Sounds about right poorboy, we were just standing around the hotel parking lot watching the cars when the cops came with the riot gear and dogs we ran for the hotel but the entrances were locked , some guy opened a door and we ran in as my friend was half way thru the door a dog bit him on the leg, he didn't do anything or say anything, when we got to our room his leg was bleeding so we went to the front desk to call for medical assistance , after a long wait the police showed up , we thought they were taking him to the hospital , we were told we couldn't go with him , what we didn't know was that he was arrested , when we tried to get information we couldn't , we even drove to the jail he was in and couldn't see him, eventually he was released on Monday ( we were supposed to be home by then ) for his court appearance , he was found guilty for doing nothing wrong and was fined luckily we managed to get enough money together for his fine .. barely! he was scared to death and crying he wasn't even 20 years old then. talk about a conspiracy ! if that would have happened today I am sure a law suit would be filed against the police. I heard another guy telling a story : a rep for a performance part manufacturer was driving back to his hotel and was torn from his truck and arrested and thrown on a bus and the officer driving the bus said " if it was up to me I would take you all out to a field and shoot you " true story ! Wow !! I went back to Indy in 2005 with my wife for a Mopar race at the famed drag strip and managed to come home unscathed but I cringed just entering the Indy city limits !

You know, a couple things strike me about the pictures of the SMN: The crowd was much, much younger than what you see today at a car event unless attending a sport compact -type event. And the cars...they are typically 10-15 years old. That's like a 2008-2013 model today. But when those cars from the 2000's show up at an event today, the gray hairs can be heard to complain that they didn't come to see cars that "belong on a used car lot". Much has changed, and not so sure that it's for the better.
I still go to show. cruise and race events and I generally have a good time, but man, it used to be so much more fun.
That's me standing through the sunroof of my new 024.

I feel the same way. Lots of great memories.

Back in 2007, I bought a 74 Cuda from Ken Mosier (R.I.P.) that had been a custom show car back in the late 70's - early 80's. It had Street Machine Nationals stickers on the windows, so it had been to several of those shows. Black with a pearl white stripe, black top and interior. Ken told me it had belonged to a perv dude who went to prison for being Chester the Molester. It was a local car to Indy, so it was probably at those shows. I sold it a few years ago because I knew I wasn't gonna get to it for a long time, and word on the street is it got the Pro Touring treatment.