Get Ready, Get Set – It’s Go Time for Goodguys Good Times in 2026
Many of you are likely putting away holiday decorations, getting kids back to school, and rebooting mentally for the new year as you peruse through our most recent features and stories. Meanwhile, the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association team has been hard at work planning and prepping so you can experience a season of great hot rod events in 2026!
Everyone at Goodguys are gearing up to ensure that this year will be one of the best yet when it comes to cruising, car shows, and fun times with other gearheads. While we’re still polishing some details, we wanted to share highlights of what to expect in Goodguys’ 43rd season!
WHAT’S NEW?
We are always looking for new locations and fun ways to deliver the best automotive events. For 2026, we are stoked for a couple major updates, starting with our return to Georgia for the 26th Southeastern Nationals. This two-day National event, held June 12-13, will take place at the beautiful Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agriculture Center in Perry, just south of Macon. It’s been a few years since we’ve been to this region, so we’re excited to bring good ol’ hot rod fun to the area and share a Coke with a bag of boiled peanuts.
Another big change is a new venue and fresh event format in Nashville. The inaugural BASF Legends of Hot Rodding will be held May 15-16 at the recently renovated Nashville Fairgrounds near downtown. This smaller venue will provide an intimate location for Goodguys members to showcase their ’64-and-older rods, customs, and classics. The number of participants will be limited, and we’ll still be hosting the Tanks Inc. Hot Rod of the Year Competition combined with live music throughout the event, after parties, a variety of specialty awards, indoor and outdoor displays, a speakeasy, and so much more.
TWO-DAY AFFAIRS
You may have noticed that both new events are billed as two-day gatherings. We’ve listened to feedback from enthusiasts and vendors and will try a few two-day formats for several events in 2026. The Friday-and-Saturday formats will still pack all the usual automotive fun into a more condensed timeframe, while giving participants Sundays to travel home, save on a hotel, and prepare for the week ahead. Most of our largest and longest-running events will continue to happen over three days, like the Summit Racing Nationals in Columbus, the Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals in Des Moines, the Meguiar’s Del Mar Nationals, West Coast Nationals, Griot’s Garage Nationals in Colorado, and the season-ending Speedway Motors Southwest Nationals in Scottsdale. Make sure to check the event dates before booking your travel!
ALL ACROSS THE USA
The Goodguys event series stretches coast to coast in 2026 and begins March 6-7 in Texas at the 16th LMC Truck Spring Lone Star Nationals presented by Old Air Products, a change from its April date the past two years. We then head west for the 16th FiTech Fuel Injection Spring Nationals presented by Grundy Insurance in Scottsdale, Arizona, before finishing the month March 28-29 at the 42nd All American Get-Together in Pleasanton, California.
April sees us going from one side of the country to another, starting with the 25th Meguiar’s Del Mar Nationals presented by FiTech Fuel Injection April 10-12, followed by the 11th Griot’s Garage North Carolina Nationals in Raleigh April 17-18. May and June each have one event, the aforementioned BASF Legends of Hot Rodding in Nashville May 15-16, and the new LMC Truck Southeastern Nationals in Perry, Georgia, June 12-13.
We’ll be jammin’ in July with three of our biggest events, starting on the 4th of July weekend in Des Moines, Iowa, for the 35th Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals. This fan favorite attracts more than 5,000 specialty vehicles and this year we’ll celebrate our country’s 250th birthday with a spectacular fireworks display Saturday night. The following weekend is the massive 28th Summit Racing Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. With construction wrapped up at the Ohio Expo Center, a new host hotel, plus competition for the 2026 Street Machine and Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year, this show is sure to be huge! We close the month in Puyallup, Washington, July 24-26 for the 38th Griot’s Garage Pacific Northwest Nationals presented by Wicked Fabrication.
As the summer winds down, we turn up the heat starting with the 39th West Coast Nationals August 21-23 in Pleasanton, California. Then it’s off to the Rockies for the 28th Griot’s Garage Colorado Nationals September 11-13. The schedule takes us to Texas one more time with the 33rd Summit Racing Lone Star Nationals with a new two-day format, October 2-3, a week later than previous years.
