Hot Rod Runnin’! Navigating Nashville with a Caravan of Cool Cars on the Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year Reliability Run
Goodguys stormed Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday as a swarm of angry hot rods hit the highways and back roads around town for the 2026 Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year Reliability Run! It was a fantastic prelude to the inaugural Legends of Hot Rodding event happening at the Fairgrounds Nashville on Friday and Saturday.
With a new host event and venue this year, the Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year competition has been reinvigorated, and it showed all day long during the Reliability Run. For the first time ever, Goodguys opened the run up to any registered participant for the Legends of Hot Rodding, and hosted the run a day ahead of the event. This resulted in more than 75 fine rides taking part in a day of cruising area roads and checking out cool stops.
The run departed the Sheraton Music City Nashville host hotel shortly after 9am and made a run down to Franklin for a visit to Willis Johnson’s astounding private car collection. With hundreds of vintage cars and trucks spanning two buildings, it’s a gearhead paradise that could keep any hot rodder engaged for days.
From there, we headed to PowerNation Studios, where so many of our favorite car-related television shows have been recorded over the years. It was a true treat to get a glimpse behind the scenes, and to see the sets where so many small-screen dreams were born.
After a lunch break, the caravan cruised up to Music City Raceway, a quaint and scenic little drag strip tucked away up in the hills. That’s where more than 50 Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year contenders did burnouts and made drag strip passes to prove their cars can truly perform. Elapsed times didn’t matter, but we were looking for style points from both drivers and cars.
We finished the day by cruising back to the Sheraton host hotel, where there was a laid-back kickoff party that filled the parking lot with cool cars, friends, live music, and good times. That’s also where the Goodguys team huddled up and selected our Top 10 finalists for the Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year honor. Those finalists are: Jeff Bennett, 1931 Ford Tudor; Jason Smith, 1932 Ford roadster; Harold Chapman, 1932 Ford coupe; Talbert Goldman, 1932 Ford Tudor; Tom “Woody” Mitchell, 1932 Chevy coupe; Scott Lorenzini, 1932 Ford roadster; Amie Angelo, 1932 Ford roadster pickup; Todd Samson, 1932 Ford roadster; Kent Thomazin, 1930 Model A coupe; and John Fairleigh, 1933 Ford roadster.
The good times and competition will extend for two more days in Nashville with the Legends of Hot Rodding, which is shaping up to be an amazing event focusing on 1964-and-older hot rods and customs. The Tanks, Inc. Hot Rod of the Year field will be narrowed down to a Top Five on Friday, with the winner crowned on Saturday afternoon. Come join us for the fun in Nashville if you can, and stay tuned for more Legends of Hot Rodding updates right here!
Photos: Austin Bengston, Marc Gewertz, Damon Lee
