How big has this show gotten?


Is there a lot of parts venders that are businesses or just normal swappers?

“Moparty”
It’s a fairly good size show and since it’s new, should grow every year.
There were a fairly large number of commercial vendors, but the swap meet itself wasn’t especially big the last 2 years.
Maybe 30-40 swap meet spaces is my estimate based on my fading memory.
The car show portion was probably around 300-350 cars.
The drag racing was really busy with a lot of cars running from morning to evening. The rally track was busy too.
This year they are adding some sort of off road competition.
I’m praying for the weather the inaugural event in 2020 had! Last year had some off and on rain, that I’m sure hurt the car show turnout, especially Saturday when it rained in the morning and even though the afternoon turned nice, that messed things up.

It's a growing event, every year it's getting bigger.

This will be my first year going. Finally have the hellcat Cuda done to show. I hope the weather holds. From all appearances it looks like a great Mopar weekend.

I highly doubt that there will be much complaining about the weather for MoParty. Looking forward to seeing everybody out here!

They have a new company that now runs the swap meet, and they moved it to the hill on the other side of the track, and they are telling vendors that they cannot tear down until Sunday at 4, not sure how that is going to work...

It's going to be too hot!

I'm not sure how they could enforce that.

Fireman Joe always leave Saturday night to head back home.

Oh, that's an easy fix!

About the only thing they can do is hold up or restrict your chance to register for future events "Because you didn't follow the rules." When they start doing that, usually the vender numbers start dropping like a rock. Some people have to be back at work on Monday morning. That can't do anything other then harm the show.

Honestly though, who really doesn’t expect to possibly not get out of there in the middle of the afternoon on Sunday. Certainly all the racers plan to get out no sooner than the afternoon, if not later if going rounds.
Leaving middle of afternoon probably gets 90% or better of the people attending home by midnight…..not me though lol, I am further.

BTW..the event schedule says the swap meet closes at 2, not 4

I'll be going to this show for the first time, so I've got questions:

What is the best route from the St louis area? ( By "best" I don't mean fastest - maybe just the least confusing ? )

How close or far is the spectator parking from the swap meet area ?

Do they charge extra for parking ?

Are you allowed to drive in to pick up parts in the swap meet area ?

FM3 Marketing is still in charge of promoting the event. They have subcontracted Geoff McBryde to oversee the swap meet. Geoff and his parents have been heading up shows like the Rockingham and Metrolina/Charlotte show for probably 30 years. The previous two years, the swap meet spaces were basically marked off as you arrived. If you needed two spots, they would go and mark off two spots and that was how it was done. Geoff has actually had a civil engineer using Google earth go in and lay out the tentative rows and spaces based on structures and obstructions. Going forward, you will be "grand-fathered" in on your spaces if you choose to keep them. Moving it to the hillside will alleviate the flooded areas down near the river, which was a problem last year. Also, the swap meet will be right adjacent to the spectator parking area, which will be better in getting parts back to your car/truck. In regards to enforcing the rules about staying until the end of the event, I do not see that being enforced. Look at the Indy Cylinder Head show, it says that you have to stay through the last day. When it was a Saturday/Sunday event, by 2:00 PM on Saturday, vendors were already moving their goods out the doors to head home as they knew Sunday was a waste.

This will be the first year that the event has the chance to really make an impression. The first year was hampered with Covid restrictions. In 2021, it rained on Saturday morning and they called the event on Sunday morning due to the forecast of all day rains. This year, the weather looks great. They have added the Survivor display and a Off Road coarse for those who want to go 4 wheeling. There is still the drag racing and drifting events plus a swap meet. In talking to Geoff, the swap meet is like at 79 vendors where in 2021, there was 45. I am sure that the number is even greater now and probably double what the 2021 number was.

So hopefully those attending will have safe travels and enjoy the event. See you guys in Bowling Green. We will be under the large tent, right next to Ted Stephens and the AMD display.

