Chasing the Crown – Raising the Bar is an Annual Tradition at the 2026 Triple Crown of Rodding
The Triple Crown of Rodding presented by Summit Racing Equipment has quickly ascended into legendary event status and routinely packs Nashville Superspeedway with over-the-top hot rods and customs. In its fourth year, Bobby Alloway and Gary Case put their heads together to create an epic event, and they haven’t let off the throttle yet. More cars, more vendors and more spectators rolled into the show, and it’s all condensed into a two-day span, keeping the energy level high for the duration of the event.
This event continues to draw some of the world’s finest hot rods, muscle cars, and custom creations, and the 2026 edition took build quality to the next level. Friday’s highlight is the judging area, which covers the length of pit road and features three rows of high-class machines from all over the country. There are hundreds of cars in the judging area and well north of 2,000 cars throughout the Nashville Superspeedway infield. Past AMBR winners, Ridler winners, and all sorts of Goodguys award winners assemble, vying for the coveted Top 30 awards, Elite 10 awards and of course, the Triple Crown awards in six classifications. There are also several specialty awards and celebrity picks in the mix. Fresh cars are also debuted at the Triple Crown of Rodding, making for an exciting first day of the event.
In addition to the judging area, there’s a giant parking area for the folks who just want to hang out and enjoy some hot rod fellowship such as the Patina Plantation reserved for well-seasoned cars and trucks and other special areas for groups of hot rodders that traveled to the event together. There was high speed action blasting around the Nashville Superspeedway infield road course with an exciting rip around turns one and two. These corner carving cars and trucks were part of the BFGoodrich Share the Ride program, providing hundreds of rides throughout the two-day event. As if that wasn’t enough, a three-car cackle fest, a charity auction with several pinstripers making custom artwork, as well as a celebrity meet and greet with industry icons like Chip Foose, Corky Coker and more than a dozen others.
On Saturday, the award-winning vehicles come back to pit road for a beautiful display, giving spectators a great view of the cars and plenty of room to move around them for a closer look. The final act of the event is the awards ceremony and giveaways, which include a 50/50 drawing, a Blueprint Engines giveaway and a brand-new Chevrolet truck customized by Alloway’s Rod Shop. The exciting element of the awards program is that the winning participants do not know where they rank until they are pulled out of line during the program.
The Triple Crown Award Winners:
Street Rod of the Year – Nicole Baird, 1932 Ford Roadster by Squeeg’s Kustoms
Street Cruiser of the Year – Doyle and Karen Thomas, 1957 Cadillac Eldorado by Rutterz Rodz
Street Machine of the Year – Dennis King, 1969 Ford Torino by Dutchboys Hotrods
Truck of the Year Pre 1972 – Wendy and Kevin Flondor, 1968 Chevy Z/10 by Bump & Grind Auto Body
Truck of the Year 1973-1987 – Scott Luscombe, 1985 Chevy K10 by Slick’s Fab Shop
Truck of the Year 1988-1998 – Mike Brennan, 1997 Chevy Tahoe by Greening Auto Company
Although this event is much more than a collection of awards, its notoriety brings out the best builders in the country, and the quality continues to elevate every year. That level of excitement will keep this event fresh for many years to come, and plans are already in place to get together again in 2027. Mark your calendars for September 10th and 11th, 2027 and experience it firsthand. You can find more information at the Triple Crown of Rodding.
Photos and Story by Tommy Lee Byrd
