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For 55 years now, Colorado’s Bandimere Speedway has played host to some of the biggest drag races and events in the industry. From the Mile High Nationals to the Super Chevy Show, if you’re looking for amazing times and even more amazing cars, any given weekend at Bandimere will not disappoint.
Last weekend, Bandimere played host to a lesser known show across the country, while Denver area car fans know it very well. After all, it’s only one of the biggest car show events put on by a local radio station in the entire country. And with that, we wouldn’t think about missing the 9th Annual KBPI Rock ‘N’ Roll car show.
The Back Story
For nine years, the KBPI car show has been a premiere event for the automotive community of Colorado’s front range.
Started out as a tiny get-together in a local bar’s parking lot, the show has grow by leaps and bounds, outstretching its meager beginnings and ending up at Colorado’s legendary Bandimere Speedway.
As the title alludes, the show is put on by Denver’s rock radio station of choice, 106.7 FM KBPI. Station front-man and avid automotive guru Willie B. first headed the show back but has since gained more support and input from the KBPI family, as well as the automotive community, over the last 9 years than he could ever ask for. Of course, if it has to do with crazy cool cars, Willie B will get it done no matter what the difficulty.
Bring On the Masses
Having experienced the Rock ‘N’ Roll car show a few times in the past, twice at the old Dave & Buster’s location, and once at Bandimere Speedway, we walked through the gates knowing what to expect. Or at least that’s what we thought.
Upon arrival mid morning, lines of people could be found waiting anxiously to buy tickets at the front gate, while dozens of vehicle owners sat in lines in the South parking lot waiting to gain access to their parking spots of choice in the speedway’s pit areas for a long day of fun. Right away, we knew we had stepped into the arena of a very different show than from just a couple years past.
With the gates open to the public at 9a.m. sharp, the upper lots of Bandimere Speedway were filled with throngs of people within minutes.
Many were there to browse the hundreds of cars the show bragged to offer, which were in a constant state of hubub at the time as owners parked, preened and pampered their rides, while others were there to watch the live-action races, burnout competitions and car demolition demonstrations.
With more things to see and do than ever before, it was anyone’s guess as to the best place to start the day.
Cars on Parade
Within the first few minutes of entering the show, we already had a list a mile long of vehicles we would’ve liked to have taken home. While some of these rides we admired were actually for sale, most were there not for promotional purposes but rather because of their owner’s idea of fun. Among them, we saw Tom Ulrich’s gorgeous 1968 Le Mans, which we featured from the KBPI Open Track Day event, as well as Brandon Pursley’s black and blue third-gen Camaro and Muff Davis’ 1985 GTP Corvette, both of which we featured in our Goodguys Colorado Nationals All American Sunday coverage from this year.
Truly appealing to the muscle car enthusiast, the show featured mostly American rides from vintage classics to modern muscle; Mopars, Pontiacs, Fords, Chevys, Oldsmobiles, Buicks and even the occasional AMC all coming together for a spectacular array of every shade of red, white and blue.
While muscle cars certainly stole the show, we also found countless hot rods from the Deuce variety to the classic Tri Five. Trucks were also welcomed, in both lifted and sport/lowered categories, as well as tuners, and motorcycles.
With seven classes total and every vehicle eligible for a place on their class’s winners podium, the competition couldn’t have gotten any hotter.
Our Top Five
Now we definitely could have taken just about every vehicle home and been happy with our acquisition, but we scoped out five fabulous vehicles that we felt worthy of a little extra recognition. Trust us, the choice was difficult and came down to the last few minutes of the show, but we finally decided on the following cars to feature.
Pick #1 Brett Watson’s 1960 Pontiac Catalina
We all know that the Pontiac brand is now dead and gone, but looking at Brett Watson’s 1960 Pontiac Catalina, you’d never know that the brand had lost its luster some 50 years after this amazing car was produced.
Treated to a stock rebuild and restoration, the Catalina features its standard 389ci engine, automatic transmission, factory dog dish wheels and stock suspension. Straight out of the early 60s, this car couldn’t get more pristine sitting atop white wall cheater slicks tempting anyone to question its authenticity.
And just to be straight, even the interior is factory correct- in fact, its all completely original to the car and in immaculate shape.
Now if you’re thinking to yourself that you’ve heard Brett’s name before, it’s because his 1960 El Camino made our Top Ten from the Goodguys Colorado Nationals earlier this year.
Pick #2 Dana Sorensen’s 1967 Dodge Charger
Being in the car world, you learn really fast what the most desirable years of certain cars are for most enthusiasts. For the Dodge Charger, it was the 1968 and newer models, mostly between the first year of the second generation and the early years of the third (1971) that really took its place atop the model hierarchy. In turn, you see a lot of the later B-body Chargers.
Sporting the iconic Fratzog emblem, this Charger honors the only two model years that ever sported the classic Dodge insignia, the 1966 and the 1967 Chargers.
