Dallas

Doin' up a Legends Tour stop Texas-style.

By Marco A. Patiño

The first of three Texas stops on Lowrider Magazine's 2003 Legends Tour went cruised into the South West with the gusto of a Texas twister. Sponsored by Quaker State, Nitto Tires, Black Magic, Player Wire Wheels, Exide Orbital Batteries, CCE Hydraulics and Limited Alloy Wheels, the place to be this past May was the Dallas Fair Park, just east of downtown Dallas off of Highway 30. As we descended upon the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the buzz was growing as local radio stations pumped out the news that Go-Lo Entertainment and the LRM crew were in town to host the big event.

Hundreds of cars, trucks, bikes, bombs, Euros and LUVs streamed into the fairgrounds where two of the larger halls were filled to the walls with some of the Southwest's best rides. So what do you want to talk about first? The cars? Or how about some of those cool Texas trucks? Or rather, we can mention how there were quite a few LUVs there, with big fancy wheels and ear-popping, jaw-dropping sound systems?

But since this is LRM, we should address the lowrider crowd first. Speaking of firsts, how about Felipe Aguilar's candy blue '61 Chevy Impala, which placed First in the Traditional Lowrider Sweepstakes class? This car had it all that day--paint, lots of chrome inside and out, detailed undercarriage and a hydro setup that was capable of doing three-wheel stands at a few flicks of the switch. Coming in Second was fellow Majestix C.C. member Mando Reyes in his dark blue '64 Impala ragtop. Mando was featured earlier this year in LRM, his second feature since we first met up with him in the late '90s. Coming in Third was Richard Barboza of Rollerz Only C.C. with his '62 Impala.

For those of you who are into more "vintage" iron, well, we had something for you as well. Let's just say that these rides are "the bomb." Yes indeed, classic in style and tastefully contemporary to say the least, these "granddads" of the lowrider movida even had the youngsters drooling. The hometown was well represented with Rosie and Frank Requena's illustrious '48 Chevy Fleetline known as "Outer Limits." For those of you who haven't experienced the car in person, with its wild paint scheme and body mods, well, just make it a point to check out this ride that's out of this world. Next up we have from 1st Impressions C.C., Stacy Stewart's brightly painted, candy orange '39 Chevy "convertible" called "Chopped, Slick & Wicked," while a '37 Chevy bomb from Rollerz Only took Third Place.

For those of you who are curious as to what went down in the Bomb Truck category, here's the lowdown. Marqarito Patino's hot as a chili pepper '59 GMC truck, "El Jalapeno," took home a check for $1,000 and a big trophy for the Bomb Truck Sweepstakes slot. Frank and Rosie took Second Place for their entry, while Ernest Padilla of 1st Impressions took home Third with his '50 Chevy. While we're on the subject of trucks, how about those Truck Sweepstakes winners, such as the happy Carl Anderson. He's happy because he scored 178 points with his pride and joy, a '94 Chevy pickup truck detailed to the maximum. Big Rey Pineda rolled out his '90 GMC full-size truck, "Raisin Hell," which took Second with 172 points while Gilbert Arredondo scored 162 points for his clean '65 Chevy pick 'em up truck.

Walking around the venue, which is "home" to many an event throughout the calendar year, one can see how the facility can be a plus, what with indoor air-conditioning that comes in real handy when you bring in millions of dollars worth of lowriders. Looking at all of the grandeur presented on these vehicles, one can imagine the long hours that have been spent building these fantastic machines. What a perfect segue to our next category, Car Sweepstakes, where Alexandro Vega lead the pack with his '79 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, "Orgullo Mexicano," featuring vibrant paint and crazy modifications. The California "kid" is ready to do battle in his journey towards the 2003 LRM Las Vegas Super Show to be held in early October. The next heavy hitter in the category was Ramiro Bautista of Latin Image C.C. with his '82 Pontiac Gran Prix, while Joe Rivera's '86 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme from Latin Kustoms C.C. came in Third.

Then there were the more contemporary customs, the Euros/Sports Car Sweepstakes winners who are the future of the sport. Dwayne Collins had a sweet spot in hall number one right in front of a busy concessions stand for his brightly painted Nissan Maxima, "1 Bad Max." Next up we had Blue Garnica and his amazing '89 Chrysler LeBaron all done up in candies and chrome. As for Third Place, it was Oscar Gutierrez' '95 Honda Accord finishing off the top three in Dallas that weekend.

As for the bicycle crowd, we had several hot two-wheel wonders, like Isidro Juarez' "Prophecy 3" from Rollerz Only, and then there was Rudy Castro of Latin Dreams with his "Dragon of Money" bike. Carlos Gomez' "Da Most Hated" from Firme Bike Club came in Third. Last but not least, it was Jesse Pardo from Rollerz Only who took home Best Trike with his "All Rolled Up" entry while Alex Mora took Second Place with his tricked-out trike.

For those of you looking for a little entertainment, how about Ms. Lisa Lisa doing her thing, or Lil' Rob throwing down a for hip-hop raps for some flavor? Those in need of a chuckle had good old KJ of Cali Swangin' rolling through his comedy routine with the skill of a surgeon. Then it was time for Doug E. Fresh to rock the house with the original "beat box" style that made him famous in the old school hip-hop arena. Ah, then there was the spectacle of flesh with both Bikini and Macho Man contests. Both men and women were gyrating to the DJ's every groove for a chance to get some quick cash for their efforts.

Well, there you go, people. Dallas provided lots of fun times for the folks who got a chance to see the Legends Tour first hand and a glimpse of what we may see at both the Houston and San Antonio stops yet to come. We hope to see you Lone Star State lowriders at both future Texas events. Adios!