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Back roads. Byways. Scenic highways. Arizona is chock full of them.

Here are five of our favorites.

Route 66: small-town America, with a side of kitsch

'Get your kitsch on Route 66' might be a better slogan for Arizona’s scrubby stretch of Mother Road. Lumbering dinosaurs. A wigwam motel. A prank-filled ice-cream shop. You’d think these people didn’t realize Interstate 40 passed them by a few decades ago.

Western Arizona is home to one of the longest stretches of pure, unadulterated Route 66 – 173 free-range miles that never join the interstate. From Topock, on Arizona’s western border, Route 66 rolls north to Oatman, passing through the town’s craggy hills, begging burros and hokey Old West charms. Then it’s a twisting drive past tumbleweeds and saguaros on the way to the Black Mountains and a final push to Kingman.

Thank You Bumper to Bumper Radio Auto Care Network Members!

The Bumper to Bumper Radio preferred Shop members teamed up again for a record breaking effort by raising over $9,400 for Phoenix Children’s Hospital this year in conjunction with KTAR’s record breaking drive of over 1.1 million for the 2013 KTAR Give-A-Thon!

The Goodguys 5th Spring Nationals is a colorful hot rod & custom car festival featuring over 2,500 hot rods, customs, classics, street rods, muscle cars & trick trucks through 1972 vintage.  In addition to the car show, the festival will include vendor exhibits, a swap meet and cars-for-sale area, special “themed” parking areas, Goodguys Autocross (to test vehicle agility and performance), model car show, kids fun—PPG Coloring contest, Revell model car kit make ‘ take sessions,  and lots of fun for the entire family!

Sunday, March 9, will feature All American Sunday open to all years American made and powered vehicles.  Participants who enter on Sunday will able to run the Goodguys AutoCross, be a part of the show n’ shine and be eligible for the awards on Sunday.

This event officially kicks off the Rod & Custom Association’s 19-event national tour for 2014.

TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 12, 2014 -- The 2014 Honda CR-V, the best-selling SUV in America for the past two years, has won a U.S. News & World Report "Best Cars for the Money" award. The highly-versatile and feature-packed CR-V was named "Best Compact SUV for the Money" among 2014 vehicles sold in the United States. 

"The CR-V offers more quality, utility, comfort, fuel-efficiency, and fun-to-drive character than many more-expensive competitors," said Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of Automobile Operations at American Honda. "Value for the money is one of the key things that customers expect when buying a Honda, and this award recognizes the CR-V's fulfillment of that promise."

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 13, 2014  -- Women and younger car owners are the most likely to give a nickname and associate a gender to their vehicles, according to a new report from DMEautomotive. The survey on car-naming behavior investigates the depth of the emotional connection between consumers and their cars as represented by the degree to which they personify and ascribe a gender to their vehicles. The survey was fielded among approximately 2,000 consumers in 2013, and also revealed that one in five car owners nickname their vehicles.

Bloomington, Ill., January 13, 2014 — Nearly all drivers could improve what is in their trunk to be better prepared for roadside emergencies. A new survey by State Farm and KRC Research shows two-thirds of drivers (67 percent) had some sort of “junk” in their trunk ranging from car detailing equipment to toys and used food or drink containers. Additionally, drivers shared a variety of strange “junk” items in their trunk including an old gorilla costume to an inflatable sheep to a wedding dress. Getting rid of the “junk” (non-emergency supplies) and adding the right supplies will help people deal with the unexpected and get back on the road.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., March 18, 2014 -- Singing out loud is the number one activity while driving, according to a consumer survey from DMEautomotive released in conjunction with National Collision Awareness month. And more dangerous distracted driving activities such as sending/receiving a text, talking on the phone, and eating, rank in the top five activities performed while driving. 

While singing out loud doesn't make distraction.gov's list of distracted driving activities, the rest in the top five do. This is sobering given that in 2012 alone, 3,328 people were killed in distracted-driving crashes.[1] And, according to the DMEa survey, younger drivers are much more likely to be multi-tasking while driving: roughly 9 in 10 admit to engaging in other activities while driving – and they are significantly more likely to be doing every single distracted driving behavior measured in the survey from texting, eating, talking on phone, using email, watching TV, working on laptop, changing clothes and putting on makeup.

BOSTON, March 18, 2014 -- Teens know that drinking or using a cell phone while driving are dangerous behaviors – that's no surprise. What is surprising is that according to a new survey from Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), teens seem to have a different definition of what it actually means to engage in these potentially deadly behaviors. From drinking or texting while driving to using a designated driver, the new survey highlights a sharp disconnect between what teens acknowledge as risky behavior and what they actually admit to doing behind the wheel.

Spring is here and so are rising gas prices. Not to worry, says the Car Care Council. A few simple and inexpensive vehicle maintenance steps can stretch your dollar at the pump and go a long way toward protecting the environment.

“Many motorists don’t realize that fuel consumption is directly related to auto care and has a significant impact on how much gas you use,” said Rich White, executive director, Car Care Council. “Gas prices can climb quickly, but the good news is that you can fight back. By properly maintaining your vehicle, you can improve fuel economy while saving money.”

The non-profit Car Care Council encourages motorists to be car care aware and perform simple maintenance to improve fuel economy.

Car expert Lauren Fix, The Car Coach demonstrates how to properly and legally hitch a trailer. Watch frightening footage of what happens when a trailer is improperly hitched.