AUSTINTOWN — Jerry Dixey spent most of his career driving around the 48 states stopping at famous car events.

Those tours were done with the project car from Street Rodder magazine. He is now planning to revisit a lot of those sites with a special bus tour.

For Dixey, it has been a dream career with an unusual start. Dixey graduated from Canfield High School in 1969 and headed to Youngstown State University for a degree in business.

“While I attended YSU, I also had a bike shop,” Dixey said. “We built custom bikes (motorcycles). I would take a morning class at YSU from 9 to 10 a.m., work the bike shop from 10 to 5 p.m., then head back to YSU for night classes from 6 to 9 p.m.”

The hard work paid off. He graduated in 1975 and met his wife, Mary Ann Karas, while at the university. It was also that year when Dixey began to transition into customizing vans, which caught on and brought about a name change to Ohio Van and Truck Supply.

The business succeeded and Dixey was able to pursue his other passion — collectibles. In 1989, he built a showroom and started another new company, “Classic Automobilia.”

“We got to know a lot of people in the industry because we were selling at various shows,” Dixey said.

In his collectibles venture, he got into peddle cars. He started writing about the cars, beginning with one article for Street Rodder magazine that turned into five articles.

“I got to be friends with the magazine staff,” he said. “In 1995, I was at a show in Las Vegas and had lunch with editor Tom Vogele from Street Rodder. I suggested he had a hot rod built and taken to National Street Rodder Association events.”

He also suggested building a car and driving it to the events around the nation. At that time, many would trailer their classic or custom cars around the country, but Dixey felt driving the magazine’s project car would show others that a street rod can be driven.

In 1996, Dixey was contracted to run the magazine’s “Road Tour” program. The magazine would feature the car’s build, then upon completion, would feature it as Dixey drove it around the 48 states. He would also be a photojournalist covering each auto event the tour stopped at for the magazine. By 2005, Dixey had attended 110 NSRA events across the nation. The first project vehicle in the 1997 tour was a 1934 Ford coupe.

By 2005, the project car and road tour was becoming more and more popular. Many street rod enthusiasts began asking if they could tag along and the magazine had Dixey write an article to open it up to other street rod and hot rod owners.

“I organized week-long tours all summer,” Dixey said. “I’d have as many as 50 cars traveling with me and I was responsible for the itinerary.”

It continued until 2019 when Street Rodder magazine ceased publication.

“We still had a lot of people wanting to keep touring, so we planned three tours each summer,” Dixey said. “My wife Mary Ann and I decided that we would continue the program and formed Classic Road Tours LLC. From 2021 until this past summer we organized three-week-long tours. Mary Ann and I decided that, for a number of reasons, 2024 would be what we called “The Last Road-eo.” We announced that we would not be doing any more Road Tours going forward.”

Dixey did announce he was organizing some bus tours in 2025.

“This January, we are going to start at the famous Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale collector car auction and then take a week-long bus trip from Scottsdale to Pomona, California, to attend the 75th Grand National Roadster Show. We will be visiting car attractions along the way in Southern California.”

He said the Grand National Roadster Show is one of the premier indoor custom car shows in the nation.

“I already have 34 people signed up and expect to add a few more as we get closer,” he said.

The trip to the national show is something that was on Dixey’s bucket list as well as for many others. He will be accompanied by his wife, who has been a big help setting up the road tours over the years. She did get to attend a few tours, but is glad her husband had a chance to do this.

“I loved the irony that Jerry — a business major — pursued a career in photojournalism, while I — an English major — ran his business for him while he was on the road,” Mary Ann said. “But I was happy to hold down the fort while he was gone. After all, not everyone gets a chance to live out their dream.”

In 2026, the couple will celebrate their 50th anniversary.

The bus trip in 2025 is the only one planned as of the present time, but Dixey did say there is a chance it may become an annual event. He said it just made sense because street rodders like himself are getting up in age and a cross-country drive in a hot rod is not a great experience like it used to be. The bus trip is a better option for older car buffs who still want to cruise America.