|
It is a no-brainer to hold a Goodguys National event at the Kansas Speedway said Goodguys Vice President of Event Operations Harry Davies. 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, September 1 – 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 Autocross takes place both Friday and Saturday 9 am to noon and 1 pm to 4 pm.
The Goodguys 6th 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 Home built 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 Rod & Custom Top Tin, and the Classic Trucks Finest 5, plus the Goodguys Pro Picks. Close to eighty other specialty awards will be presented.
The event will also feature specialty parking areas with special themes. The Deuces are Wild area features only 1932 model cars and trucks in honor of the 32 model years 75th birthday. The Fins are Fifty are celebrated the 50th birthday of 1957 model cars such as the iconic 57 Chevy. 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, September 1 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 67 year old lifelong car enthusiast and ardent hot rodder isn’t surprised by roddings 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 events 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 $15, and kids 7-12 $6. Kids 6 and under are FREE. Spectator parking is free. Sunday, September 2 is Family Fun Day with kids 12 and under admitted free to the event. 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.
|
