Street Rod Nationals

Last updated

The Street Rod Nationals is the world's largest street rod gathering. It is hosted annually by the NSRA (National Street Rod Association). The Street Rod Nationals was first held in 1970 in Illinois and is currently held in Louisville, Kentucky. It has historically been held in a number of cities across the United States such as Columbus, Ohio and Memphis, Tennessee.

Contents

The event encompasses a variety of activities aimed at celebrating street rod culture. It acts as a Trade Fair for street rod vendors and an Auto Show for hot rod enthusiasts. All of the cars shown at the event must be at least 30 years old. [1] The Street Rod Nationals also hosts seminars on topics relevant to street rodding. Prize winners are decided based on the overall quality of the vehicles presented including the fit and finish, gaps in the build, interior leather, air conditioning, wheels, chassis and so on.

History

The inaugural Street Rod Nationals took place in 1970 in Peoria, Illinois. [2] The second Street Rod Nationals was co-sponsored by Hot Rod magazine in Memphis, attracting double the attendance of the Peoria meet. [3] The Nationals rotated between several cities in the 1980s and 1990s. It was also held at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus, Ohio on a three-year cycle numerous times (1978, 1981, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1996). Currently the event is held in Louisville, Kentucky.

Attendance, vendors and activities

Tens of thousands of spectators attend each year. [4] The event also houses more than 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) of indoor street rod vendors representing every facet of the automotive hobby, and selling everything needed to build a turn-key street rod. The Street Rod Nationals is viewed as a showcase of street rodding and over 150 new items were introduced there in 2006.

The Street Rod Nationals is known as one of the world's largest automotive participation events[ citation needed ] with more than 70,000 visitors, and up to 15,000 cars attended the last event, according to the National Street Rod Association.

Seminars are available daily and cover a wide array of topics. Other highlights include the NSRA Safety Inspection Team, street rod scales (courtesy of UPS), "Women's World", 29-Below Shows, a Pro's Pick area, Mopar Country, Commercial Way (hosted by UPS), "Outstanding use of Color" Awards (picked by PPG), games, three entertainment performances, a church service, and "people mover" trams to make traveling the fairgrounds easier.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot rod</span> American car with a large engine modified for linear speed

Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made to go much faster." However, there is no definition of the term that is universally accepted and the term is attached to a wide range of vehicles. Most often they are individually designed and constructed using components from many makes of old or new cars, and are most prevalent in the United States and Canada. Many are intended for exhibition rather than for racing or everyday driving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Muldowney</span> NHRA champion, drag racing pioneer

Shirley Muldowney, also known professionally as "Cha Cha" and the "First Lady of Drag Racing", is an American auto racer. She was the first woman to receive a license from the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) to drive a Top Fuel dragster. She won the NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1977, 1980, and 1982, becoming the first person to win two and three Top Fuel titles. She won a total of 18 NHRA national events.

The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States. It operated in affiliation with the New York Central system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardinal Stadium (1956)</span> Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky, US

Cardinal Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. It was on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, and was called Fairgrounds Stadium when it first opened for an NFL exhibition football game between the Baltimore Colts and Philadelphia Eagles on September 9, 1956. It was demolished in 2019.

Hot Rod is a monthly American car magazine devoted to hot rodding, drag racing, and muscle cars—modifying automobiles for performance and appearance.

<i>Belle of Louisville</i> Steamboat owned and operated by the city of Louisville, Kentucky

Belle of Louisville is a steamboat owned and operated by the city of Louisville, Kentucky, and moored at its downtown wharf next to the Riverfront Plaza/Belvedere during its annual operational period. The steamboat claims itself the "most widely traveled river steamboat in American history." Belle of Louisville's offices are aboard Mayor Andrew Broaddus, and also appears on the list of National Historic Landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Autorama</span> American custom car showcase

The Detroit Autorama, also known as America's Greatest Hot Rod Show, is a showcase of custom cars and hot rods held each year at Huntington Place in Detroit, Michigan, in either late February or early March.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michigan Hot Rod Association</span>

The Michigan Hot Rod Association is an association of 7 smaller clubs in Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Street Rod Association</span>

The National Street Rod Association or NSRA is an organization that hosts a number of Hot Rod and Muscle Car shows in the United States.

