Weekend Rewind! Goodguys 33rd Fuel Curve Autumn Get-Together
Goodguys served up a bouquet of fall colors and a healthy dose of patriotic pride this weekend as the 33rd Fuel Curve Autumn Get-Together took over the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California! It was two fun and festive days of cool cars and good times as we wrapped up the NorCal car show season in true Goodguys fashion.
The weather couldn’t have been any more fitting for this fall festival – brisk, cool mornings and evenings combined with warm and sunny days helped to create an ideal autumn feel, especially when you mixed in some vibrant fall colors in the background. That’s all the incentive enthusiasts needed to show up in big numbers and soak in all the good vibes the late season had to offer.
With Veterans Day falling on Saturday, the mood and atmosphere was just right for our annual Veterans Day Ceremony, which included a color guard presentation, invocation, and our signature Vettes for Vets parade, where military veterans could hitch a ride in a Corvette, many of which were owned by our friends in the Vetted Corvette Club. What a fitting way to honor our nation’s veterans!
We had other heroes hard at work on the opposite side of the fairgrounds, where the Hayward Firefighters Local 1909 hosted its annual Smash 4 Cash Demo Derby, which brought together firefighters from across the Bay Area to compete against each other in a demolition derby while raising money for charity. The crowd loved it, the firefighters had fun, and vital funds were raised for a good cause.
Of course, the primary cause bringing people together for the weekend was the celebration of American car culture, which was apparent throughout the fairgrounds. From old-school hot rods and customs to vintage classics, muscle cars, trucks, and late-model specialty vehicles, the fun and freedom of American motoring could be seen in a countless array of forms. That was enough to put smiles on the faces of almost everyone on the grounds, and the grins grew larger for those lucky enough to earn an award or pick from the Goodguys awards team. Two owners who were especially happy were Jay Greenwell, whose ’57 Chevy 3100 became a finalist for the 2024 Scott’s Hotrods Truck of the Year Early title, and Danny Rios, whose ’72 Blazer was named the finalist for the 2024 Dakota Digital Truck of the Year Late. Eric Storz was also grinning, as the Goodguys media team chose his Kindig-It-built ’71 Nova for the Goodguys Feature Pick.
The Goodguys CPP AutoCross Series had a fast and furious couple of days on track, with more than 50 drivers vying for fast times in class competition and a chance to race in the Fall Shootout on Sunday. Chad Everett won the Speedtech Performance PRO-X class driving the Sheely Collection ’65 Daytona, and then teammate Pat Sheely was able to top Everett in the PRO-X shootout. Mike Maier won the Summit Racing PRO class and shootout in Mike and Ingrid Ansell’s ’72 Corvette, while Ken Yeo performed the same double-up trick in his ’65 Corvette in the Forgeline Street Machine class. David Carroll doubled up in the No Limit Engineering Truck class behind the wheel of his ’74 Blazer, and Scott Fraser won the Sports Car class and shootout in his ’89 Corvette. Mike Cheney took the top spot in the FiTech Challenger class in his ’70 GTO, while the All American class saw a split victory, with Jason Trantham earning the class win in his 2021 Corvette, and Michael Arlie claiming the shootout victory in his 2018 Camaro SS.
Beyond the cool cars, the Veterans Day activities, demo derby, and AutoCross racing, Goodguys had plenty of other happenings to keep the momentum going. A huge swap meet and Cars 4 Sale corral had nearly anything an enthusiast could want for their winter project, and there were plenty of vendors on hand offering parts, services, collectibles, and more. There was also a building full of kids’ activities, an R/C car exhibition, multiple Nitro Thunderfest sound-offs, a vintage trailer display, live music, indoor car show, Goodgals Gallery, and much more to make the most of the weekend.
Autumn may be winding down, but Goodguys still has a little fuel left in the tank for 2023. We’ll be burning through it with gusto next weekend as we wrap up the event season at the 26th Speedway Motors Southwest Nationals in Scottsdale Arizona! We’ve got a massive finale planned that you don’t want to miss, so make arrangements if at all possible to get yourself there. We can’t wait to send off the year in full-throttle Goodguys style!
Photos by Damon Lee & Terry Lysak
