Every year the Hot Rod Power Tour kicks off where it finished up the previous year. So this year Hot Rod staff and a few thousand of their best friends gathered at ZMax Dragway in Concord, NC, to get the party started once again.

The tour will eventually wind up next Saturday in Wisconsin Dells, Wisc., where everyone will say their goodbyes and head to their own homes. But this year’s event marks the biggest Power Tour ever in its 20-year history. Still, it’s hard to imagine anything topping all the goings-on in Concord. The ZMax Dragway facility is enormous, so there was plenty of room to spread out with lots of vendors displaying their wares, cars on display, Autocrossing and drag racing. We had a great time and brought home tons of images from the day’s events. Below are some of our best shots from teh first day of Hot Rod Magazine’s 20th Power Tour.