff. It's to the judges, does it sound good? Essentially, yeah,
31:09
they'll narrow. We have two different rounds going on to qualify. They'll narrow basically 40 cars down to 20 cars
31:16
and then 20 cars down to a top three eventually for first, second, and third for that contest. So, it's a really,
31:21
really fun contest that we do. We also have the real street shootout along with our open autocross runs that happens
31:28
back at the track area that we mentioned when we were talking about the rolling burnout and donut contest. The real
31:34
street shootout happens Friday night. It's a competition to basically see who puts down the quickest three laps on the
31:40
autocross course. And then during the weekend we have open autocross runs with our friends at the Cumberland Valley
31:46
Corvette Club. They do that throughout the weekend as well. We also have Nitro Fest, which is our friend Bruce Larson,
31:52
the former drag racer, who basically comes in, brings a bunch of his old funny cars and stuff like that, sets
31:58
them up for everybody to hear them cackle, I guess you could say, and hear them rev up and all that. So, it's a
32:04
really, really awesome event to witness and hear to say the least. Boy, lots of contests. That's fantastic.
32:11
Now, seminars are big, too. You've got lots of seminars for the GM Nationals. Yeah, we do. We have everything from
32:17
installation seminars to book signings to historians coming up. We have a
32:22
couple more that are too announced, but we also have the ones that typically center around whatever anniversaries
32:28
we're doing or whatever show within the shows are going on. So, the Nova Nationals, they hold one over in their
32:34
pavilion, or actually they hold a number of them, not just one, but they hold seminars that are suspension based, that
32:40
are paint based, that are detailing based, all things that basically encompass what it requires to have a top
32:47
level Nova nowadays or a top performing Nova. So, they do ones over there. The third
32:52
gen Nationals, they have some that are historic in nature. They have some that are performance-based as well. They have
32:59
some detailing ones and they also have a couple authors coming in as well that will be basically showcasing their book
33:06
and doing a Q&A with that. The Fiero owners, they're doing a couple seminars as well. Uh they're doing a couple that
33:12
are installation based. They're doing a couple that are walking seminars where they'll kind of go through the history
33:17
of the different Fieros. And then we just have a couple other ones as well going on with the Buick Regal
33:23
anniversary to be more specifically our friend Dennis Kurban of Kurban Performance. He'll actually be doing one
33:28
on turbo Buicks and turbo Pontiacs on Saturday. And there's a couple others
33:33
that are still to be announced. So, we're getting really excited about stuff here. Naturally, man, there's a great lineup
33:39
and there's lots of stuff to do for kids and for the ladies as well. Yes. So, we actually have a women's
33:45
oasis in building Z, which is under the grandstand there. And that is a oasis for the ladies to get away from things
33:52
that are pretty much automotive based if you're not interested in that. anything from sensity to crafts to anything and
34:00
everything that isn't automotive that applies to that lifestyle, I guess you could say. Yeah. So, it's a really unique opportunity for
34:07
that. We also have women's bingo that happens on Saturday as well. And we also have a kids program that also includes
34:14
kids bingo, a kids cash grab, and we also have kids goodie bags for those under 12, which under 12 gets in free to
34:21
our event that can be picked up on a first come first- serve basis. and the guest service building. It's got a
34:26
coloring book. It's got a typically a Hot Wheels or Matchbox car. And it's got some other cool stuff in the bag as
34:32
well. Great opportunity for your kids and your wife to come along as well. It sounds like you got all the bases
34:38
covered, Ken. That's for sure. We try. We really do try and we have a great team here that supports everything
34:44
that we do. And you mean Lance and Bill, they may be the founders and the owners, but you takes more than just them put
34:50
together. And our team does a really great job from our full-time staff. Basically, it's about 25 strong that do
34:56
everything from the marketing of our events to putting on our events, I guess you could say, and the financial side
35:02
and everything else. And our maintenance side, our maintenance guys, they're topnotch. But then we also have our
35:07
part-time staff that come in for the show weekend. They're doing everything from directing cars in to picking up
35:13
trash to cleaning the bathroom. We really have a great staff here. And I mean, kudos to all them for supporting
35:19
our events. We're nothing without the staff that we have. Definitely. One more time, let's give the date of the GM Nationals and where
35:26
they can register online. So, all the information can be found out on carvents.com and if you go to the
35:32
Carile GM Nationals portion of that page, the show dates are June 23rd and
35:37
24th. Ken, thank you so much for taking the time to be on Corvette Today. I'm looking forward to the GM Nationals this
35:44
year. And thanks for having us, Steve. We appreciate it. Thanks for listening to Corvette Today. And please be sure to tell your family,
35:50
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36:37
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36:43
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36:48
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