Good to hear Geoff has become the swap meet guru, I decided not to vend due to the cluster last year. Still don't know what the problem was then, the Hot Rod Reunion swap has been going on for decades without issue, so there should not have been a problem with the Moparty swap but there certainly was! If everything looks good this year, then I might swap next year. The jury will be out on the location of the swap until after the show...

Interstate 64 East to Evansville then south is the route we take.
This is the route that we have taken the last 2 years.
A buddy that was going to the Hot Rod Reunion there suggested that route.

Mapquest link with directions.
STL To Beech Bend Raceway

St Louis
to Beech Bend Park (Beech Bend Camp Ground)

4 hr 30 min

282.2 miles

St Louis to Beech Bend Park (Beech Bend Camp Ground)


I deleted the first part of the directions it listed as they were just about downtown STL.

I figure you know how to cross the river and get into Illinois.



Take left ramp onto I-55 N/I-64 E (The Great River Rd) toward I-70 E/US-40 E/Chicago/Indianapolis. Go for 0.6 mi.

Take I-64 E

Take exit 29A toward IN-57 S/Evansville/Henderson Ky. onto I-69 S. Go for 13.8 mi.

Then 13.83 miles

Take exit 7A toward Lloyd Expwy. onto IN-66 E (E Lloyd Expy). Go for 22.0 mi.

Then 21.99 miles

Turn right onto N State Road 161 (IN-161) toward Owensboro. Go for 8.2 mi.

Then 8.23 miles

Continue on Jr Miller Blvd (KY-2262). Go for 0.7 mi.

Then 0.67 miles

Turn left onto E 4th St (KY-2155). Go for 0.3 mi.

Then 0.25 miles

Turn right onto Triplett St (KY-2155). Go for 1.3 mi.

Then 1.28 miles

Continue on New Hartford Rd (KY-2155). Go for 0.9 mi.

Then 0.91 miles

Keep right onto New Hartford Rd (KY-2155). Go for 0.9 mi.

Then 0.92 miles

Turn left and take ramp onto US-60 E/US-231 N (Wendell H Ford Expy) toward Hawesville. Go for 0.8 mi.

Then 0.77 miles

Take exit 17 toward Bowling Green onto I-165 S (William H Natcher Pkwy). Go for 65.2 mi.

Then 65.16 miles

Take exit 5 toward US-68/Bowling Green/Russellville. Go for 0.4 mi.

Then 0.37 miles

Turn left onto Russellville Rd (US-68). Go for 1.3 mi.

Then 1.29 miles

Continue on Russellville Rd (US-68-BR). Go for 1.5 mi.

Then 1.45 miles

Turn left onto University Blvd (US-68-BR). Go for 0.6 mi.

Then 0.61 miles

Continue on Kentucky St (US-68-BR). Go for 1.1 mi.

Then 1.13 miles

Continue on Adams St (US-68). Go for 0.5 mi.

Then 0.50 miles

Turn left onto Riverview Dr. Go for 0.4 mi.

Then 0.43 miles

Continue on Beech Bend Rd. Go for 1.4 mi.

Then 1.41 miles

Turn right onto Beech Bend Park Rd. Go for 0.6 mi.

Then 0.62 miles

Turn slightly left. Go for 463 ft.

Then 0.09 miles

Beech Bend Park (Beech Bend Camp Ground)

798 Beech Bend Park Rd, Bowling Green, KY 42101-7631

For those in the area or who have arrived by Thursday afternoon, there is a Mopar Car cruise at Martin CJDR in Bowling Green at 5:00. They say there will be food trucks there.

Thank you, sir !

For everyone coming for registration:

As you are pulling into Beech Bend, take the right fork in the road towards the campground and make your way to registration (the "Red Pavillion") near the campground parking lot. There, you will get your parking passes, wristbands, and information.

Made it here in one piece. My first long tow with my ‘21 Ram 2500 6.4 and I’m impressed. Most of the time on the highway I hardly knew that 24’ enclosed was there.
First fill up looks like I was getting about 11 mpg.
Who needs diesel?
The registration tent was busy, turnout is going to be good. I’m concerned about the show field, since they took out a sizable chunk for the new swap meet location, I have to wonder if they’ll have room for all the show cars?
We shall see tomorrow!

