Route 66 to The SEMA Show 2025: How A First-Year Road Trip Turned into Something Bigger Than Anyone Expected
(Words and Photos by Cole Quinnell, Photos by Patrick Hill) There are roads that get you somewhere, and then there are roads that mean something. Route 66 is firmly in the second category. It’s not efficient, it’s not fast, and it’s rarely convenient. It is far more meaningful than that, especially to an American gearhead. It’s historic, a throwback to time when cars had fins and a road trip as THE family vacation.
Pair that with the SEMA Show, the single largest trade show in the world dedicated to the aftermarket automotive industry, and you get a recipe that sounds equal parts brilliant and borderline irresponsible. That was the thinking behind the first-ever Route 66 to The SEMA Show adventure presented by Heatshield Products.
Purists may insist Route 66 begins in downtown Chicago, but anyone who has ever tried to gather a group of cars through the Loop knows that’s an exercise in frustration. Therefore, Pontiac, Illinois, proved to be the smarter starting line for this event. The town embraces its Route 66 identity instead of building over it. Murals, museums, preserved signage, and a walkable downtown made it the right choice.
From there, the road wasted no time reminding everyone what Route 66 actually is: long miles, unpredictable weather, and places you only see when you seek them out. Rain-soaked stretches through Illinois and Missouri included fiberglass Muffler Men, forgotten bridges, and roadside diners that still earn their keep. The group rolled together like a traveling car show, stopping at places such as the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and Devil’s Elbow, soaking up scenery that is increasingly rare. By the end of Day One, everyone was tired, wet, and smiling — which is usually how you know it’s working.
As the miles stacked up through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, the trip shed any illusion of being a polished photo shoot. A Mustang broke. Plans shifted. Burgers replaced schedules. On the cool side, the route leaned harder into forgotten alignments, vintage motels, and roadside landmarks. From Kansas’ blink-and-you-miss-it stretch of Route 66 to the art deco glow of Shamrock and the neon refuge of the Blue Swallow Motel, the trip steadily transitioned from “road trip” to “you’re really out here now.”
By the time the cars rolled through Arizona, departed Route 66 and head into Las Vegas, the group was fully bonded. Inside jokes established (where are our squirrels?) and expectations permanently reset. The drive proved that Route 66 still matters not because it’s preserved behind glass, but because it’s real and out there building stories, and rewarding those willing to slow down.
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Pavement Pounder Events’ first-ever adventure blended two American automotive icons — Route 66 and The SEMA Show — into a single road trip that favored stories over shortcuts. Starting in Pontiac, Illinois, the journey followed the Mother Road’s forgotten alignments, neon-lit landmarks, and overlooked detours, proving that the drive still matters as much as the destination.
Purists will tell you Route 66 starts in downtown Chicago, but anyone who has actually tried to organize a group of cars in the Loop knows better. Instead, the group gathered in Pontiac, Illinois, the first town westbound that still wears its Route 66 history proudly and accessibly. Murals, museums, preserved signage, and a downtown that still feels connected to the road rather than paved over by it.
Mother Nature added cold rain to the mix early, but it didn’t slow anyone down. The first stop was Atlanta, Illinois, home to one of the classic fiberglass Muffler Men and the American Giants Museum. These roadside statues are pure Route 66, and seeing them in person hits differently than scrolling past photos online.
Lunch landed at Route 66 Motorheads Bar & Grill, where the memorabilia is deep enough that you can easily miss half of it if you don’t wander into the back rooms. From there, the group bypassed the Gateway Arch in favor of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, a former Route 66 crossing of the Mississippi that features a 22-degree bend halfway across. Rain paused just long enough for most of the group to walk part of the span.
Who needs windshield wipers? Or a defroster? Or heater? Not I, said Cole Quinnell! He did coat the outside of the windshield with Rain-X at the next stop, which helped a lot.
The last Route 66 stop of the day was Devil’s Elbow Bridge, an often-missed alignment from 1923 that feels frozen in time. By the time the cars reached St. Robert, Missouri, everyone was soaked, tired, and grinning. Dinner at the Route 66 Diner wrapped a day that already felt like more than a warm-up.
