Friday First Look! Goodguys 27th Summit Racing Nationals Presented by PPG
As Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders sang, “Ay, oh, way to go, Ohio”! In the song, that line is delivered with a bit of cynicism, but if you were part of the throngs of hot rodders at the Goodguys 27th Summit Racing Nationals Presented by PPG on Friday, that lyric rings loud and clear as Ohio absolutely rocked the first day of Goodguy’s Big One!
The fun started Thursday morning with a warm-up poker run around the area with neat stops and sights culminating with a huge cruise night at both host hotels. Come Friday morning, the Ohio Expo Center was packed with hot rodding families geared up for a fun weekend of cool cars, cool people and good times. The weather certainly worked in everyone’s favor with plenty of sun to light up the chrome and fantastic colors on thousands of customs and classics.
Finding a little shade now and then was as simple as strolling into one of Expos’s buildings such as the Kasich Hall where there is a gathering of Tri-Five Chevys of all forms to celebrate their 70th anniversary. The Bricker Building, always a favorite, is packed with the top hot rodding manufacturers showcasing their latest products at the special New Product Awards. Plus, the kids got a chance to play games, check out the Auto World model car Make and take, and experience the interactive Auto Metal Direct automotive experience with live demos and maybe catch your favorite YouTube personality.
The SEMA Hot Rod Industry Alliance was on hand for their Education Days where manufacturers were presenting technical seminars about their products and best practices for installation and across the grounds was a huge indoor swap meet! All of this was intertwined by rows and rows of great cars and cruising – including a special Pro Street rollout with the echo of blown big blocks rumbling about fairgrounds throughout the Summit Racing Nationals.
The Goodguys Nationals brings the best street rods and street machines from across the country to compete in the Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year and PPG Street Machine of the Year competitions. These two awards, part of the Goodguys Top 12 of the Year presented by BASF, will be announced during a special presentation on Saturday evening – something you don’t want to miss!
There’s plenty of motorsports action taking place at the Goodguys AutoCross track as drivers dodge cones and race against the clock to score a position in the “Forgeline Buckeye AutoCross Shootout” on Saturday evening plus the Burnout Competition, Nitro Thunderfest vintage dragster exhibition, live music, and so much more.
The Summit Racing Nationals delivers non-stop fun and good times for the whole family – and this was just day one! Make your way to Columbus or check in on the Goodguys social media outlets to stay up on the good times and highlights – “Ay, oh, way to go, Ohio!”
Photos by Damon Lee, Terry Lysak and Todd Ryden