How’s the turnout, planning to head over tomorrow?

Lots of cars in the car show, drag racing and rally racing very well populated too.
The swap meet is a lot bigger than the last 2 years.
Don’t miss it!

Thanks, it's only a two hour drive from here and plan to lv early, plus I gain an hour on their time zone. Is the traffic bad in and out with the road closure?

I got there pretty early since I have a show car, traffic was not bad getting in but that was maybe 7:30.
I left shortly after 5 and very little traffic getting out.

Thanks. I will.be there when the track opens for spectators so hopefully I'll
beat the traffic in.

I'm at the Moparty all weekend. Made 3 runs today - I am in the True Street Class. I got my car into the high 11's today, which made me happy.

Looking forward to it.

We’re in the pits next to the staging lanes.

Made a pass in the Challenger today, there’s not much point in running more till I deal with the wheel hop problem.

Dan’s planning on running his Super Bee tomorrow.

Thank google maps too (or whatever that was cut and paste from

Great event, well organized. Has the feel of the MoPar Nats from the early to mid-80s. Hopefully it continues to grow, weather is usually nice in KY this time of year too.

Now we will bee patiently waiting for the thousands of pictures

The one event I have not been to yet

Most of the workers at the Moparty are actually Holley employees & retirees - something I think is cool. They were all very gracious, and kept thanking us for bringing our cars out to race and show off. Very cool to be treated that way by the event staff.
They gave me some healthy ribbing about having Fitech efi on my Cuda - but we were all laughing about it. The True street Class only had about 11 cars, and out of that 11, there were only 3 "old" cars - My Cuda, a really nice brown Dart, and a cool 80's/90's Red Dakota. The rest of the cars were newer Challengers and a 300C. I had fun racing everyone - and it was pretty laid back. My Cuda won the 12.0 mini bracket within the True street class, with an average ET of 12.1. My best ET during the weekend was 11.99. I just got this car together in May of 2022, so I am just having fun getting it sorted out, and re-educating myself on how to drag race, since it has been a long time for me. Here are a couple of random pics I took while the True street class was lined up in the staging lanes for one of our passes.

I had over 2000 images from the event. But for some reason there is a big gap in the middle of Saturdays show where none of the pictures recorded to my memory card. So there is still a ton of stuff, just the middle show stuff is gone.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/hemipwr70/collections/72157721080157701/

I didn't take very many pictures at the Holley Moparty.

Geoff Turk let me sit in the Blackbird Challenger and fire it up.
That was awesome.
He's such a great and nice guy when you talk to him.
The video of me in the car starting it up (on youtube)



Got a pic of Paul Rossi and his Challenger too.

Here’s my pictures of the car show part of the event.
I have a ton of photo editing and organizing to do of my racing and exhibitions to do before I get an album of that together.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/111914442@N04/albums/72177720302231112

Cut in paste that link to see, Moparts won’t make most of my links live anymore (they always were for about 16 years, but not for the last year or so)
Or my work around for this site not liking my Flickr links, is my links to other Mopar sites work, so here is a link to another site I posted on.

https://forum.e-bodies.org/general-topics/7/moparty-pictures/26468/

Here is Holley’s coverage of the event. I never made it to the off road event, wish I had been able to.

https://www.holley.com/blog/post/20...ay_motors_full_coverage_from_the_event/?

I just did their survey, they had a section that asked if there’s anything you want to share. I said this show is going to put the nats out of business!

This is our third year of vending at the event. The first year was hampered with Covid and year two saw rain on Saturday morning and all of Sunday. This year, the weather was great and the show just continues to grow. I have to think that the car show has doubled in size and I know that the swap meet has doubled in size since last year. Although the grounds has some elevation issues with the rolling hills, but Carlisle has similar areas in the swap meet area. You do not have all of the dust and ditches and mounds of asphalt renderings as you do with Columbus.

