The Hubcap Capital of the World - Pearsonville, California

[@socalcasedog]

Both my parents raced. We would drive up from the San Fernando valley to race there. I can remember trips to races back all the way back to the late 70s. We eventually moved to the town of Ridgecrest in the early 80s. I pretty much grew up at the track. The pearsons where family friends and my dad would help with track maintenance and repairing equipment there. Lucy was awesome. ! of the few time my dad let me stay up "real late" as a child was to watch Lucy on the David letterman show. Lucy could literally tell you what cars each hub cap came off of. Automotive restoration people would reach out to her all the time when trying to find original equipment for projects they couldn't find anywhere else. I think the Uniroyal gal arrived in the early 90s. I remember seeing her on a flat bed semi truck trailer. That Grimmace came from the McDonalds in Ridgecrest (near by town SW of there across the valley). The bleachers at the park was never part of the race track. Andy was the typical no non-sense old school guy....tough and gritty just like that granite stone. The original gas station had actually stopped pumping fuel back before I can remember but the had the repair garage. The building that has the town name on the roof was actually Lucy's base of operations/wrecking yard and not the cafe you mentioned. The cafe was originally located to the left (perspective from the video) of Lucy's building. The large warehouse building was not built until the 2000's. The movie Homer and Eddie was filmed right there at the grandstand area that you can see in the video. There was never a fence there or car scattered all over until after the track was closed down. The track had gone through multiple owners. Everything is run/overseen by David Pearson, Don's son and Andy's great-great grandson. Don's vision was to update a lot of things for a more modern (at the time anyways) travel stop area. Something for families to relax at while making trips north/south. Every year on Thanksgiving weekend, there was a big race held called the Turkey Classic. The entire area that you refer to as the "wrecking yard" in the video was filled with racers camping out. people would come from many states to spend the holiday weekend there. 1 year we camped in the back of my dads truck....i might have been 3 or 4 but I had waken up to a snow covered land (maybe an inch or so) and though it was the coolest thing ever. In 1997 during the Turkey Classic weekend, we had a memorial for my father there and spread some of his ashes there. In its "hay day" the town was filled with transport truck from the logging and lumber mill that used to be about 5 miles to the north of the town on the east side of 395 where you can see the ancient lava flows that Im sure youve seen on your trips.

[@IEchuckie]

Thanks for the information

[@aprilhamlin5608]

@socalcasedog, David is actually Don’s son which makes him Andy’s Grandson. I am one of the Pearson’s Granddaughters, my Mother was Janice and I have so many memories growing up in Pearsonville and the track!

[@agee3boyz]

Was Janice? Janice passed away? I'm a great niece of Andy and Lucy. My grandma was Andy's sister. Clara Pearson-Adkins was my grandma.

[@Abby-tg7gd]

@@aprilhamlin5608are they looking to sell any of the squatting cars? I’m very interested!!

[@deborahdavis5810]

WE lived there in late 80's early 90's My husband Carl, sons John and Chris. We loved it there. I can still remember the races and the announcer and my Sons yelling "Little Smitty"...he was a good racer it seemed!! We volunteered and worked at the Cafe...it was wonderful meeting the people of our little town and hanging out together. So many fun and good memories. Jim Belushi and Whoopi Goldberg had just filmed part of Homer and Eddie in the cafe the week before we moved there. Mrs. Pearson was so nice. There were few people there but I swear at least 4 Mikes so we had to give them names like the man and his wife who ran the Cafe...Cafe Mike. Wonderful people!!! Cafe was the hang out for all ages. Music food great fellowship with our local town folk! Every evening we all showed up to make memories. I will always hold this place dear to my heart...I got to spend so much quality time with my Sons. and husband. I can easily say my favorite place and time on this earth.Thank you for sharing this video. You touched a deep place in my heart and soul.

[@aprilhamlin5608]

We may know one another as I’m one of Andy and Lucy’s Granddaughters! I was raised there as a little one and lived there as well for many years.

[@MikeJohnson-ld9rn]

I like the way you do your videos. Just enough information and video to tell the story, but not a lot of needless hype and redundancy just to drag out a nice ,concise account of the topic! Keep it up Steve .

[@Corgis175]

You, by far, cover so much of the old places.

[@stankygeorge]

I hope they do not allow the Uniroyal Gal to rot away! She is a piece of Americana!

[@anthonybaroni3285]

Loved seeing Grimace.

[@aprilhamlin5608]

Thank you for sharing this video. Andy and Lucy Pearson were my Grandparents and they are so missed. If you have any questions about Pearsonville, feel free to ask. I grew up there as a little girl and lived there for years after I was grown. I miss what the town use to be and would give anything to turn back time to relive those days again!

[@matthewrazor9710]

Hey... Millard chaney was her brother, I have many pictures of them together. I was always told that she was my great aunt. anyways I would like to connect with you so I could understand for sure how we are related.

[@aprilhamlin5608]

@@matthewrazor9710I just sent a message to you on FB…at least I believe it’s you!

[@giffordiv]

Looks like they had the American dream. Hope your folks are able to keep the place up. :)

[@Feedergang]

Your an upcoming star my friend. Keep up the hidden gem finds!

