Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 17 hours ago
We went all-in for King of the Open Road 2025 (KOTOR)! Last year was our first time running this epic 3-day event with Paige’s freshly purchased 1964 Chevy Chevelle—we had owned it for only 3 weeks before race day.
Fast forward to this year: Paige brought back the Chevelle, now much improved and MegaWeek-tested, ready for anything. But this time, she had to drive solo—because in a wild last-minute 3-week thrash, we finished putting together my 1965 Chevy Nova Wagon just in time to hit the road.
Here’s the kicker—my Nova Wagon had less than 10 miles of road testing before we set out for the 200+ mile drive portion of KOTOR. The Chevelle? We knew it would make it. The Nova Wagon? Anytime you throw a car together in a hurry, you never know what’s going to happen—especially after it’s been sitting for years and had this many major changes:
✨✨ Major Changes to the 1965 Nova Wagon ✨✨
✔ Mustang II front clip (2nd-hand marketplace score)
✔ 327ci Small Block Chevy with 700R4 transmission
✔ Subframe connectors for added rigidity
✔ Split monoleafs with CalTracs traction bars
✔ Fully custom wiring harness (all the factory wiring removed)
Basically, anything connected to any of those upgrades has been touched since this car last saw pavement. So yeah… calling this a maiden voyage is an understatement. And yes—my wife and I did all the work ourselves. Let’s just say, I’m still wondering what I forgot to tighten!
📍 Check out King of the Open Road on Facebook—it’s one of the most fun grassroots drag and drive racing events out there.
📹 Special thanks to @bradfabgarage3706 for capturing some great footage of this year’s action since the wife and I were both behind the wheel.
Be sure to check out BradFabs video on the event as well, it's good stuff!
youtube.com/watch?v=diQE8MoLa4I
💬 Drop a comment: Who’s your pick to win? Husband vs Wife. Nova Wagon vs Chevelle. 327ci vs 355ci. Who’s taking home bragging rights?
#KingOfTheOpenRoad #ChevyNova #Chevelle #HotRod #DragAndDrive #StreetCar #CarBuild #ClassicCars #DragRacing #NovaWagon #ChevelleLife #StreetMachine #MuscleCar #RaceCar #Gearhead
We went all-in for King of the Open Road 2025 (KOTOR)! Last year was our first time running this epic 3-day event with Paige’s freshly purchased 1964 Chevy Chevelle—we had owned it for only 3 weeks before race day.
Fast forward to this year: Paige brought back the Chevelle, now much improved and MegaWeek-tested, ready for anything. But this time, she had to drive solo—because in a wild last-minute 3-week thrash, we finished putting together my 1965 Chevy Nova Wagon just in time to hit the road.
Here’s the kicker—my Nova Wagon had less than 10 miles of road testing before we set out for the 200+ mile drive portion of KOTOR. The Chevelle? We knew it would make it. The Nova Wagon? Anytime you throw a car together in a hurry, you never know what’s going to happen—especially after it’s been sitting for years and had this many major changes:
✨✨ Major Changes to the 1965 Nova Wagon ✨✨
✔ Mustang II front clip (2nd-hand marketplace score)
✔ 327ci Small Block Chevy with 700R4 transmission
✔ Subframe connectors for added rigidity
✔ Split monoleafs with CalTracs traction bars
✔ Fully custom wiring harness (all the factory wiring removed)
Basically, anything connected to any of those upgrades has been touched since this car last saw pavement. So yeah… calling this a maiden voyage is an understatement. And yes—my wife and I did all the work ourselves. Let’s just say, I’m still wondering what I forgot to tighten!
📍 Check out King of the Open Road on Facebook—it’s one of the most fun grassroots drag and drive racing events out there.
📹 Special thanks to @bradfabgarage3706 for capturing some great footage of this year’s action since the wife and I were both behind the wheel.
Be sure to check out BradFabs video on the event as well, it's good stuff!
youtube.com/watch?v=diQE8MoLa4I
💬 Drop a comment: Who’s your pick to win? Husband vs Wife. Nova Wagon vs Chevelle. 327ci vs 355ci. Who’s taking home bragging rights?
#KingOfTheOpenRoad #ChevyNova #Chevelle #HotRod #DragAndDrive #StreetCar #CarBuild #ClassicCars #DragRacing #NovaWagon #ChevelleLife #StreetMachine #MuscleCar #RaceCar #Gearhead
