Back in 1992, a couple by the name of Rich and Penny Pichette set out to preserve a part of SoCal car culture they were particularly fond of: Cruisin’. With volunteered help from a tight-knit group of friends, they formed West Coast Kustoms and subsequently established the Cruisin’ Nationals, a name which at one time was synonymous with Paso Robles, CA. Unquestionably the nation’s largest gathering of custom cars from its peak years at its wine country location clear to this day, where it’s now held south down Highway 101 in Santa Maria, CA, WCK’s Cruisin’ Nationals has yet to stop growing—and its fearless leader, Penny (who now relies solely on the help of her children and WCK volunteer staff, having sadly lost Rich to Alzheimer’s a few years back) shows no signs of slowing her cruisin’ speeds.
This year’s 68th Annual O’Reilly Sacramento Autorama honorably pays tribute to Penny et al who’ve made the organization what it is today with the West Coast Kustoms Gathering—a 30-car display featuring WCK members cars from up and down the coast on the floor of Cal Expo Building C. Thank you, Penny, for continuing to do what you do for the past 35-plus years—and thank you John Buck/Rod Shows for acknowledging those tireless efforts accordingly. (In 2014, Penny was inducted into the GNRS Hall of Fame; Rich was inducted back in 1995.)
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