Charlotte

Evolution comes to North Carolina when the 2004 LRM Tour steps into the Tarheel State.

Finally some nice weather for the 2004 Lowrider Magazine Evolution Tour Tarheel State show in Charlotte, North Carolina! The Lowrider Events crew decided to move the show to later in the season and with this came the weather that we had all hoped for. The normal cold and dreary weather gave way to a relatively warm and partly sunny day. One of our sponsors, Quaker State, had a raffle for a jacket that we're sure would have normally come in handy for this show during its normal time of year, but this show had the blessings of the weather gods on this particular weekend.

Big-time sponsorship from Quaker State, Nitto Tires, the U.S. Army, Exide Batteries, CCE Hydraulics, Player Wire Wheels and Limited Alloy Wheels made it happen. Charlotte also happened to be the place to be on this particular weekend with a lot of race fans flocking to the state for the big NASCAR event going on the following week. With 5,000 spectators and more than 300 cars, the Eastern seaboard showed its love and support for lowriding.

The parties started on Saturday night at the hotels and spilled into Sunday where it was another Charlotte show with the majority of the cars rolling in on Sunday morning. The South has its own style, even with the lowrider thing, and nowhere is it more evident than in Charlotte with big wheels and Vogue tires being in vogue. Officer Phil Brooks from Ohio had his '69 Chevy Impala convertible decked out with all of the accouterments. There was also a Chevy Tahoe in Charlotte that had jaws dropping with plasma screens fiberglassed into the doors and dash, and what seemed to be a 30-inch screen in the rear dropped on airbags.

The line outside the Charlotte Metrolina Expo Center formed early with the spectators flooding in at 11 a.m. to check out cars, vendors, the Hop and, of course, the entertainment, which featured the Ying Yang Twins. As usual, the Twins ripped up their set and had the crowd yelling from the window to the wall. Right after that, the Bikini Contest went off as most do with some hot ladies shaking for cash, and in the end the crowd let it be known who they thought was the hottest of the afternoon.

Speaking of the hottest, Toyo Rosas claimed the top Sweepstakes prize for Best Car with his '64 Impala. Johnny Curtis won the Truck Sweeps with his '80 GMC Jimmy. Jose Moreno was one of the few who entered a vintage vehicle and he drove home in his '50 Ford pickup with the Bomb Truck trophy.One of the things that we as staffers at Lowrider love to see is how different the lowrider styles are all over the country and we have come to appreciate each one of them for their uniqueness. Cali may be the "mecca" of lowriding, but other parts of the country have stepped up their game and it's a great thing to see how in the end it's all about the cars and the lifestyle.

Best Truck
FirstJohnny Curtis, '80 GMC Jimmy
SecondEddie Buerger, '92 Chevy S-10
ThirdJason Nestlerode, 2001 Ford F-150

Best Traditional Lowrider
FirstLuis Aviles, '69 Chevy Impala
SecondMatt Murray, '64 Chevy Impala
ThirdMark Frazier, '64 Chevy Impala

Best Custom Compact
FirstCarlos Soto, '82 Toyota Corolla
SecondMegan Cohen, 2004 Nissan 240SX
ThirdAllison Fulmer, '93 Honda Accord

Best Bicycle
FirstJuan Carlos Zamudio
SecondMark Alonso
ThirdManuel Leija

Best Trike
FirstRandy Rampass
SecondLee Jones
ThirdBengie Garza