Under bright clear skies, the Rocket Industries annual Hot Rod Open Day kicked some serious butt with an amazing display of Hot Rod and Street Machine culture along with what could be Australia's first Cracklefest. The day is a celebration of all that is fun in the aftermarket Performance Industry, with a live band, lots of food and cool drinks and an atmosphere that belies our current climate. Held the day prior to the nostalgia drags at WSID, it was a perfect opportunity to kick back and suck it all in.

The staff at Rocket also conducted shop tours showing off the amazing array of products that Rocket keep in stock. If you wanted to build a complete Hot Rod you could out of the Huntingwood warehouse, not only a Hot Rod but a complete Sprintcar too. This was also a good place for Rodders, Racers and Street Machiners to mingle throughout the vast array of vehicles on display throughout the facility. There were some serious vehicle parked inside and outside the display area.

If Nitro fumes wafting through the air is your thing, then Norm Longfield's amazing low six second Front Engine Dragster would have been a sight to behold as Norm cackled the beast with tuner Richard Bottica at the barrel valve making sure the nitro fumes were thick in the air and tears were flowing. And not to be outdone by the nitro boy's, a handful of blown alky dragsters also gave the crowd a taste of horsepower when they fired up their diggers.

With all the fun had by the crowd during the day, Graeme Cowin and the crew are already planning a bigger and better Rocket Industries Hot Rod Open Day for 2009. Don't you miss out next year.