As the route moved farther from the interstate, the trip leaned harder into the kind of places you only see deliberately. Spencer Station was the first stop toady — an original stretch of Route 66 that exists on a side spur you won’t accidentally stumble onto. Three surviving buildings, a steel bridge, and the sense that time simply moved around it.
Carthage, Missouri followed, with a stop at the Boots Court Motel, the oldest operating motel on Route 66. Opened in 1939, it once charged $2.50 per night specifically to discourage troublemakers. That strategy worked well enough that Clark Gable stayed there — twice.
Not long after leaving Carthage, the trip delivered its first reminder that this wasn’t a curated photo shoot. A text came in: “Houston, we have a problem.” The recently acquired 2005 Ford Mustang GT lost its hydraulic throw-out bearing, stranding our primary photographer, Patrick Hill, for what would end up being the rest of the trip.
Only 13 miles of Route 66 traverse through Kansas. People who skip this excursion miss out on the town of Galena which has the Kan-O-Tex gas station and the rusty tow truck that inspired Tow Mater in Cars. A few blocks away, Gearhead Curios proved that souvenir shops can still be thoughtful, clever, and genuinely automotive.
The Rainbow Bridge near Baxter Springs followed — the only remaining Marsh arch bridge on Route 66 — and then Oklahoma welcomed the group with the Crosstar Flag and Tag Museum and dinner at the Rock Café in Stroud.
The rest of the trip would see glorious sunlight! Cadillac Ranch provided the chance to add fresh paint to the constantly evolving row of half-buried Cadillacs. From there, the official halfway point of Route 66 in Adrian, Texas marked the transition from “we’re on a road trip” to “we’re really out here now.”
That evening landed in Tucumcari, New Mexico, at the Blue Swallow Motel — a neon-lit time capsule. Tiny garages, rotary phones, original tile bathrooms, and actual room keys made it feel like stepping backward several decades.
Lunch the next day in Grants turned into an impromptu photo shoot when a local photographer documenting New Mexico tourism took interest in the convoy. Not long after, the group crossed the Continental Divide — hovering near 7,000 feet until west of Flagstaff.
Plans to drive through Petrified Forest National Park were derailed by the government shutdown, but the extra time turned into a highlight: the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona. Teepee-shaped rooms and permanently parked vintage cars.
The final day opened with photos at the famous “Standing on the Corner” intersection in Winslow, Arizona.
We made a quick stop at Two Arrows, a long-abandoned trading post now marked by a single surviving wooden arrow.
From there, Seligman, Kingman, and Cool Springs Station delivered classic Route 66 visuals before the road twisted up and over the Black Mountains toward Oatman.
Wild burros wandered the streets as the group soaked in one final taste of Route 66 before dropping into the desert and heading toward Las Vegas.
The trip concluded at Shelby American, where a private dinner and tour inside the Shelby Heritage Center marked the transition from road trip to SEMA week.
The following photos show the participants of this inaugural Pavement Pounder Events adventure, starting with Jason and Lucia Taylor and their 1986 Chevrolet C10.
Jenna and Roger Runyon, 1980 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
Tim and Precy Ritchey, 1957 Chevrolet Station Wagon
Kyle Quinnell and Marco Silva, 2024 Dodge Charger Scat Pack
Gary Patterson, 2017 Mustang GT350
Michael and Krista Murphy, 2015 Camaro SS
Celia and Ray Marks, 1964 Plymouth Valiant Station Wagon
Greg Csernai and George Fulesi, 1967 Ford Mustang (Shelby GT350 Tribute Car)
Bob Church, 1960 Chevrolet Impala
Brent and Casteel, 1970 Chevrolet Suburban
Cole Quinnell and Mike Lane (1966 Chevrolet Chevelle) and Patrick Hill (2005 Ford Mustang GT). Not pictured are Chris Hahn (2017 Ford F-150), Stephen Sandberg (2003 Chevrolet S10 Xtreme), Hunter Armstrong (1968 Chevrolet Impala Fastback).
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