The bucket seat interior with center console was also more pristinely worked than factory original, finished in a bright white and black color scheme.
Adding injury to insult, the Charger also featured an automatic transmission, power steering, a new white vinyl top and even air conditioning.
Sitting atop burly BF Goodrich Radial T/As and still sporting its unique Fratzog emblem on the trunk and chrome trim, there was no passing this baby up for our top five.
Pick #3 Tino Chavez’s 1967 Buick Riviera
The classic Buick Riviera is one of those cars you either love or love to hate. In this case, we just couldn’t help but fall in love with Tino Chavez’s 1967 hardtop model.
Painted satin black with some epic hot rod pinstriping, this unique car features everything an enthusiast with a cruise-it-and-go attitude could want. The low-profile stance comes compliments of an air ride suspension system while the sleeker than factory body lines are prominent thanks to the reworked doors and trunk.
Under the hood, you’ll find Buick’s beast of an engine in the form of a 430ci 4-barrell V8, also finished with satin black touches and pinstriping details.
Inside, the car matches the exterior with black seats, dash and carpeting. The seats are complimented with red piping while the black door panels also feature a splash of red.
After being diagnosed with cancer in 2005, Chavez had all but put his car on the back burner. Lucky for him, the guys down at Krazy Kustoms took on the Buick and finished the build of the car.
Eight years later, Chavez is still enjoying his car and the shows that he takes it to while his wife “Chief,” who the keys to the car were initially given to after the build, enjoys avoiding the attention the car brings, Chavez told us.
Pick #4 Jesus M. Amparán’s 1971 Dodge Demon 340
With the show chalk-full of awesome rare rides, we were lucky enough to run across another mighty Mopar, this time in the form of Jesus Amparán’s 1971 Dodge Demon 340.
A rarity in itself, this Demon went beyond its factory counterparts with a full 5-year restoration. Purchased in 1979, this was Amparán’s first muscle car and has stayed in the family’s garage ever since.
Under the hood, you’ll find the car’s numbers-matching 340cui V8 that has been bored .040, balanced and blueprinted in Jesus’ care. The car also features its original 750cfm carburetor, heavy duty D 32-coded 727 Torqueflite transmission, stock suspension, brakes, and wheels, and a 8 ¾ rearend with 3.23 gears. Out of the back of the car pokes a 2 ½-inch Flowmaster equipped exhaust.
Inside, the Demon is just as clean, sporting a basic black interior to compliment the B5 Blue exterior paint scheme. A rare find in a sea of American muscle, this vintage Demon tops our list of must-have-cars.
Pick #5 Glen Salzman’s 1969 Pontiac Firebird
No car show would be complete without a first-generation Firebird in the mix and we found a gorgeous specimen of one in Glen Salzman’s 1969. But this isn’t just any bird, it’s a family heirloom, having first been owned by Salzman’s aunt and then purchased by him in 1979.
Dawned in Huger Orange paint with Gold Pearl and Gold Flake added in, this last first-gen bird was an instant attention grabber the minute we saw it. After getting past the amazing paint scheme, we were drawn in again, this time by the 400ci engine under the hood, which has been bored 40 over and equipped with 1966 Tri Power.
Pushing the F-body’s power to the pavement is a Turbo 400 transmission attached to a 3.36 gear-equipped GM rearend, complimenting the car’s stock poly bushing front suspension.
Disk brakes in the front and drum brakes in the rear take car of the car’s stopping needs, while American Racing Wheels of the 1980s slotted variety keep plenty of BF Goodrich Radial T/A rubber firmly planted to the ground.
Interesting Extras
While the car show was the main attraction at the KBPI event, the ever-popular Grudge Runs were brought back this year where for just $3, show participants could race their vehicles to the end of the quarter mile drag strip- the intent being to prove their vehicle better than their opponent’s.
Another show feature was the annual burnout competition, where show cars get their wheels roasted all in the name of some good smoky fun, with the thousands of spectators determining the winner of each round with their applause.
We also saw a crushed car, which posed as a prop for the “guess that car” challenge, as well as a well-beaten Ford Explorer that you could take any pent up anger out on with a sledge hammer.
The show also offered a special kid’s zone, vendor area, stage with live bands, and your typical track-side eats.
While the focus of the KBPI event was the car show, there was plenty of on-track action as countless car owners took to the strip for $3 grudge runs all day long. And if drag racing wasn't enough, there was also the annual burnout competition to enjoy. When all was said and done, it was the 40s hot rod that won over the crowd. 
All in all, we had an amazing time at the KBPI Rock ’N’ Roll Car Show and have the sunburns to prove it! We can’t wait to see what next year’s 10th anniversary event brings!
For more from the KBPI Rock ‘N’ Roll Car Show, check out the gallery below!
