Weekend Rewind! Goodguys 15th FiTech Fuel Injection Spring Nationals presented by Grundy Insurance
Hey, ho, let’s go! It’s time to launch the 2025 Goodguys event season and we got things rockin’ and rollin’ this weekend in Arizona as the 15th FiTech Fuel Injection Spring Nationals presented by Grundy Insurance took over WestWorld of Scottsdale. Yes, we kicked off the season in the same place we completed the last one, and rodders from around the region and beyond showed up in full force and ready to pick up right where we left off. They were rewarded with three fun-filled days of good friends, old cars, and the great times that come when you combine them.
Springtime weather can be finicky, even in Arizona, but thankfully the spring showers in the forecast were primarily overnight during our time at WestWorld. The Thursday Hot Rod Tour went off without a hitch and visited some fun collections and great shops, leading us into a cool and cloudy Friday that encouraged enthusiasts to ease into the weekend. We capped off the first full day with at TGIF party at Fat Fender Garage and Porterbuilt Fab in nearby Gilbert, Arizona.
By Saturday morning, we had bright sun, blue skies, and a facility that was jam packed with gearheads ready for a good time! We made a few changes to the layout this spring, moving the Builder’s Choice section and a few other Saturday Specialty Parking Areas down to the lower level. That’s where Doug Jerger and his team from Squeeg’s Kustoms went searching for worthy cars and trucks to receive their coveted Builder’s Choice Top 10 awards. They found some fantastic recipients that reflected the full spectrum of the event, from early hot rods to midcentury cruisers and customs and even later-model street machines and trucks. It was a fine lineup of awesome iron!
The Goodguys team handed out some new hardware for the new event season, too. In addition to dozens of awards and picks, we chose two fine finalists for BASF Top 12 Awards – Dana Wappler’s ’66 Chevelle for Griot’s Garage Muscle Machine of the Year, and Andy Shirk’s ’50 Lincoln for Fuel Curve Custom of the Year. Our media team tapped Dave Hooker’s Model A roadster for the Goodguys Feature Pick.
Goodguys AutoCross racers have been revved up and ready for a new season, too, and we dropped the green flag with the 2025 Spring Nationals over on the west side of the facility. The class action was fast and frenetic and led to an exciting Saturday afternoon of competition in the G-Comp by Speedway Motors Spring Shootout. Robby Unser claimed the PRO-X class and shootout wins in the Team Speedway ’67 Cobra, while Chris Stoner won the Summit Racing PRO class in his ’69 Camaro, only to have Brian Martin come back and beat him in the shootout in the Team Speedway ’86 Corvette. Johnny Tindle claimed the class and shootout wins in the Forgeline Street Machine class in his ’65 Nova, while Jason Wilcox did the same in the No Limit Engineering Truck class racing a ’72 Blazer. Mark Golovin claimed the Sports Car class and shootout victories in his 2000 Camaro, while Bob Koereselman raced his ’95 Corvette to the Challenger class and shootout wins. We finished off the weekend with All American Sunday, where Brendan King won the class in a 2023 Camaro, and Mark Golovin claimed the shootout victory in a 2001 Camaro.
The action, activity, and excitement weren’t confined to the winner’s circle or AutoCross track, though. There were cool cars and trucks, fun happenings, and thousands of fellow enthusiasts to hang out with throughout the WestWorld facility all weekend long. Squarebody Syndicate and GSI Machine and Fabrication hosted a huge GM Truck Get-Together in the lower vendor area, right near the Summit Racing Nitro Thunderfest display where there were multiple exhibitions throughout the weekend. A massive swap meet lined the south and west ends of the event grounds, while scores of hot rod vendors could be found both inside and out. Add in some great food options, live music, family activities, and more, and you had the makings of a laid-back car-crazy weekend that was perfectly suited for kicking off the Goodguys season.
We finished off the weekend with our first Meguiar’s All American Sunday of the year, welcoming later-model American-made and American-powered vehicles to join the fun with the vintage rides. Dozens of award-winning cars and trucks filled in our colorful winner’s circle and created an impressive parade as they cruised past the awards stage on Sunday afternoon. It was a fitting finale to a great Spring Nationals weekend of Goodguys Good Times, and it provided a springtime sampling of all the fun yet to come in the year ahead. So, get that ride ready and get yourself revved up for the season ahead – Goodguys will be coming to a city near you soon!
Photos by Damon Lee and Terry Lysak
