Heart of a Champion (HOAC) was founded in 2017 to help preserve stock car racing history in the Maritime provinces of Canada. Our first project was the restoration of a vintage stock car, a 1967 Chevelle which was unveiled in July 2017 at the region’s biggest stock car race, the IWK 250 at Riverside International Speedway. It was so well-received that we took the car on tour, showing it at race tracks and car shows throughout the Maritime provinces.

At the same time, we launched our website and the Heart of Champion Facebook (FB) page to share our travels on social media. Since then, we have grown the FB page to include vintage racing photos, stories, and a weekly salute to someone who has helped build stock car racing in our region – someone with the Heart of a Champion. Our social media following has flourished to over 45,000 followers with the reaction and interaction from and between our followers clearly demonstrating the interest in and passion for our Maritime racing heritage.

And so it was time, in 2020, to take Heart of a Champion to the next level with the formation of the Hot Rod Classics Vintage Race Car Series.

The Hot Rod Classics Series is our region’s first vintage stock car organization. As with Heart of a Champion, the Hot Rod Classics series has been formed to help preserve stock car racing history in the Maritimes and to honour those who helped make the sport what it is today.

Known as the “Hot Rod Classics” we showcase race cars built in 1985 or older giving long-time fans an opportunity to relive precious memories and at the same time provide a platform where newer fans can experience, perhaps for the first time, race cars of a bygone era.

The Hot Rod Classics Series is, in essence, a spirited league of exhibition racing. We participate in a handful of significant stock car racing events in the region each year; at facilities that have played a part in and/or show an affinity for recognizing our Maritime stock car racing heritage.

Our core values. If your racing goals are not of a like-mind then you are best suited for another series.

Fun. Our events will provide a variety of activities on and off the track, designed to provide a fun experience for all. Showing our cars will foster the development of the series and also educate spectators who may or may not know anything about the history of stock car racing in our region. It is our goal to create an atmosphere that will provide a social experience unparalleled in other series.

Fair. Hot Rod Classics Series events will provide on-track exhibitions with cars built to resemble stock cars from a bygone era. It’s not about having the fastest car, it’s about having fun and respecting your fellow competitors while putting on a quality show for fans, as directed by the Race Director.

Safe. Our events will feature original and replica vintage stock cars, some restored to their original racing specification and livery, equipped with modern safety equipment, as mandated in our guidelines.

The Hot RodClassics is “no intentional contact” and on track antics will not be tolerated; we encourage close competition with a hallmark spirit of good sportsmanship.