Legendary Pro Street Thunderbird appeared in Super Bowl ad

DU QUOIN - Street Machine Nationals attendees and fans who tuned into the Super Bowl this past February did a couple of double-takes, when the legendary, pink 1988 Ford Thunderbird of Matt and Debbie Hay was rolling through a Doritos commercial. The spot also featured Chance the Rapper (who was behind the wheel of the T-Bird) and the Backstreet Boys. The Super Bowl commercial is still airing on television, over four months later, and has recently surpassed 16 million views on YouTube.

The couple, who calls the Phoenix area home, will be in attendance at the upcoming General Tire Street Machine Nationals at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds, June 21-23, with the Thunderbird on display.

Matt and Debbie, who are Legends of Pro Street, have won numerous awards at the Du Quoin Street Machine Nationals over the years, including Grand Champion. The Thunderbird made its first trip to the SMN in 1988 and took home Best Overall Street Car, Best Engineering and Best Paint in its Nationals debut.

After several years on the show car circuit, "life happened," including raising a family, which changed the couple's priorities and the T-Bird ultimately was sold. Fast forward to when the Street Machine Nationals returned to the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in 2013, a plan was set in motion for Matt and Debbie to reacquire the Thunderbird and bring it back to the event.

They did just that in 2014, after purchasing the car from an owner in Western Pennsylvania. After making the 30-plus hour, 2,000-plus mile trek back to Arizona, a 10-month "labor of love" ensued to prepare the car for the Street Machine Nationals. Among the modifications made during this stint was adding twin super chargers.

Over 30 years since it first made its way to the Street Machine Nationals, the T-Bird continues to turn heads and gain fans, as it has been introduced to a new generation of Street Machine Nationals attendees.

This year's edition of the General Tire Street Machine Nationals, runs from Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 23 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.

Discount tickets are available for the General Tire Street Machine Nationals at participating O'Reilly Auto Parts locations, Black Diamond Harley-Davidson and Roadhouse Harley-Davidson stores.

To purchase tickets in advance online for the General Tire Street Machine Nationals, visit www.streetmachinenationals.net. Ticket fees apply for online orders.

At the gate, tickets are $15 (ages 11-over), with kids (ages 10-under) free with a paid adult.