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Tag: The Muscle Car Place Podcast

TMCP #632: The Full Business of “Give Away Sweepstakes” with Hodson Motors — Riley Hodson on Building, Giving Away, and Growing the World of Classic 4×4’s Sweepstakes

Just outside the chaos of SEMA, we sat down at Hodson Motors—Riley Hodson’s backyard-born, fast-growing sweepstakes operation that’s taking over the classic 4×4 world. What started as a humble father-and-son hobby turned into a full business when Riley realized people weren’t just following his truck builds…they trusted him. From diesel-swapped Suburbans to bone-stock Toyotas, Riley breaks down the real math, the real risks, and the real heart behind giving away fully built vintage trucks to everyday enthusiasts. No hype, no gimmicks—just honesty, hustle, and a shop full of lifted classics ready for their next home.

Riley walks us through how he chooses the trucks, why some sweepstakes boom while others flop, and why every winner needs to know they’re not just getting a truck—they’re inheriting a hobby. It’s a rare, transparent look behind a world most people only see through ads and hashtags, and it proves why Hodson Motors has become the trusted name in classic 4×4 giveaways. And let’s be honest…nothing makes your muscle car look better than a perfectly built vintage truck parked next to it. After hearing this episode, you’re going to want to check out HodsonMotors.com and throw your name in the hat for the next one.

TMCP #630: SEMA 2025 Show Spectacular Finale – Centerforce Clutch Tech, Holley’s LT-Swapped 4th Gen Camaro, and Meguiar’s Pro-Level Detailing for Real-World Builders

This episode delivers a packed finale to our SEMA 2025 coverage, featuring three can’t-miss conversations straight from the show floor. We kick things off with Trent McGee from Centerforce, breaking down real-world clutch selection for street, strip, and track — covering everything from classic muscle car setups to high-horsepower, twin-disc race applications. Then Mark Gearhart from Holley joins us to walk through their LT-swapped 4th-gen Camaro and the bigger picture of modern engine swaps, showing how builders can bring modern power and drivability into older platforms. We close out with Mike Pennington from Meguiar’s, who dives into their new pro-consumer detailing line, sharing practical tips on paint care, polishing, interior cleaning, and headlight restoration that everyday enthusiasts can actually use.
We wrap this episode proud — because this was, without a doubt, our best SEMA show and coverage to date. The depth of the interviews, the quality of the guests, and the real-world value packed into these conversations made this series something truly special. If you’re building, restoring, maintaining, or dreaming, this finale ties it all together and sends SEMA 2025 out the right way.

TMCP #622: Ask Rick — Can American Manufacturing Return for Restoration Parts? Rick’s Take: Bob Lutz Says EVs Will End the Internal Combustion Engine!

Kick off October with a fresh Ask Rick as Rick Schmidt weighs in on the value of car-show trophies, parts sourcing, and where the market’s really headed. Are small-show awards worth chasing—or are they just eating into charity budgets? Rick also unpacks the hot question in restoration parts: will manufacturing return to the U.S., or will Taiwan’s increasingly high-quality tooling keep leading the charge for low-volume classics?

Then it’s “Rick’s Take – Car Deals: The Bob Lutz Edition.” Rick sizes up a supercharged ’99 Viper GTS ACR, a ’09 Solstice GXP, and a ’00 Prowler for long-term ROI in a world edging toward electrification—followed by an “Investment Hedge” round featuring a ’87 Trans Am, ’06 Ford GT, and ’87 Buick GNX. Which has already peaked, and which still has runway? Tune in to hear how Rick reads the market—and which cars he’d flip first.

TMCP #578: Fifteen Years Of The Muscle Car Place With Jeff Allison – How To Build Cars And Gain A Family

This week marks the fifteenth anniversary of The Musclecar Place podcast and all of the adventures that have ensued since then. Fifteen years ago I had a dream to start a radio show where I could talk about fast classic cars and meet people that build, race or buy and sell those vehicles. The one “guest” that has been on the show more than any of them, and has had a bigger impact than all of them, is Jeff Allison. Jeff is the one that stepped up and took a huge chance and changed both of our lives forever. In this interview we take a trip down memory lane and recollect how we met and built a race car that went to SEMA and made a family out of a podcast.

TMCP #518: Pro-Touring Update with Larry Callahan: UMI King of the Mountain, Good Guys Fall Events, and a New Garage Studio: Moparty Sneek Peek – Vanishing Point Challenger and Hemi Gen III ’65 Coronet

This episode has everything! First up, a Pro-Touring Update with Larry Callahan complete with a recap fro UMI King of the Mountain, a look at upcoming Good Guys Fall Events, and a New Garage Studio for Larry! Also included, a Moparty Sneek Peek – Vanishing Point Challenger and Hemi Gen III ’65 Coronet.

TMCP #497: Ask Rick – Which Modern EV Company will Stand the Test of Time? Plus, a History of the Batmobile!

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! With the launch of a new month it’s time to bring Rick Schmidt back on for another session of Ask Rick. As you may have noticed, in the premier marketing event of the year (i.e. the Super Bowl) all of the car companies focused solely on advertising their new electric offerings. Chevy went quite far on their new EV Silverado with some – admittedly – really engaging advertisements (we are suckers for Austin Powers).

As this trend seems inevitable, and with the proliferation of new electric car brands popping up all over, and I wanted to get Rick’s opinion on whether we were about to see a new round of automobile manufacturers join the market as they did when electric cars existed with various companies in the early 20th Century. History does tend to repeat itself, right? Should we make a speculative bet on buying and holding any of these new cars for future collector value?

TMCP #480: Ask Rick – To SEMA or NOT To SEMA? That is the Question!

It is October and time for the spooky boys and girls to get their costumes ready for some trick or treating fun! It is also time for another impactful and insightful Ask Rick segment with our friend Rick Schmidt. In this episode we broach the exciting topic of what exactly is Rick’s favorite candy bar? Other topics include the upcoming SEMA show attendance and why the 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra R model is so sought after.

TMCP #463: Garrett Daniels Revisited – How To Survive, Adapt, and Thrive Your Off-Road Fab Shop Dream Business!

This week, we get a chance to catch up with a previous guest and friend of the show Garrett Daniels. When I interviewed Garrett three years ago in episode 351, he was just starting out on his own trying to make a business out of his passion of fabrication. Specifically, he wanted to specialize in roll cages and off road suspension for the trucks he loved most. Since then many things went well, some things became “difficult learning lessons”, but it all helped him to adapt and thrive to where he is today!

Big News: GoodGuys is promoting upcoming events and we have discounts for two of them!

Goodguys 6th Griot’s Garage North Carolina Nationals Presented by Griot’s Garage April 23-25, 2021
**Use Our Custom Link for Signup Discount!**
www.eventbrite.com/e/138860897683/?discount=GGMUSCLE

Goodguys 2nd RaceDeck Salt Lake Nationals May 21 – 23, 2021 Utah State Fairpark
**Use Our Custom Link for Signup Discount!**
www.eventbrite.com/e/138872376015/?discount=GGMUSCLE