For a car enthusiast, there is so much to see in one area. An organized cruise event, evening activities, drag racing, rally racing, burnout contest, show car area, four wheel drive course and a swap meet along with a theme park and camping grounds right on the venue. I do not know of any other show that packs so much into an event. The LS Fest and Ford Fest is much larger than the Mopar event, but they have been going on for a number of years. If the momentum can continue for this Mopar event, it will seriously put a hurting onto The Nationals as held in Columbus as mentioned above. There is no reason that the event cannot double in size for next year. The only problem will be in where to put everything.

From my perspective, the show field was scattered randomly across the facility. I imagine that with a truly judged show field, then something will have to be done to put like cars together and keep another area open for clubs and groups so that they can be together as well.

There was an actual survey that was handed out and collected from those who registered for the swap meet. There was plenty of people to direct and assist you in getting to the correct area.

I would have to say, without any previous standards, the quality of the vehicles registered for the event was better than the Nats. You saw everything form rat rods to highly detailed restorations from the cars of the 50s to those of the late 70s. There was a number of restored pickup trucks and one semi. I believe that there was more wing cars at the show than at the Nats as well. For those following the drag racers, everything from Pro Mods, Super Stock Hemi's to street classes were running. And the rally cars were running all through the weekend and there was probably ten or more of them running.

All in all, it was a very good event. Some things need to be worked on as for as the registration process and the ease of purchasing a ticket. I know several members of the FM3 group and the Holley effort. There was a scheduled call today at 10 this morning to review some of the concerns whether good or bad. I know that the President of Holley is all in for this event and is not afraid to get involved to make it happen. It is good to know that this event has the potential to become a marquee event if the support continues and we can all move forward and support it with our attendance. With that said, hope to see more of you guys and girls there in 2023!!!!

Thank you to everyone who came out to Holley MoParty 2022! It's been great to see this show grow and I can safely say that Saturday the show was larger than it has ever been, period. The broad mix of cars, the excellent action...all of the thanks is owed to you. Please continue to send in those surveys and any opinions you have on the show.

Be sure to check out the coverage on MotorLife: 2022 Holley MoParty Presented By eBay Motors: Full Coverage From The Event. Burnout Comp photos are now live and we are compiling the results, those will be live shortly.

See you next year!

The Moparty was a blast and will be one of my yearly shows to attend from now on. Lots to do and see and it exceeded all my expectations. It was a pleasure to meet you in person Remy. Next year I'll try to chat with you more. I got our car photographed by Holley for a write up and Street Muscle magazine did a photo shoot and video for their blog also. I did win the best interior award, just bragging a little bit now. The quality of cars and people was fantastic. Keep up the great work and Beech Bend Park is the perfect venue.

That’s me talking to the driver of the white Charger in your first pic. He’s won money the two previous years in TS, I won some the first year.

Dennis

Dennis - thats cool. We had a great time, and met some nice people. We will be going back again next year!

I just saw the results, he won the 15 sec class this year. A little sandbagging but whatever works…lol

Dennis

There were only 11 cars in the True Street Class, so you could kind of figure out how to win $100 if you you were willing to slow your car down! $100 is $100!!!!

Is Turk still running Holley? I thought I saw somewhere he didnt work there anymore, which would be unfortunate - all their 3rd gen swap parts and this event are all his doing.

That’s what we all did the first year, there were only 6 or 7 of us.

Don went 13.4 his first run then slowed it down to win the 15.00 index…lol

I wish they would cruise again, I don’t line the staging lane idle.

Dennis

Yes - we would have preferred to take the cruise as well. It is kind of funny that most of the cars in the class are"newer" cars that would have no problem idling for 10 or 15 minutes in the lanes.
We took my Cuda on Rocky Mountain Race week in June this year, and it made the whole trip just fine pulling a small trailer through the Rockies.

There is even a fat guy riding a bike at 1:50...LOL

That's me in the black 71 Barracuda. I won the best interior award and had a blast. Thank you Holley for a great event.

Unreal how nice some of those cars are. Looks like a great event.