Ya Gotta Drive ‘Em – The Goodguys 2026 Hall of Fame Road Tour Gallery Part 1
“Ya gotta drive ‘em!”
That has been a Goodguys mantra ever since the Rod and Custom Association was formed back in 1983 – and it’s instilled and practiced by the Goodguys crew and members to this day. In fact, just last month, Goodguys led their annual Hall of Fame Road Tour from the Seattle area along the coast and down to their 39th West Coast Nationals in Pleasanton.
The Tour consisted of six days of cruising with stunning views, unique collections, and good times with other like minded enthusiasts. It is always important to note that this trip is not a race, in fact, it’s just the opposite, as Goodguys encourages people to take their time, see the sights, and even stop off if you see something interesting. In short, drive your hot rod, take in the scenery, be curious and explore!
About 70 classic cars and vintage trucks gathered in Bellevue, Washington, for a group dinner meet up and to go over the plan for the next few days. Imagine walking into a parking garage at a hotel and coming across all these amazing hot rods! It was a fun night seeing old friends while meeting new ones and checking out the rides and plan for the fun week ahead.
Saturday morning started like all Hall of Fame Road Tours, with a short drivers meeting to go over the day’s plan and stops which included a short trip over to J-Rod & Custom which included a surprise for shop owner Jared Hancock as he was presented with the Goodguys Trendsetter of 2026 award – a coveted award for a young builder making a difference, pushing the envelope, and keeping the hot rodding hobby moving forward. Congrats Jared!
After checking out all the projects at J-Rod’s, the tour rolled on over to Wicked Fabrication for another shop tour and refreshments. Wicked has grown into several buildings that are all connected with a new surprise and build or two in each area.
With two shops toured before noon, the Tour hit the road to Tacoma to take in the amazing collection of vehicles at the LeMay – America’s Car Museum. The multi-level museum has hundreds of different vehicles on display along with a special display celebrating America’s Automotive History featuring the evolution of domestic design and performance.
After lunch and a lot of time exploring the cars at the LeMay, the Tour set off to Griot’s Garage where we dropped in on a local car show that was just wrapping up and doing awards – great timing! Cruisers received a goody bag filled with Griot’s detailing products which definitely came in handy along the Tour. The day ended with a hotel parking lot gathering to share stories about day one.
DAY 2
Sunday morning started early for the drive down to the coastal Oregon town of Astoria (yes, the town that is famous for the movie The Goonies). It was a curvy, winding road that lead us to a bridge to cross the mouth of the Columbia River and into a bustling, busy downtown to find lunch and hang out a bit. Once back on the road, it was all about cruising the beautiful Pacific coast, especially knowing there was a special afternoon treat coming at the Tillamook Creamery.
Once set, cruisers hit the road for Salem, Oregon, to settle in for the night, but not before a parking garage get-together to go over tales from the road and to prep for the next day where they would head to the amazing Brother’s Collection and Evergreen Air & Space Museum – see it in Part 2 of our coverage. For now, here’s a gallery from the first couple days.
Photos by: Austin Bengstom, Steven Bunker, Todd Ryden
