More than 50 cars, manufactured before 1959, and drivers from Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and beyond will start to assemble at 9 a.m. in the parking lot across the street from Racing's North Turn Restaurant, 4511 S. Atlantic Ave. and will be there for viewing until the parade begins at 1 p.m. and proceeds south on Atlantic Ave. for 2.1 miles until it reaches what is known as the South Turn, where it takes to the beach northward for another 2.1 miles where it ends at the North Turn Restaurant parking lot. Most of the drivers will converge to the restaurant for a meet and greet session following the eventful experience. Several dignitaries will be on hand and racing historian Buz McKim will be on hand for a racing history lesson as well as interviews.

All of the drivers are excited about driving on the same grounds as many of the pioneers of racing did in the 40's and 50's. Bill Blair, Jr will be on hand to look over the course where his father, Bill Blair, powered a Oldsmobile up the beach and down Atlantic Ave and into the south and north turns winning the 1953 event. Margaret Turner Wright comes to tears when she sees a restored car her father, the famed Curtis Turner, drove in the 50's and June Vogt Wendt is expected to walk the grounds where her father, Red Vogt brought cars for such name drivers as Red Byron.

"Lord, my husband will turn over in his grave when he finds out that I'll be riding in the parade in a '55 Chevrolet", says Nina Cox, the widow of famed car builder/owner, Marion "Preacher" Cox who won the "Flying Mile" race against the clock event many times before converting over to the beach/road course. Nina added, "Many times, Marion and I would walk the beach after all the racing activity was over, and we would sit on the dunes for hours into darkness. Those were the good old days. I never rode in any of his race cars down here, but in 1955, he entered my personal car, which was a '55 Chevrolet, in the Southern 500 at Darlington and we drove it to and from the track. That was the only non-Ford vehicle we ever owned and the day after the race, he went to the dealership and traded it for a Ford. I am just so excited about being down there for all of this."

Can't you picture Cox going to a dealership explaining that the car was only driven to the grocery store and to church on Sunday, but it also ran against cars driven by Buck Baker, Speedy Thompson, Curtis Turner and a few others in the Southern 500 at Darlington.

Nina will be riding shotgun with former driver/promoter/businessman, Ronnie Rohn, who was in the parade last year.

The co-chairman of the U. S. Congressional Automotive Performance Caucus and Congressional Motor Caucus as well as former driver/promoter turned politician, U. S. Congressman Bill Posey will take his first trip around the course while driving a race car. "I watched many races on the 'beach' as a youngster and attended events at DIR several times, but this is going to be a first for me", Posey said. He competed in many short-track events as well and was a track promoter. Later in his racing career, he competed in the early model modified events around the state.

Another former motor sports writer/driver/promoter turned businessman who will make his first trip down S. Atlantic Ave. and onto the beach as a driver is former Charlotte Motor Speedway president Howard "Humpy" Wheeler. He, as well as all the drivers will be hashing out stories for hours after the parade.

The event is a joint venture with Volusia County, the Town of Ponce Inlet and Racing's North Turn Restaurant and is being organized by Walt and Rhonda Glasnak and Bob Coolidge.

Tow vehicles, trailers and haulers should be parked in the Ponce Inlet Town Hall parking lot on the west side of 4300 S. Atlantic Ave. Parade cars can be driven south on S. Atlantic to the staging area.

Spectator parking will be permitted at the corner of Toronita and Atlantic Ave as well as Winter Haven Park, 4589 S. Atlantic Ave. Free shuttles will be running continuously from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. There is no cost for the event.

For more information, contact Coolidge at 386-956-3465 or Glasnak at 386-322-3258, or you make email them at hrlparade@aol.com .

Nina Cox will be riding shotgun with driver/car owner Ronnie Rohn in the car pictured here.