Turning the Spotlight on Goolsby Customs YoungGuys Winners
Hot rodding as we know it got its start with young guys modifying cars to make them faster and more distinctive. We’re happy to see that there are still many young enthusiasts drawn to making vintage machines better – they’re picking up the torch and carrying the tradition into the future.
Goodguys and Goolsby Customs celebrate this movement with the YoungGuys program, which recognizes enthusiasts 25 and younger and showcases their talents. At Goodguys events last season, two finalists were selected from a special parking area to be considered for the YoungGuys Award. A combination of social media voting and votes from Goodguys and Goolsby Customs determined the award winner, while a special panel evaluated the event winners to select a year-end winner, who was invited to display their car in the Goodguys booth at the SEMA Show.
A platinum Impala built by 23-year-old Justin Zimmerman was crowned as the yearend 2018/2019 Goolsby Customs YoungGuys winner, and we’ve got a special feature on his Impala that you can check out here!
We also wanted to put a spotlight on all the YoungGuys winners for the 2018/2019 running, so we thought we’d start with a recap from the season, which ran from September 2018 to August 2019. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the young guys and gals behind these cool rides. They’re the future of our hobby and we’re thrilled to have them be a part of Goodguys events across the country!
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- Jacob Hole was just 20 years old when he won the YoungGuys award at the 2019 All American Get-Together in Pleasanton with his bright yellow ’64 F100. He actually bought the pickup at the Goodguys West Coast Nationals a year and a half earlier and has slowly improved it with upgrades like a ’70 460c.i. big block and five-spoke wheels.
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- Trucks are big with the young crowd. Brandon Anderson came to the 2018 Autumn Get-Together with his ’73 F100, a truck he’s owned for more than six years and has upgraded with a Mustang II-style IFS, C-notched rear frame, American Racing wheels, and a 5.0-liter engine out of an ’86 Mustang.
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- Eric Pfeifer cruised to the 2018 Colorado Nationals from Hill City, Kansas in his ’69 Chevy C10. A 350c.i. small block and four-speed get the American Racing wheels rolling, while a rolled pan, smooth tailgate, and candy root beer paint set off the body on this classic stepside.
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- We’ve always liked the G-body El Caminos like this blue beauty owned by 22-year-old Austin Finch and shown at the 2019 Del Mar Nationals. Lowered over Billet Specialties wheels and sporting beautiful paint by Jack Williams Auto Body with stripes by Rob Taylor Graphics, this is a next-gen cruiser for the next generation of gearheads.
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- Tyler Moss knows that squarebody trucks are trending and had his just-right ’84 C10 looking sharp at the 2019 PPG Nationals. Lowered over Forgeline wheels with a 383c.i. stroker for power, this matte blue bruiser was a big hit!
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- Cam Bakken was just 16 years old when he brought his ’72 Comet to the Great Northwest Nationals in Spokane, which means he must have been only 11 when he started the five-year project! He certainly has the right vision, setting the black Merc low over Ridler wheels, giving it power from a 302c.i. small-block, and complementing the red stripes with a factory red interior.
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- Rarely do we see a Mopar B-body that sits as bitchin’ as Gavin Bowman’s ’69 Super Bee! He got the Dodge wrecked from his great uncle and repaired it, incorporating improvements like Wilwood disc brakes and Billet Specialties wheels on the 440-powered bruiser.
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- This ’66 Nova originally belonged to Jacob Fair’s grandfather. Jacob had it looking better than ever at the 2018 Kentucky Nationals with beautiful black paint, rally wheels, and 327c.i. small-block power under the hood.
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- Karleigh Campbell was just 16 when she showed off this ’68 F100 at the 2018 Lone Star Nationals. An AccuAir system laid the truck out over big-inch Raceline wheels, with a TMI Products seat inside and the original 240c.i. inline six providing power.
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- Young people still like early Mustangs, just as they have for the past half century. Justin Mitchell brought his ’64½ coupe to the 2019 North Carolina Nationals and had it looking good with polished American wheels, dark blue paint, and a 289c.i. small block under the hood.
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- Curtis Atkins’ ’81 Chevy C10 might look like just a lowered stocker, but it also has a 6.0-liter LS engine that 17-year-old Curtis swapped in. It’s fed by a cold air intake setup and makes this sedate-looking squarebody plenty potent.
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- Christian Eley was just 19 when he brought his ruby red ’66 Ford Fairlane out to the Pacific Northwest Nationals in Puyallup last year. It’s a 500XL model that packs a 429c.i. big block under the scooped hood and has been upgraded with rack-and-pinion steering.
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- Drake Eppler cruised his ’55 Chevy pickup to the 2018 Southeastern Nationals in Charlotte. An updated chassis with IFS and disc brakes helped drop it low over wide whitewalls, with a 305c.i. small block providing power for the patina’d powder blue beauty.
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- Zach Johanson has had a couple of cars earn YoungGuys honors at Pleasanton events. At the 2019 Summer Get-Together, it was this sharp ’68 Camaro powered by a 427c.i. LS6 and lowered over Wheel Vintiques rollers with redline tires.
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- At the 2019 Spring Lone Star Nationals, young Cameron Archer told us his ’72 Chevy C10 was a true daily driver that gets work done using a 350c.i. small-block, Enkei wheels, and Magnaflow exhaust. Kustom Klassics gets credit for the clean body and paint work.
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- Keatan White’s ’64 El Camino was not yet finished when he brought it out to the 2019 Spring Nationals in Scottsdale, but it was still cool enough to win the YoungGuys award there. With a 327c.i. small block for power and a body primed and ready for paint, we could tell there was plenty of potential there.
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- Drew Carlson dragged this ’60 Olds four-door hardtop out of a field three months before the 2018 Southwest Nationals and thrashed hard to transform it into a suede-painted, metalflake-roofed mild custom. The son of Chris Carlson from Chris Carlson Hot Rods in Kansas, Drew had some good guidance on this one.