[@monikachaffey]

We drive on 395 every summer to get to Lake Tahoe from the IE. We know the road and these stops so well but I love how you have gone further and dug deeper and provided these awesome stories of the past and current times. I cannot wait to share this channel with my family. Thank you 💕

[@kirkrpearson1501]

had the pleasure of meeting lucy about 25 yeRS ago

[@SIXPACK110]

My dad and uncle raced there 76-78. Thanks for the memories. I remember meeting Lucy and we knew Don very well. We used to drive up every other Saturday to race. Those were the good old days

[@aprilhamlin5608]

Indeed they were! I miss my Grandparents and Uncle Don so much

[@djdaverichards]

Thank you for a very well researched and presented video on Pearsonville. You filled in a lot of gaps in my knowledge.

[@aprilhamlin5608]

If you have any other questions, you’re welcome to ask me. I am one of the Granddaughters of the Pearson’s and I grew up there.

[@eileenirwin2778]

Thank you, Steve, for sharing another interesting video.

[@michaelhiggins7365]

I love all the research which went into this. Thank you.

[@talanigreywolf7110]

I miss the dirt track there, they had some awesome demolition derbies on Saturday nights!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

That would have been great to see.

[@socalcasedog]

They actually had very few demolition derbies there. Every other saturday night there was car racing.

[@uniquetoyz6215]

That’s pretty cool. Love you videos. Keep them coming

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Glad you like them! Thank you for the kind words.

[@AmericanGiants]

Great Report! Thanks for all the info.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you, and thank you for all you do to preserve the muffler men.

[@heyoldman2003]

thank you again Steve . your a great Historian. I love that neighborhood, I just love the dry neighborhood, wherever that is 😎

[@butchpemberton6143]

Thank You for another great video and info....

[@generay6807]

Great story. I used to drive from Reno to LA and back as a truck driver in the 90’s. The Shell station in Pearsonville had the strongest coffee. Never knew the history tho. Thanks for the vid.

[@jerroldkazynski5480]

For some period of time prior to the 2010s, the tow service in this area had a bad reputation. Maybe that was the proverbial bad apple experience being passed around. Going 4-wheeling east of there, tow options continue to be very limited. Thanks for the video!

[@golos7670]

Probably worth noting that Pearsonville is a gateway to the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. Less than 2 miles north of town is the left turn that takes you up Sherman's Pass, the southernmost pass over the Sierras. Good camping up there but some of it got toasted in July 2024 by the SQF Lighting Complex fire.

[@kategrayson3490]

In Pope Valley (Napa County) California, there is a ranch where previous owners have adorned the barn and fences with hub caps. You might visit some day.

[@ExitThrutheGiftShop]

Interesting! I remember on our road trips as kids we used to drive by a house in the model of nowhere that was covered in stacks of hub caps that was called Hub Cap City!

[@aprilhamlin5608]

That would be my Grandparents house.

[@prestonverm3256]

Grimace is back buh buh

[@lilys4960]

thanks!

[@joseracine7003]

That statue is cool. I am not sure if the story is true but the owner of the park placed it there because of the lady who worked at the Parks service and worked to offset the gas station that is up the road.

[@davefoster9199]

Don was a great guy and his yard had more Fords than anyone.

[@jjarm]

You know a scary amount about the uniroyal gals clothing 😂

[@IEchuckie]

Must have peeked under her skirt. Hmmm.. I would have too

[@PashPaw]

I bet that Grimace was from the Ridgecrest McDonald's before the playplace remodel in the 1990s. But, I grew up in the more populated parts of the valley. Unfortunately, I've only been in the gas station and never saw the races nor saw the hub caps.

[@aprilhamlin5608]

Yes Grimace came from the Ridgecrest McDonald’s. My Uncle Don loved creating the park for so many to enjoy!

[@Citizen_GE]

The term hub cap is a misnomer. They are actually wheel covers. Hub caps are smaller usually unadorned metal caps that keep the grease in the hubs, hence the name.

[@CarsandCats]

That looked to be a cemetery next to the park.

[@hawkdsl]

Horse Shoe Pits, but i thought so at first as well.

[@Gypsy839]

We stopped there once many years ago to see what was there lol we saw not much😂

[@justnerdystuff]

Are you related to Ron Howard? You look and sound a lot like his brother Clif Howard.

[@heyoldman2003]

did those bleachers have nails on the seat 😳

[@sam_s_]

Hubcapital

[@nicholaiginovaef4861]

Peoria Illinois has the Uniroyal gal in the bikini out in front of a tire shop, they keep it painted and used to put her skirt & sweater on every winter but they must have broke or something, the poor gal's been wearing that red bikini for years 🤣🤣

[@lorilove4706]

Does the muffler man wear a speedo under his overalls??

[@conniewojahn6445]

Another fine example of people succumbing to desert heat and displaying their having-gone-nuts mindset by collecting objects. Not that there's anything wrong with getting your brain fried by the constant heat and going nuts. Such people don't bother anyone or hurt anything. In fact, in this case, the desert actually benefited by this lady collecting hubcaps and keeping them off the side of the road or wherever she got them. The playground is another example of collecting things and displaying them. Children having fun playing under the hot sun are the upcoming generation of fried brain people who will eventually take their turn at collecting. Who knows what they'll add to the desert collection? Bottles? More hubcaps? Plaster dinosaurs? Old cars? Glass outhouses?

[@aprilhamlin5608]

My Grandparents (Andy and Lucy Pearson) bought that property and opened up the business to help stranded motorists. Without them and their business more people would have most likely died out there in the heat.