Weekend Rewind! Goodguys 16th FiTech Fuel Injection Spring Nationals Presented by Grundy Insurance
That’s the way we do it! Goodguys turned up the fun, the heat, and the volume this weekend and put some sizzle into the new event season at the 16th FiTech Fuel Injection Spring Nationals presented by Grundy Insurance. We were out havin’ fun in the warm Arizona sun with a couple thousand of our best gearhead friends as we turned WestWorld of Scottsdale into a spectacle of colorful cars, trick trucks, and magnificent street machines.
Following the slight stumble and wet weather of our season opener the weekend before in Texas, we were happy to be greeted by Arizona’s signature sunshine and warm temperatures when we rolled into Scottsdale last week. Clear skies and warm days in the upper 80s provided an almost summerlike feel for our Thursday Hot Rod Cruise and for the two days of Good Times at WestWorld. And judging by the great turnout of both participating vehicles and spectators, area rodders were primed and ready for some top-down four-wheeled fun!
A highlight for many rodders at WestWorld was seeing Nicole Baird’s America’s Most Beautiful Roadster ’32 for the first time out in the sun. It was brought out by builder Doug Jerger and his team from Squeeg’s Kustoms, who also showed off Doug’s personal Hemi-powered A-100, a mind-blowing machine that looks like a Hot Wheels come to life!
Jerger and his crew were on hand to select the Builder’s Choice Top 10 awards for the weekend. Coming from a shop known for its exceptional body and paint work, it’s little surprise the Top 10 lineup included some vibrant colors and rich hues. It also represented a range of build styles that showcased everything from early-style hot rods to rowdy pro street machines.
The Goodguys team awarded dozens of additional picks and awards throughout the weekend, too, including several finalists for Top 12 Awards presented by BASF. Those included Ron Williams’ ’39 Ford cabriolet as the Scott’s Hotrods ’N Customs Custom of the Year finalist, Eugene Bothello’s ’59 Impala as the Vintage Air Custom Rod of the Year finalist, and David Levin’s ’68 Camaro as the Griot’s Garage Muscle Machine of the Year finalist. The media team tapped the ’70 Chevelle street machine owned by Ricky Sanders for the Goodguys Feature Pick.
Goodguys AutoCross Series racers got in two full days of racing on a track with a completely new layout, not to mention a revamped series of classes. It made for some exciting racing and challenging competition leading up to the G-Comp by Speedway Motors Spring Shootout Saturday afternoon. Top performers included Chad Everett in the Sheely family’s ’65 Shelby in the Speedtech Performance PRO-X class; Eric Sheely in his ’70 Camaro in the Summit Racing PRO class; Tim Molzen in his LS-powered ’63 Dart in the Forgeline Street Machine class; Chad Everett in a ’68 C10 in the No Limit Engineering Truck class; Ken Yeo in his ’65 ’Vette in the Corvette class; and Nate Kulpa in his Austin Mini claiming the Challenger class and shootout.
Of course, the weekend was about much more than just vying for awards and winning races. For thousands of rodders, the fun comes from simply hanging out with car friends, cruising the grounds, and checking out all the fine rides. There was a great display of Chevy and GMC haulers in the GM Truck Get-Together area sponsored by Squarebody Syndicate, plus our usual array of Saturday Specialty Parking Areas. A huge swap meet and vendor midway also provided perfect ways to hunt for parts. Add in some great food, live music, Nitro Thunderfest exhibitions, and even a Jet Funny Car sounding off and shooting flames, and there was no shortage of ways to get the grease flowing in your veins!
With a late-afternoon awards ceremony finishing off the festivities, we cruised into Saturday evening feeling satisfied and happy. We’re grateful for the warm weather, sunshine, and all the gearhead friends we got to see and hang out with in Scottsdale, and we’re optimistic for the event season ahead. Thanks to all of you who joined us, and we can’t wait to see some of our West Coast friends in Pleasanton and Del Mar in the coming weeks!
Photos by Damon Lee, Terry Lysak
