Good luck.
I want to organize bike night out here but I don't want to spend my time managing Chad and his gixxer
Photograph by Icee Dc
We’ve all seen the meme: “What society thinks I do.” After watching the events surrounding this weekend’s Slammedenuff show in Tennessee, what does that meme look like for those of us who enjoy cars?
We look like damn idiots who just want to cause havoc. That’s what we look like to mainstream society.
Don’t think so?
See what the Sevierville Police Department, which has jurisdiction over the show’s location, wrote on its Facebook page:
“While the event itself is privately organized, the impacts on our community, ranging from traffic disruptions and reckless behavior to late-night noise and public safety challenges, have reached a level that is no longer acceptable or sustainable.”
Nearby Pigeon Forge Police Department issued a statement:
“[The Slammedenuff show] posed a serious threat to public safety, and we stand in full support of the City of Sevierville in their decision to cancel the official car show.
“This type of activity does not reflect the values or atmosphere we work hard to provide for our residents and visitors,” it continued. “We love our city and are committed to preserving its reputation as a welcoming, family-friendly environment.”
You might be saying, “Well, it’s just them stanced kids.” Unfortunately, it’s not. The Pigeon Forge Rod Run also experienced an uptick in incidents this year.
According to Knoxville TV station WATE, the number of arrests this year doubled when compared to 2023, standing at 96 people getting an involuntary ride to the police station. Plus, there were 702 citations and 33 crashes.
So much for it being just “the kids.” You can see why people outside our passion may now be looking side-eyed at us. Yes, I said “us.”
Remember that meme I started this conversation with? For those outside our world, many in the general public view cars as merely appliances on four wheels to take them and their families from Point A to Point B. They often think wild-looking, noise-producing cars–doesn’t matter what type of car–must have drivers that are equally as wild and loud. Sometimes, they get that confirmation. All it takes is one bad experience to taint someone’s view of us. It was enough for the Sevierville mayor and alderman to kick Slammedenuff out of their town. And yes, what happened wasn’t sanctioned by Slammedenuff, but it got the blame.
That’s because the general public votes, too. Those elected officials listen to who gets them into their positions of power–and that’s the key to them keeping it. Most events deal with those public officials in varying degrees of involvement. Ultimately, without the government’s support–and certainly the community’s–car events lose places (including privately owned ones) where people can have fun in a safe and controlled environment. Without those venues, this hobby dies. End of story.
Listen, I love cars. I love car people. I vehemently hate people who think they’re car people.
One guy at a local meet bragged about how he went 150-plus mph on the interstate. You’re no hero–you’re a menace. Unlike at a track, those around you while running at those speeds did not sign up for the same risk you’re taking. What if something fails or your tire runs over a piece of debris? What then? It’s 100% your fault and I hope whatever happens haunts you for eternity.
Sure, if you wad yourself into a fiery ball alone, there’s some poetic justice. However, think of the first responders who have to clean up your mess (and you) from the wreckage. Think of your family and friends who will miss your sorry ass. And if you didn’t wreck by yourself, think of the innocent people you’ve hurt, who will forever have their lives changed–if they’re lucky.
Now, most of the people here aren’t the hooligans who cause trouble. However, we should actively police ourselves. If you know someone who engages in risky behavior with their cars on the streets, steer them toward a motorsport event of some sort where they can do that in a much more controlled environment. If they don’t listen, call them out. I feel too many of us–including me–stay too silent. The time is now to say something. If we don’t, others will say something, and we may not have another opportunity to save what we love to do–and that’s enjoying our cars responsibly.
Good luck.
I want to organize bike night out here but I don't want to spend my time managing Chad and his gixxer
My two cents:
It's easy to say that it's just a few bad apples, but I feel like it could be hard for some people "outside" the orchard to distinguish the good apples from the bad ones–they might all look bad.
Colin Wood said:My two cents:
It's easy to say that it's just a few bad apples, but I feel like it could be hard for some people "outside" the orchard to distinguish the good apples from the bad ones–they might all look bad.
100% this. The vast majority of the population doesn't know the difference, and doesn't care to learn.
This is basically why we lost a big BMX event a few years back. A few people just couldn’t behave and, in the end, the city said not to come back.
Colin Wood said:My two cents:
It's easy to say that it's just a few bad apples, but I feel like it could be hard for some people "outside" the orchard to distinguish the good apples from the bad ones–they might all look bad.
Very well said. I take my drift car to car shows sometimes, and I'm always fearful of getting lumped in with the idiots. A couple months ago a kid was speeding through the car show area in a stock camry, got yelled at by the organizers, and then did a burnout towards the exit. Of course the event had officers as security, so they put on their lights, and the kid tried to run. It was a whole mess.
When I was in high school, we lost the Imports at Carlisle show. They got banned from the city because people were acting stupid. Burnouts, racing, etc. I think they've since returned, but there was at least a year when we couldn't go, and we were pretty disappointed by that.
To Colin's point, imagine being another organizer who does things in that city. Or any other city, for that matter, because this obviously became a national matter. Sure, the city of Sevierville has had enough of Slammedenuf. Who else is going to look at this and say, "you know, we don't need any car shows here"? I bet the city of Carlisle is paying attention.
By the way, that's a pretty cool picture for the cover of the story. Nice job.
Craig Lieberman on You Tube made a vid or two concerning antics and how the rest of car people get lumped into the mix.
Drag and Drive events really need to start kicking out those that do street burnouts and work together to prevent them from ever signing up for an even regardless of who sanctions them. This includes vid evidence post event.
Anyone remember circa 2000 when Imports at Carlisle got tossed because of the mayhem?
Well, all of those "leaving cars and coffee" videos on YouTube aren't AI generated. It's sad, but idiocy is almost baked into the scene these days.
I will add that one car club my brother in suburban Chicago is in is called Fuelfed, and it does not permit the hooliganism seen elsewhere.
Yes, it's largely older people in older European-only cars, but that's where I'd be if I ever move back to the area.
Those of us who take our cars on track/strip are such a tiny fraction of the car enthusiast community overall that the "bad apples" doing "sideshows" and street takeovers etc. almost certainly outnumber us. Make no mistake, we're not at the controls of the "car people" public image bus, we're passengers. Trying to turn street racers and hoons into legal motorsports participants is helpful and admirable, but has about as much effect on overall public image as a few passengers trying to steer the bus by opening the windows and using their hands as air brakes.
Edit: And on that note, the best PR strategy may be to show that "car people" are not one big homogeneous blob and that most of the trouble on the streets comes from a couple of relatively small sub-groups.
I'm really thankful Monterey and Car Week have a pretty good idea how to discourage bad behaivior...not that it doesn't happen (In n Out Parking lot fiasco) but the numbers are really low considering the number of visitors. Only 32 arrests, only 2 accidents involving supercars...we had GridLife here also, late in the season...pretty quiet on the streets here. In fact, it's wise to know when the track/car events are happening in town because the heavy speed and traffic enforcement applies to all the "normies" as well. There is also the economic factor, which really pushes law enforcement to be effective and keep the culture/events coming back each year, rather than just decide "you're not welcome."
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