Hot Rods and the Hot Rod Lifestyle Set to Rumble to Kansas Speedway for the Goodguys 7th Midwestern Nationals, August 29-31Kansas City, KS – Hear that throaty V-8 rumble off in the distance? It’s the sound of 3,000-plus hot rods and customs cars headed to the Kansas City Metro area. The Goodguys 7th Midwestern Nationals car show will take over Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, KS, turning the spacious Speedway into a scene from American Graffiti. Northern California based Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, producers of America’s largest hot rod festivals, have once again chosen Kansas City as the host city for its seventh edition of the Midwestern Nationals event. Event features include a car show, an automotive swap meet, a vendor exhibit midway, track cruise, Street Challenge auto-cross (performance road testing course) and a host of other automotive themed activities. The Goodguys 7th Midwestern Nationals is part of a 24 event annual hot rod and custom car series promoted and produced by the Goodguys. Goodguys events are held from New York to San Diego, from Seattle Florida and many points in between. The events are large, colorful and have often been referred to as a “State Fair of Automotive Excitement!” Lil’ deuce coupes, hot rod roadsters, lead-sled 50’s Mercury customs, ‘55-’57 Chevy’s, Camaro’s, Hemi Barracuda’s & BOSS 409 Mustangs and other timeless beauties will fill the garage buildings and the entire outdoor acreage of the Speedway.
“It is a no-brainer to hold a Goodguys National event at the Kansas Speedway” said Goodguys Vice President of Event Operations Harry Daviess. “Our events fit these Super Speedways perfectly. There’s lots of room to park and cruise, the pit garages serve as perfect spaces for the vendor midway and the participants feel at home at these venues. Throw in the track cruise, the Street Challenge autocross and a sea of brilliant ad colorful hot rods and you’ve got a winning formula which is fun for all participants and spectators.”
On Saturday evening, August 30– all participants with a car entered in the show will have the opportunity to cruise their car around the hi-banked speedway. In addition to the track cruise another popular driving event is the Street Challenge Autocross – a strategically mapped out road course designed to test the performance of participant vehicles.
The Goodguys 7th Midwestern Nationals will have everything the auto buff and gear head could ever want. A used parts automotive swap meet will join a special “cars for sale corral” where automotive treasure hunters can seek out hard to find parts and buy and/or sell the car of their dreams. For those who prefer their hot cars on a smaller scale, as in miniature version, model car giant Revell-Monogram will sponsor a model car show, complete with a “Make and Take” program where youngsters can build a model at the event and take it home with them.
Awards are a large part of any automotive event, and the Midwestern Nationals will offer plenty. Special awards like the “Low Lid” will go to the hot rod or custom car with the lowest roof. The “Homebuilt Heaven” pick, sponsored by Timberland/Pro apparel goes to a rod or custom that was completely built and fabricated by the owner in his or her own garage. The event will also showcase the PPG Dream Car award and also the Goodguys Fab 5. Close to eighty other specialty awards will be presented. A finalist will also be chosen for the following “Of the Year” awards: Muscle car of the Year Finalist, Custom Rod of the Year Finalist, Truck of the Year Late Finalist, and the Muscle Machine of the Year Finalist.
The event will also feature specialty parking areas with special themes. Goodguys Pro’s Picks, Ya Gotta Drive ‘Em to Get There, Homebuilt Heaven, Trick Truck Corral, Deuce Doin’s for 32’s, “Mighty Muscle” highlights Muscle Cars 1960 through 1972 and the “Young Guys” is for hot rodders 25 years old and younger. The special parking areas take place Saturday, August 30 from 8am to 2pm.
As an industry, hot rodding and classic American cars are healthier than ever. Magazine racks across the country are filled with hot rodding lifestyle magazine titles and prime time programming blocks on cable television are filled with such hit shows as Rides, Overhaulin’ and Spike TV’s “Power Block” – a weekly two hour slate of hi performance automotive and truck programming.
* In 2006, retail sales for street rod and custom car specialty equipment products reached $954 million and manufacturer sales were $325 million nationwide. In this case, street rod is defined as 1948 and older model-year vehicles, and customs include 1949 through early 1970s vehicles.
* Retail sales experienced a 56.4% increase between 1997 and 2006, with the largest year-to-year change occurring between 2004 and 2005 with 14.25%.
Goodguys Chairman and founder Gary Meadors, a 69 year old lifelong car enthusiast and ardent hot rodder isn’t surprised by rodding’s new found attention. “Colorful, customized American cars have always made people happy,” he said. “You drive down the road in a big foreign luxury sedan and people think you’re a snob. When you hit the road in a candy red ’57 Chevy, or a flamed ’32 Ford coupe with chrome glistening in the sun, people give you a hearty thumbs up and wave to you even though you’re a complete stranger. These cars extract human emotions. We’ve been doing hot rod events for over twenty years and mainstream America has now found out how cool these cars are and how much fun you can have building, owning and driving them.”
In Kansas City, the goal for Goodguys is simple; make a lot of people smile. “The city of Kansas City and the Kansas Speedway will provide a great backdrop for the event,” said Goodguys President, Marc Meadors. “The hotels in Kansas City and surrounding areas are filling up and local clubs are behind this event. We hope to establish a long term run here.” The event’s participants and spectators will pump a great amount of dollars into the local economy during the Midwestern Nationals event weekend.
Event hours are Friday and Saturday 8am to 5pm and Sunday 8am to 3pm. General admission is $17, and kids 7-12 $6. Kids 6 and under are FREE. Spectator parking is free. For additional event information, contact the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association at (925) 838-9876 or visit www.good-guys.com. For local information call the Kansas Speedway at 913/328-3300 or visit their website, www.kansasspeedway.com.
