Volunteers for Safety A Few of the Many Keeping Us Safe
By Louie Mayall
T he fine ladies and gentlemen of the National Street Rod Association’s Safety Inspection Program are the people you see cruising around NSRA shows in the red shirts. Free Safety Inspections is one of the best things about NSRA with the basic premise being a second set of eyes looking over your rod because it’s easy to miss small things
rodders, and many manufacturers) helped change the public’s general attitude about rodding. The NSRA Safety Inspection Program has certainly saved lives over the years and this month we’re highlighting just some of the volunteers that work tirelessly behind the scenes to make it all happen.
and even wear-and- tear items from miles of cruising. There was a time when hot rodders in general got bad press about how their rods were unsafe, the rodders were seen as dirty delinquents, and rodding was a danger to a safe and orderly society. The Safety Program was one of many ways NSRA (with the help of SEMA, thousands of individual
FRANK BARRON Maine
Frank Barron joined his local NSRA Safety team in 2002, accepting the Maine State Safety Inspector position in 2005. Frank did a great job for years, eventually combining the Safety Program with students from local automotive vocational schools. The Vo- Tech students all get basic instructions of what is involved in an NSRA Safety Inspection. Frank has been cruising his ’48 Pontiac Streamliner ever since we met him. He cruises from Auburn, Maine, in the ol’ Indian atop a second-
generation Camaro clip with discs, a ’72 Camaro rear on leaf springs, a ‘68 Pontiac 400ci engine with a Turbo 400 and it rolls on 15-inch steelies (the rear are Wheel Vintiques deep-dish reversed). The interior is made comfy with seats from a ‘90s Dodge Daytona, and the stock body with factory trim is covered in matte black. Frank cruises with no hood and the bright yellow and pinstriped firewall really pops. We found out Frank may be retiring in a couple years, but he has a great replacement in mind and he plans to continue mentoring the kids.
68 APRIL 2026
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