2008 Super Chevy Show San Antonio, Texas - Rumble In The Alamo

Ask that punk Darwin for a refund. Come early October in Texas, it's still hot as hell. As an incessant stream of sweat dribbles down your forehead, your eyebrows struggle to keep the stingy fluid off of your eyeballs. Shouldn't our species have adapted to this sort of thing by now? Not a problem for us, though. You don't need any more compelling reason to voluntarily subject yourself to that sort of suffering than the Super Chevy Show. Despite what might seem like bad seasonal timing, hoards of Texans flocked to San Antonio Raceway to witness some of the baddest street/strip Chevys in the state throw down.

The Lone Star State isn't just like its own country. From 1836 to 1845, the Republic of Texas was its own country. It had its own president, its own currency, and even to this day, its own language (OK, not really). Texans are quite proud of this 10-year span as a sovereign nation when they answered to no one, and whether justified or not, there's a bit of attitude that comes along with it. Sure, its people are plenty friendly, but they're under the impression that their state is better than everyone else's. And we confess: it really is. Not to mention, ego isn't necessarily a bad thing when it comes to racing, and in Texas, building fast cars is a matter of state pride. They feel a need to represent, a need to pound every other state into submission. And based on what we witnessed over the course of a weekend, they've come pretty close to doing just that.

It certainly doesn't hurt that this joint has a lot going for it to passively advocate the hobby. The emissions laws are pro-hobbyist. There are tons of rust-free project cars. They pump oil out of the ground like madmen. They build sparkling new dragstrips-many of them at sea level-instead of shutting down existing ones. What's not to like about Texas? On top of that, they keep their strips open 11 months out of the year. It all adds up to one potent formula for speed, and the hardcore street/strip machines that turned out at San Antonio showed why Texans think they're top dog.