Episode
American Pickers: NASCAR Challenge
Overview
Mike and Frank get revved up about an awesome new client: North Carolina’s NASCAR Hall of Fame. The curators have asked them to scour the country for relics that help tell the unique history of auto racing. But with their limited budget, they’re under even more pressure to deliver. Their first stop is Tiger Tom’s auto shop. The veteran racer’s collection dates back over half a century and includes must-have items that changed the face of racing. Also in this episode: “Humpy” Wheeler is the former president of the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and although his attic is a gold mine, getting him to part with any of his treasures takes serious charm and a charitable strategy. Later, Billy Biscoe was in the pit crew of a NASCAR champion and has a collection of jaw-dropping artifacts that’s as impressive as his stories. And, picking takes a back seat when Mike and Frank climb into a pair of vintage racecars for a drag race showdown.
Details
- Series
- American Pickers
- Season
- Season 2
- Episode
- Episode 26
- Air date
- 2011-04-11
- Runtime
- 43 min
Episode context
NASCAR Challenge is Episode 26 in Season 2 of American Pickers. It aired on 2011-04-11. The runtime is 43 min.
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More episodes from this season
Episode 24: California Dreamin'
Cruising along the California coastline, the guys know they’re in for something big. Mil Blair founded the iconic motorcycle magazine Easyriders and, for the first time ever, the legend is willing to sell some of his rare collections of motorbikes and memorabilia. Later, the guys visit Bird’s temple of surfing. Although he doesn’t normally sell, the guys convince him to part with a few choice surfboards. Also, the guys visit Alfie in the Malibu Hills. His eclectic collection includes over a half million albums and a real bombshell. And finally, they get their new surfboards appraised at the California Surf Museum and make a generous donation.
Episode 23: The Possum Trot
While cruising through South Carolina, looking for leads, the guys call an old picking contact and soon find themselves in Bill’s main street hardware store. The family business has been operating since the 1880s and is filled to the rafters with century-old inventory. In the backwoods of Alabama, the guys are invited to the “Possum Trot” — a down-home country auction where the bidding is intense, and the guys try to auction a few of their items. Later, Ed’s Georgia property features a missile on the lawn, and building after building of awesome stuff. And, for the first time, he says he’s ready to part with a few of his treasures! Mike spies a must-have German leather pilot’s helmet and a rare ship’s compass. And after scoring an entire shelf of brand new vintage model car kits, Frank discovers the real challenge is getting a giant Victrola banner down from the rafters.
Episode 22: They Boldly Go
Mike and Frank are out in the Kentucky on a different kind of mission. They’re going to someone who needs their expertise to make his home unique. The owner is William Shatner, who gives Mike and Frank a very specific list. While Danielle looks for leads, the picking is red hot at Thurman’s Tennessee hills property. The lifetime collector says he’s ready to make a deal, but is he really? Next, the guys hunt for the perfect showpiece for Shatner’s garden and think they’ve hit the jackpot with an amazing millstone collector. That is, until they find out his prices outweigh even the heaviest of stones. And, with just one week to deliver the goods to their celebrity client, Mike and Frank call in a favor from a designer friend. Finally, with a van full of treasures, they deliver their booty to Shatner, hoping they haven’t let him down.
Episode 21: Keep Out!
Driving along the back roads of Tennessee in the early morning fog, Mike and Frank are brushing up on their Southern expressions when they spot an awesome property. Once they muster up the courage to ignore the scary “no trespassing” signs, the homeowner opens up his amazing collection of incredible “mantiques”. Later, with four barns that are packed to the rafters, a Smokey Mountain property looks perfect. But Mike and Frank’s perfect day quickly goes downhill when the collector can’t bear to part with anything. Can they break the ice or will their picking spirit be broken first? And, thanks to a lead from Danielle, the guys get a warm welcome from Joe, a lifetime picker whose staggering collection spans over 30 buildings.
Episode 20: The Emu Chase
Mike and Frank find themselves in a high-risk situation when they are chased by a crazy emu who roams a farm in Tennessee that the boys are picking. Once they’ve escaped from the bird they manage to rescue a much sought after fireplace facade. Danielle sends the guys to Frank Wolfe, who gives them a golden lead to a guy called Jerry Lotz, where Mike buys a Schwinn auto-cycle bike for a $1,000 and Frank leaves with two rare BB guns. The guys finish up their trip by surprising an old friend of Mike’s, Ruby Guidara, a famous Nashville set designer. They purchase an old dentist chair from her that Mike thinks would be perfect in a Lady Gaga video, but when they take the chair to an appraiser they hear some surprising information.
Episode 19: Trading Up
Mike and Frank head to Ohio and decide to make the trip a little more interesting by bringing along a cup dispenser from an old train station to trade with their clients, hoping to make some cash. They meet Will, the son of an auctioneer who has inherited a house packed with his dad’s collection and is coming to terms with letting the stuff go. The guys pick up tons of items, including an antique accordion on which Frank shows off his musical talents! Next, they truck to Indiana to meet a small town historian who takes everyone’s collectibles for safe keeping. There, they purchase a St. Louis Cardinals vintage baseball poster and Frank falls in love with a pinball machine featuring Happy Days’ the Fonz. Finally, Mike gets to experience his dream pick at a VW graveyard in Illinois, but Frank is the one who strikes gold when he buys a rare BSA motorcycle.
Episode 18: Too Hot to Handle
In upstate New York, the guys stop in at a sprawling treasure-laden farm with fourteen jam-packed trailers, the result of a lifetime of collecting by the late owner. His daughter needs to sell some of his things to help save the farm. Later, an eccentric mother-daughter duo sells their extraordinary 1856 home, an Underground Railroad site, and everything in it. Finally, the guys visit an old cheese factory that’s been boarded up for years, and the local fire department must break down the doors to get to the hot items.
Episode 17: Fairlane Fever
Mike and Frank challenge Danielle to sell a vintage carnival ride they’ve been storing for months. Meanwhile, the guys visit a collector with amazing pieces including an old gambling game used to get customers to spend more money. Later, the guys pick the International Clown Hall of Fame, where they find an amazing miniature automated carnival. And finally, after seeing at a Yamaha dirt bike for sale on a front lawn, retired mechanic Norm opens his garage to reveal a smoking-hot, 1967 Ford Fairlane muscle car. It’s love at first sight for Mike, but will his emotions get in the way of getting a great deal?
Episode 16: What's in the Box?
Mike and Frank visit a New York collector who’s filled a train station with vintage cars, and although the cars are hot, the prices cool their engines. But the pick isn’t as good as it looks until Mike finds a mysterious Italian trunk that hasn’t been opened in 50 years…and though it’s driving him crazy, he waits until he gets home to open it. The guys stop in at a New Hampshire home with a weathervane on the roof constructed from a real Harley motorbike. Inside, the couple’s sprawling collection includes a room full of retro arcade games. And finally, auctioneer Paul’s Rhode Island property is packed with treasures his late father rescued from the trash. Mike spies an impeccable 1967 Triumph motorbike and Frank buys a slew of vintage toy trucks. But the best is hidden inside a barn that hasn’t been touched in 15 years.
Episode 15: Danielle Goes Picking
After years of begging Mike and Frank to let her go on a pick, Danielle finally gets her chance. The three head out to visit a major collector with a barn full of hidden treasures. Next, Frank agrees to fill in for Danielle at the shop while she hits the road with Mike. In Pennsylvania, they pick the oddball home of two eccentric characters, and Danielle comes up with a winner when she tracks down a century-old hotel that's been vacant for years. Rooms full of furniture and a valuable pinball machine await.