See the USA the Goodguys Way! Gearing Up for Good Times from Coast to Coast with the Goodguys 2025 Season
Who’s ready to fire up their rides, hit the road, and enjoy some Goodguys Good Times in 2025? Well, you’re in luck because the Goodguys 2025 event season is almost upon us, and they can’t wait to bring their four-wheeled fun to an event near you!
It’s a brand-new year, and soon the days will be getting longer, the temperatures warmer, and the conditions will be just right for cruising in that special car or truck of yours. Goodguys is gearing up to make their 42nd season the best one yet, with a full roster of events that promise to deliver fun and welcoming environments for hot rodders, gearheads, and car enthusiasts of all types. The hard working Goodguys team is putting the final polish on 2025 event season and we wanted to give you the lowdown so you can start planning and getting your special ride ready to go!
COAST-TO-COAST CRUISIN’
From Southern California and western Washington to Delaware and North Carolina, the Goodguys 2025 event schedule stretches from one edge of the continent to the other! Goodguys 15-event lineup is mostly consistent with last year, with a few noteworthy updates.
Goodguys will bookend the 2025 season at the sprawling WestWorld of Scottsdale facility in Arizona by kicking off with the 15th FiTech Fuel Injection Nationals presented by Grundy Insurance on March 14-16, and ending the season November 21-23 with the 28th Speedway Motors Southwest Nationals. The eight months in between will be packed with good-time hot rod happenings in a wide variety of regions.
In addition to our two-day Get-Together events in Pleasanton, California, three of their National events will also be two-day affairs this year. The 2nd Grundy Insurance Mid-Atlantic Nationals presented by R&M Performance in Dover, Delaware, and the 15th LMC Truck Spring Lone Star Nationals presented by Old Air Products will deliver all the hot rodding fun and the Goodguys weekend experience you’ve come to expect, but will now be packed into a new two-day Friday-and-Saturday format. The 10th Griot’s Garage North Carolina Nationals will also follow this Friday-Saturday format due to Easter weekend. Swap meet sellers and shoppers will be happy to hear that the Spring Lone Star Nationals will again take place concurrently with the historic Pate Swap Meet at Texas Motor Speedway!
Goodguys’ longstanding three-event summer swing commences the 4th of July weekend in Des Moines, Iowa, for the 34th Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals, which includes a spectacular Saturday night fireworks display. The following weekend it’s on to Columbus, Ohio, for the 27th Summit Racing Nationals where the PPG Street Machine and Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year winners will be crowned. To close out July, Goodguys heads to Puyallup, Washington the weekend of July 25–27 for the 37th Griot’s Garage Pacific Northwest Nationals presented by Wicked Fabrication.
Of course, the Goodguys tradition of family-style automotive fun can be experienced at any of the 15 events on this year’s calendar, which can be found inside the back cover of this magazine or online at good-guys.com. The balance this season’s events will happen on their traditional weekends and at their usual venues.
SPECIAL DISPLAYS & ATTRACTIONS
Two of Goodguys signature summer events will feature a special Tri-Five Nationals Indoor Display presented by Golden Star, which will commemorate the 70th anniversary of Tri-Five Chevys! These displays will showcase dozens of 1955-57 Chevys and will be highlights at the Summit Racing Nationals in Columbus, and the 38th West Coast Nationals August 22-24 in Pleasanton, California. We can’t wait to see the amazing array of bitchin’ Bow-Ties!
Beyond those special anniversary gatherings, you’ll find many focused displays and attractions at other Goodguys 2025 events, like the PPG Lowrider Palace and the Suede & Chrome Palace at the Meguiar’s Del Mar Nationals. There’s also a full lineup of Saturday Specialty Parking Areas at every event, which gather like-minded enthusiasts and vehicles in special areas like Speedway Motors Homebuilt Heaven, the Corvette Corral sponsored by Coffman Corvette, the Air-Cooled Corral, or the LMC Truck Trick Truck Corral.
TROPHY TIME
Most people attend Goodguys events for the sheer fun and camaraderie of spending time with fellow enthusiasts, but there are also dozens of awards, picks, and trophies that recognize and celebrate standout rides at every event. The Builder’s Choice Top 10 awards, selected by notable industry builders, are highlights at each Goodguys National event, and there are scores of other picks handed out to cars and trucks from throughout the show.
The coveted BASF Top 12 “Of the Year” awards are the highest-ranking honors in the Goodguys awards program, recognizing the best of the best cars and trucks in 12 distinct categories, like the Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year and Snap-on Muscle Car of the Year. One noteworthy update to the program this year is a change to the Meguiar’s Street Rod d’Elegance award, which will now be known as the Meguiar’s West Coast d’Elegance award and will be open to vehicles through 1965. This award will still aim to recognize a gorgeous, elegant vehicle, but will now welcome customs, trucks, and other cruisers, in addition to street rods. You can learn more about all BASF Top 12 awards by clicking on the Top 12 tab in the Awards drop-down menu at good-guys.com.
Goodguys will also continue its longstanding tradition of celebrating younger enthusiasts with the Goolsby Customs Next Generation program. This special parking area at all Goodguys events recognizes rodders age 30 and under who have played a significant part in building or modifying their vehicles. At each event, we identify two top vehicles from this area for closer evaluation and social media weigh-in to determine an event award winner. At year’s end, all Next Generation event winners are evaluated to determine a National Champion, who is recognized at the 28th Speedway Motors Southwest Nationals in Scottsdale.
ACTION & ACTIVITIES
Vintage cars and trucks are always cooler when they’re in motion, which is why Goodguys coordinates kinetic activities at every event. In addition to cruise lanes for checking out the show, there are Thursday Poker Runs and Hot Rod Cruises at select events, plus Goodguys CPP AutoCross Series racing at 14 events. You can check out (or participate in) the Friday Night Drags during the 37th Griot’s Garage Pacific Northwest Nationals, or witness ground-shaking Summit Racing Nitro Thunderfest exhibitions at every 2025 Goodguys event.
Beyond the auto-specific action, we have plenty of activities to keep you engaged throughout our event weekends. This includes Kids Zone areas to keep the little ones occupied, plus live music entertainment, swap meets, vendor exhibits, and much more.
SUNDAY FUNDAY
Goodguys will maintain its 1999-and-earlier cutoff for eligibility at National events this year, but if you have a 2000-or-newer vehicle and want to join in the fun you can bring it out for Meguiar’s All-American Sunday! The Sunday fun is open to all years of American-made and American-powered vehicles, and it provides late-model vehicle owners a chance to show off their rides, compete in AutoCross, and enjoy the Goodguys Good Times.
ROAD TRIPPIN’
As evidenced by the Hall of Fame Road Tour coverage in this issue, Goodguys continues to adhere to founder Gary Meadors’ philosophy that “ya gotta drive ’em!” Car shows are simply more fun when there’s a road trip involved, so we encourage you to coordinate with friends and form a small caravan when traveling to your favorite Goodguys 2025 event. What’s even more fun is if you can join us for one of our road trips, like the annual Cruise to Columbus in July and our signature Hall of Fame Road Tour in September. Official announcements and schedules will be coming soon, and you can learn more about these and other cruises at good-guys.com/events/road-tours.
REGISTER NOW!
Now that you’re revved up and ready for a new season of Goodguys Good Times, you’re going to want to get registered and start making plans! Registration is open for all of Goodguys 2025 events, so get yourself signed up and get ready to join the fun. Visit good-guys.com and save some money when you pre-register. Don’t delay, because the new season will be here before you know it and you don’t want to miss out on any of the action. We look forward to seeing you soon!
