The Steel In Motion car and truck show has grown in popularity and draws participants from all up and down the East Coast, and points west of the Mississippi River. I don’t believe the members of the Geargoyles Car Club had any idea that this event would be what it is today when it started out as a small gathering at the club’s home base in Inman, South Carolina. When it started to overflow the parking lot where it was held in Inman, the club moved it to Shady Side Dragway in, Boiling Springs, South Carolina. Word got out and the show began to grow. I think one of the events that helped it grow at that time was the grudge drag racing. Instead of using the lights to send the cars down the strip, flag girls were used to send the cars off and you could challenge your friends to a race.

I am not sure what happened, but about ten years ago the club had to find a new place to have the show. So a deal was worked out with Union County Drag Strip in Union, South Carolina. Making this move would give the show plenty of room to grow, and grow it did. This year’s show featured about 500 cars, lots of vendors, and lots of spectators through the gate. The first day of the show was Friday, but many vendors and participants started showing up on Thursday afternoon to claim a spot and set up for the weekend.

There is a lot going on during this two-day event. First of all, the show is open to all types of on-site camping. This included folks camping in tents, to high-dollar camping rigs. Next, was the swap meet area, which seems to grow bigger every year. There was a lot for sale including, car parts, gas station signs, tires and wheels of all types, complete cars and trucks, along with all types and bicycles and motorcycles. On the main road through the show, you would find pin strippers, folks selling all types of t-shirts, photo art, and of course lots of food.

Another area of the show was set aside for the vintage trailer village. The hobby of restoring vintage trailers seems to get more popular every year. Some of those trailers are really fancy. The show field was packed with a variety of vehicles from every era of the automobile. There were Fords, Chevys, GMC, Studebakers, Jeeps, Dodges, and Plymouths.

There were lots of activities that took place during the two-day event. There was a band called River of Deceit that played on Friday, and Jared Petty & the Headliners played on Saturday. Jared Petty & the Headliners were really good and put on a great show. Of course, the ever-popular grudge drag racing with the flag girls drew a crowd.

The Geargoyles, brought in six alcohol Funny Cars that put on a great show. They were doing the quarter mile in the 150 MPH range. They were a real crowd-pleaser. The main activity that the showgoers were looking forward to was the Miss Steel In Motion pinup contest. This year twenty ladies of all types participated in the contest. After a couple of rounds, three ladies were chosen as the finalist. They had one more round of questions for a winner to be picked. After the pinup contest, it was time to hand out trophies. The trophies for the show were homemade out of car parts and they were highly sought after by the participants.

This one is show you shouldn’t miss. I am sure by the time you read this, the Geargoyle club members are outlining plans for the 2024 edition of the show. Keep checking the Geargoyles website to get the dates and mark your calendar and make your plans to be at this great event.