asked, innocently, if he would be inter-
ested on having his car featured on
local television. We glossed over some
of the details – like having to bring the
car to the studio downtown at 5 a.m.
The thought of having his car on tele-
vision put stars in his eyes. Cresanta
lunged at the opportunity like a hun-
gry largemouth bass goes after a shiny
lure. Once he was hooked, we played
him like a pro on a cable TV fishing
show.
A 4:30 a.m. wake-up call has a
sobering effect on even the most star-
struck car owner. Good to his word,
Cresanta met us at the hotel’s en-
trance and we took off dor downtown
Charlotte. Traffic was nonexistent at
that hour. The TV crew was already
set up on the sidewalk when we ar-
rived. The producer quickly introduced
himself and provided an outline of
what would happen. The news co-an-
chor would open the segment, using
the car as a prop, and give a who-
what-where-when introduction. He ex-
plained that the event at the track was
the annual convention of the national
The SHELBY AMERICAN
Fall 2016 74