COMMUNITY
believes — think Barrett-Jackson and Goodguys. “I think Maricopa has one of the best car cultures as a community because it is its own island,” North said. “Nobody really wants to drive out of there if they don’t have to with their nice ride.” Members of the Maricopa Cruising group, which meets at Burger King on Tuesday nights, show up “for the comradery,” said Donna Gradin, another Glennwilde resident. It’s described as an “everyone knows everyone” type of deal. Gradin has been a reliable presence at the cruise-ins for the last two years, bringing her green-and- yellow vintage ‘34 Ford pickup, which sports orange flames behind the wheels. The Lakes at Rancho El Dorado resident Dennis Rossini described the Tuesday group as “just guys and girls getting together and just enjoying life.” Like Escobar’s cruise-in, the Maricopa Cruising group has been itinerant since it started in the 1980s, according to Peoria resident and group member Julio Escamilla. The group first met at Maricopa First Baptist Church, then at Sonic, then Bashas’ and McDonald’s before settling in the big lot behind the home of “have it your way.” The group had been kicked out of each location for a different reason, explained Escamilla, who’s considered the scene’s “warden,” enforcing the rules of no burnouts nor loud music. He said he doesn’t want to see the new generation get swept up in showboating. “This ain’t the place for it,” Escamilla said. “If they lose control and hit one of these cars, they won’t pay for it.” Rich Inferrera said he attends the meet every Tuesday as his “big night out,” often bringing his ‘55 Chevrolet or ‘37 Ford for a warm evening of cigar smoke with like-minded buffs. “We just hang out, chill and sh*t,” said the Meadows resident, adding he will never get sick of “looking at the beautiful cars.” John Marsh, another frequent flyer from Cobblestone Farms, switches between his ‘55 Chevy hardbody, ‘55 Chevy Bel Aire convertible, ‘68 GTO convertible and ‘32 Ford. He said he enjoys chatting with others about their cars, what modifications they’ve made and bonding over their shared love for automobiles. Sometimes that love seeps beyond city limits, Marsh explained. “You get all of the stares on the road,” he recalled from one of many convoys up to the Valley. It’s one of his favorite things on the road, the stares. Steven Stoiber, from Glennwilde, joked he brings his 1970 Pontiac GTO to the Tuesday meets to get away from his wife and to “talk sh*t
Nicholaus Hudson in the garage of his Maricopa Mead- ows home (left). Ben North inside the Voodoo garage in Chandler (above). Dee “One-Armed Bandit” Davis and John Marsh attend a cruise-in at Burger King Sept. 10 (below).
October 12th 3pm-7pm
You gotta fight for your life Two Maricopa men, Nicholaus Hudson and Zee Escobar, have never met. But they have two things profoundly in common. First, they’re both pioneers of the Maricopa car scene. Second is the reason why. Escobar, the self-styled “king of car shows,” never went public with his late-stage testicular cancer diagnosis until a recent interview with InMaricopa . Escobar, the creator of 347 Car Meets, has long used the car show to preach his “everything will be OK” philosophy, citing his cancer as the reason. He started the series named for the infamous Maricopa throughfare in 2020 at Pacana Park. Unsure if he would survive his cancer, he said he
wanted to leave his mark on Maricopa. The first meet drew fewer attendees than a Bernie Sanders rally in Wyoming. With nothing to lose, Escobar persevered until the event grew into a Maricopa mainstay, attracting hundreds of cars and dozens of vendors to the likes Sequoia Pathway Academy and Copper Sky Regional Park. The venue is ever changing with a steady increase in participation. “I’ve been through enough to help people,” said Escobar, a Glennwilde resident. “Just to have them notice me, that I survived, it gives them hope. That’s the reason I’m doing it.” Hudson, who lives in the Maricopa Meadows, also found out in 2019 he had late-stage testicular cancer. The only way he knew to cope was cars.
17430 N. Porter Road STE#100 Maricopa, AZ
His Instagram account, @Nichorocy, is dedicated to his purple Mazda Miata — the color representing awareness for testicular cancer — and has racked up Maricopa’s population worth of followers since his diagnosis. What many of his 70,000 followers don’t know is that his car saved him. During a fight with insurance adjusters over needed but bank-breaking cancer surgery, Hudson made another devastating discovery — his cancer had spread to his lung, liver and kidney. Hudson started chemotherapy in 2021, the time when he traded his motorcycle to a local kid for the Miata that propelled him to online fame. He parked the car outside his hospital window during every round of chemo, waving fondly to it as he would a close friend. “I’ve always been into cars, but that really took off when I got the Miata,” Hudson said. “That car puts a smile on my face.” Baby, you a song... Ben North, a Glennwilde resident and owner of Voodoo Performance in Chandler, said Maricopa has one of the best car scenes of any community. It’s tighter knit than the ones you always hear about in Phoenix and Scottsdale, he
Maricopa
TRY THAT IN A FUN SIZE
In Hidden Valley, it’s like a classic car met a shrink ray.
The Dwarf Car Museum is the home of eight sized- down replicas that drive well, are fully-functioning and street legal. Most of them were built by 26-year Hidden Valley local Ernie Adams, the inventor of Dwarf Car Racing, now dubbed Legends Racing.
Adams, an early member of the Maricopa Cruising group, calculates his ratios from real to dwarf car and starts recreating. Details can never be too small.
Adams said his favorite part of building dwarf cars is the feeling of finishing a model. His creations are on display for $5 per visit.
21542 N John Wayne Pkwy, Maricopa (520) 494-7805 www.KarstensAce.com
InMaricopa.com | October 2024
October 2024 | InMaricopa.com
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