The National Corvette Homecoming is an annual event held in Bowling Green, Kentucky celebrating America's production sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette. First held in 1981, it was created by two Corvette enthusiasts, Tom Hill and Sam Hall, in response to the assembly of Corvettes moving from St. Louis, MO to the Bowling Green Assembly Plant, which is currently the sole assembler of the car. The event is a summertime event that focuses on vintage as well as modern Corvettes. The homecoming offers Corvette owners and specialty vendors opportunities to network. All Corvette production years and custom variations are welcome.

The National Hot Rod Reunion is a gathering of nostalgia drag racers, street rodders and automotive enthusiasts based on the California Hot Rod Reunion. The first four years of the National Hot Rod Reunion were held at Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The event has been held in Ohio, but has returned to Bowling Green where the event has been established as the main site since 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Civil War fortifications in Louisville</span>

Louisville's fortifications for the American Civil War were designed to protect Louisville, Kentucky, as it was an important supply station for the Union's fight in the western theater of the war. They were typically named for fallen Union officers; usually those that served in the Army of the Ohio. The inspiration for building the forts came in October 1862, when Confederate forces engaged in their largest attack in Kentucky, only to be halted at the Battle of Perryville. Construction began in 1863, going at a slow pace until Confederate forces marched on Nashville, Tennessee, in the autumn of 1864. This caused General Hugh Ewing to demand from the city to force both military convicts and local "loafers" to help build the fortifications. Due to military engineers being needed on the front lines, the fortifications in Louisville were designed by civilian assistant engineers, as were the ones in Cincinnati, Ohio. Louisville was never endangered, so the guns never fired, save for salutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodguys Rod & Custom Association</span>

The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association is the largest association in the U.S. catering to street rods, custom cars and show cars. The Goodguys Association has over 70,000 active members worldwide. Goodguys stages 20 annual rod & custom car show events throughout the United States as well as vintage drag races.

Cruisin' Style Magazine was an American monthly automobile magazine, which featured articles on classic car restoration, hot rods, performance cars, muscle cars, street rods, car shows and cruise nights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip</span>

The Pomona Raceway, is a racing facility located in Pomona, California that features a quarter-mile dragstrip. Since its opening in 1961, the dragstrip has hosted the NHRA's Winternationals event – the traditional season opener – and since 2021, the season's last race, the NHRA Finals. These two events have contributed to its becoming perhaps one of the most famous dragstrips in North America. The facility has a seating capacity of 40,000 spectators, and it is one of the few dragstrips in the USA that is operated directly by the NHRA. This dragstrip has also gone by the nickname of The Fairplex, in reference to its location at the Fairplex, formerly called the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds.

The culture of Columbus, Ohio, is particularly known for museums, performing arts, sporting events, seasonal fairs and festivals, and architecture of various styles from Greek Revival to modern architecture.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Strudwick Arrasmith</span> American architect

William Strudwick Arrasmith was an American architect known for his designs for Greyhound bus stations in the Streamline Moderne style popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Among the over 60 stations he designed are the Cleveland Greyhound Bus Station (1948), the Montgomery, Alabama, Greyhound Bus Station (1951), and the Evansville, Indiana, Greyhound Bus Terminal (1938) which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament</span> Postseason collegiate womens volleyball tournament

The 2021 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament began on December 2, 2021, and ended on December 18, 2021, to determine the Division I National Champion in women's volleyball. Wisconsin won its first NCAA national championship by defeating Big Ten rival Nebraska 3–2. The championship match was played in front of an NCAA record crowd of 18,755.

References

  1. "1st Street Rod Nationals" (PDF). National Street Rod Association. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  2. Martin, Dick (August 7, 2007). "1st Street Rod Nationals - The Road to Peoria". Hot Rod Network. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  3. Cross, Gary S. (2018). Machines of youth : America's car obsession. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. p. 155. ISBN   978-0-226-34164-4. OCLC   1004264026.
  4. "The Street Rod Nationals are going forward despite COVID-19". Courier Journal. July 27, 2020.