The season concludes with a final western swing, first to the 35th Fuel Curve Autumn Get-Together in Pleasanton, November 14-15. We then return to Scottsdale, Arizona, for the 29th Speedway Motors Southwest Nationals, a fantastic finale that delivers an exclusive display of the Goodguys 2026 Top 12 presented by BASF winners, plus lots of sun, fun, and countless cool rides.
FAMILY FUN AND ACTION
We want to make sure that everyone in the family has a good time at Goodguys events, which is why we feature an Auto World Family Fun Zone where the little ones can play games, race around a mini autocross track, take part in special crafts, or participate in the model car Make & Take. Every event also features live music, and many also have a Goodgals Gallery where you’ll find home-made crafts, collectibles, and other unique items. Many events have a Poker Run or Hot Rod Cruise on Thursday that provide a chance to cruise with your friends while checking out local shops and sights, while three-day National events include Meguiar’s All American Sundays, where all years of American-made and -powered vehicles are welcome. Be sure to check the Weekend Haps tab on the Events page of our website to see what’s in store for each event.
There’s plenty more action to take in throughout each event weekend, such as Goodguys AutoCross competition where racers compete for fast times on a tight coned course, or Summit Racing Nitro Thunderfest exhibitions featuring vintage dragsters revving their supercharged engines. Some events feature a tire-melting Burnout Competition, demolition derby, or lowrider hopping contest. That’s not even getting into popular attractions like the Pinstriper’s Brush Bashes, swap meets, or vendor midways where the top names in the industry showcase their latest parts.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES
While attending a Goodguys show is mostly about experiencing the cool cars and camaraderie of fellow gearheads, there are many opportunities for your ride to receive recognition. Goodguys staff and sponsors scour the show grounds to find standout rides to receive one of more than 60 awards at each event. At each National event, we also welcome a well-known builder to select the coveted Builder’s Choice Top 10 Awards. These coveted honors come with custom trophies designed and produced by the selecting builder.
Speaking of prestigious, enthusiasts can also vie for a Goodguys Top 12 “Of The Year” award presented by BASF. These elite honors are broken down into 12 distinct categories. Some, like the Meguiar’s West Coast d’Elegance, have finalists and a winner chosen at a specific event. Others, like Vintage Air Custom Rod of the Year, recognize regional finalists at specified events, with a winner selected at the end of the year. To learn more, follow over to Goodguys Top 12 presented by BASF, check out the Awards tab on our website.
Younger enthusiasts under 30 can enter their rides in the Goolsby Customs Next Generation award program. This is one of our Saturday Specialty Parking Areas and recognizes rodders under 30 that have played a major part in building their car or truck. At the end of the year, all the Next Generation event winners are evaluated to determine a national champion.
ROAD TRIP!
One of the original mantras that helped establish Goodguys was founder Gary Meadors’ favorite saying, “Ya gotta drive ’em!” More than four decades later, we’re proud to provide a number of cruises, day trips and road tours to get you behind the wheel of your favorite ride. In fact, you can check out coverage from our 2025 Hall of Fame Road Tour in the February issue of the Goodguys Gazette.
The 2026 Hall of Fame Road Tour is still in the planning stages right now, as are several other tours, but you can count on our annual Cruise to Columbus happening in July, Hot Rod Week before the West Coast Nationals, and other poker runs and day tours before many events. Check out the Road Tours listing under the Events tab on our website for more details.
START MAKING PLANS
Now that you have an overview of what’s ahead in 2026, save yourself some time (and cash) by pre-registering for your favorite events, or by making plans to attend a new one. Registration is open for all 2026 events, so get yourself signed up and get ready to join the fun! We’ve made some improvements to our online registration process to streamline the process at the Events tab at good-guys.com. We can’t wait for the season to kick off, and we hope to see you soon!
