Hot Rods and the Hot Rod Lifestyle Set to Rumble to the Texas Motor Speedway for the
Goodguys 15th Lone Star Nationals, October 5-7

vendor exhibit midway, track cruise, Street Challenge autocross (performance road testing course for event participants) and a host of other automotive themed activities. The Goodguys 15^th Lone Star Nationals is the twentieth of twenty-three annual hot rod and custom car events 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 entire infield of the Speedway

 “It is a no-brainer to hold a Goodguys National event at the Texas Motor 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.”

Johnny Rutherford, Ft. Worth resident, 3-time Indy 500 champion and racing legend will be honored as the Hot Rod Hero for the event. He will be on hand for autographs at the event.

On Saturday evening, October 6– 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 4 pm for registered event participants.

The Goodguys 15^th Lone Star 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 Lone Star 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 Street Rodder Top 100, and the Classic Trucks Finest 5, plus the Boyd Coddington’s Pro’s Picks, and close to eighty other specialty awards will be presented.  In addition, a finalist for the Truck of the Year Early award, Truck of the Year Late award and Muscle Car of the Year finalist will be all chosen at this event.

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 year’s 75^th birthday. The “Fins are Fifty” are celebrated the 50^th 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, October 6 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 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 Ft. Worth, the goal for Goodguys is simple; make a lot of people smile. “The city of Ft. Worth and the Texas Motor Speedway will provide a great backdrop for the event,” said Goodguys President, Marc Meadors. “The hotels in Ft. Worth and surrounding areas are filling up and local clubs are behind this event. We are proud of the long term run we have had here.” The event’s participants and spectators will pump a great amount of dollars into the local economy during the Lone Star 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, October 7 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 Texas Motor Speedway at 817/215-8500 or visit their website, www.texasmotorspeedway.com

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