Youngstown, OH

So remember when I worried about pulling into Detroit in my Korean import? Well, I should have worried about Lordstown, OH.

Actually, no one gave me a hard time. But this is definitely GM country. Ken Jakubec worked at the Lordstown plant for more than 36 years. He retired just too early to get one of those big buyout packages, but told me he has no regrets. Now he’s happy coordinating this weekly classic car show at the Quaker Steak and Lube in Austintown.

Locals are all revved up about the new Chevrolet Cruze, coming in 2010.

As drivers shift to more fuel-efficient cars, the Lordstown plant has already added a third shift to pump out the Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5. And local realtors like Leon Turek hope the extra workers will help jump start the economy in nearby Youngstown, where the foreclosure rate is among the highest in the country.

So tomorrow, it’s on to the original Motor City, Detroit.

But in just a few days now…meet me in St. Louis?