An exciting four-day extravaganza of automotive excellence rocked the Fall AutoFair on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, as a breathtaking, red 1969 Chevrolet Camaro owned by Mount Holly, North Carolina, native Dan Herzberg claimed Best of Show honors over a field comprised of classic and modern cars spanning multiple generations.

Herzberg bought the car five years ago in Georgia and restored it from its original green paint to an eye-catching shade of red that perfectly matches its impressive frame.

"There's some really, really nice cars here and I'm thrilled to win. I'm shocked," said Herzberg, a longtime AutoFair attendee whose Best of Show honor was his first. "I pulled the car out of a pine tree thicket in Georgia. It was absolutely nasty and in horrible shape. I wanted something that I could restore and have to my liking. This is how it turned out. It's fun to drive. It's a new car but it's in an old shell."

A panel of judges including NASCAR on FOX personality Mike Joy inspected the cars and bestowed the top honor to Herzberg's regal ride.

"What really attracted the judges was the goal of preserving the stock look (while keeping) all of the modern components that were used in achieving that look," Joy said. "The paint is fantastic. The interior is flawless. This is a great build to be proud of and for others to try to work their way up to."

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After four days of glistening cars against the backdrop of Charlotte's sun-lit 1.5-mile superspeedway - an event which included appearances by Catherine Bach of "Dukes of Hazzard" fame and displays honoring Jeeps, Porsches and Ford Broncos among numerous other manufacturers - judges presented additional awards to:

  • Best of Show Runner-up: Richard Hunter's 1957 Ford Fairlane 300;
  • Best of Show Second Runner-up: Anderson Pearson's 1941 Buick Roadmaster;
  • Bob Laidlein Award (Most Original): Daryl Page's and Walt Hollifield's 1968 Ford LTD
  • Mecklenburg Strelitz Award (Ladies' Choice): Howard Mergen's 1955 Oldsmobile Starfire convertible;
  • Cabarrus Cup (Most Creative):Tom Goodman's 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Convertible V8;
  • Concord Concours (Best Restoration): Dennis and Gail Marcus' 1956 Ford Sedan Station Wagon.

"This is such a great event because it brings together a disparity of hobbyists," Joy said. "You have a little bit of everything here. I can't think of a single segment of the collector car hobby that is not represented at AutoFair."

TICKETS:
Fans can purchase tickets to upcoming speedway events including the Oct. 8 Bank of America 500 and the Oct. 27-29 Bad Boy Off Road World of Outlaws World Finals by shopping online, calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or buying them at the gates. Children 13 and under get in FREE to Bojangles' Pole Night and the Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, and kids' admission to the Bank of America 500 is only $10.

KEEP TRACK:
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