The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association hosted its 26th Annual Summit Racing Nationals, presented by PPG, at its usual Columbus, Ohio stomping grounds at the state fairgrounds. Despite a significant part of the fairgrounds being under renovation, GG Columbus went off without a hitch! Though EG Nation couldn’t be there, our Technical Sales and Support Specialist turned photographer, Nobel Del Mar, captured some images to share with our readers when he wasn’t working at the Edelbrock Group trailer.
Nobel jumped at the chance to work the Columbus Goodguys show, and we’re thankful he did. He’d never been to a Goodguys event before coming on board last year, but it’s been on his bucket list since then. He certainly picked a good one! Now, with both Columbus Goodguys and Back to the Fifties in St. Paul under his belt, he’s probably seen the majority of classics east of the Mississippi (just kidding, we know there is a bazillion more!). Technical Sales & Support Supervisor Jeremy Dent went along to show him the ropes at the expansive fairgrounds. The guys rose super early on Thursday morning, making the nine-hour trip north to Columbus to meet the trailer and get everything set up.
For what seems like the first time for an event this year, Nobel says the weather was perfect all weekend — sunny and warm — until a major rainstorm on the way home. That was a good thing, given the construction on-site, which didn’t seem to hamper the participants or spectators. Everyone took the extra dust in stride.
The Big One
The Goodguys Columbus show is a big one for a few reasons. First, it is centrally located geographically. Second, it announces the winners of two of its biggest Top 12 competitions: Street Rod of the Year and Street Machine of the Year. Thirdly, it introduces next year’s giveaway car, which is a sweet ’87 Monteo Carlo Aerocoupe built by Goolsby Customs. Fourthly, it gives away the current year’s giveaway vehicle, which was a gorgeous ’32 Ford Five-window coupe built by Streamline Custom Designs. Lastly, Goodguys had not one but two Top 10 Builder’s Choice Awards. Roadster Shop selected the first, and Bill Ganahl selected the second.
Of course, finalists for some of the other Top12 awards were crowned as regional finalists. Also, tons of other awards were presented, like the Edelbrock Best Engine Award, which Nobel had the pleasure of handing to Cody VanHoose and his 1968 Chevy Camaro. It has no bearing on who gets the award, but it just so happened to work out that Cody had many good Edelbrock goodies on the engine. The icing on the cake was that it was a father/son build.
Columbus Camaraderie
Even though it is good to get recognition, Goodguys Columbus isn’t about the accolades for the majority of owners. Instead, it’s about hanging out with good friends, having a cold one or two, shopping the vendor midway, and checking out all the cool rides around the grounds. The beauty of a Goodguys event is the specialty parking areas such as Mighty Muscle, Duece Doins, Trick Truck Corral, Homebuilt Heaven, Ya Gotta Drive ‘Em, and several others you see at each Goodguys event. Of course, the Builder’s Choice area is always inundated by people wanting to check out the hottest new builds.
Also, Columbus had two new specialty areas this year. Kasich Hall housed a huge collection of Pontiac GTOs to celebrate the iconic muscle car’s 60th anniversary. Meanwhile, outside was the second year for the Lokar Pro Street Takeover, where fat tires and blowers were on display. They even fired them up a couple of times a day for a parade of power around the grounds.
Not to be outdone in the noise department, the Goodguys Autocross Series saw more than 40 racers competing for top times. Nobel did not expect to see an autocross at what he envisioned as a “cruise-in” style event. He enjoyed seeing classic muscle being driven and used hard. He found a favorite car out there carving up the cone course. It was a tan second-generation Nova with a big wing.
Conclusion
Nobel says the Edelbrock Group trailer was extremely busy all weekend long, so he was only able to get away for short periods and a lunch break. However, he really enjoyed meeting customers. The most asked question from visitors was about the Edelbrock Pro-Flo 4 systems and how much they cost. The answer to that depends on many different factors, so we’ll have to refer you to the fuel injection page on the website to see which EFI is best for you. There is also a plethora of information there for most of the frequently asked questions. Surprisingly, the next biggest question was whether you could buy directly. That answer is a resounding yes!
Nobel found the atmosphere in Columbus to be very welcoming and laid-back. His favorite aspect about the venue was the chairlift that takes you from one side of the fairgrounds to the other. Seeing the show from a bird’ s-eye view gave him a whole new perspective on how expansive it was.
Truly, the Columbus Goodguys show is one of those must-attend events (even though we didn’t get to make it this year). It’s one of those shows that you hear so much about when you don’t go that it makes you jealous of the ones who did. The best-of-the-best cars always show up there, and it has a significant vendor turnout, with companies showing some of their latest products in the New Product Showcase. There is so much to do that three days just isn’t long enough. Make sure to mark this one on your calendar for next year. Goodguys will release the 2025 schedule toward the end of this year, so be sure to keep an eye on its website!
Until then, we hope you enjoy these photos from Nobel. If you spoke with Nobel at the big rig and need to follow up with him, he can be reached at [email protected] or 901.271.9234. Thanks Nobel!
To see other great car shows and event coverage, be sure to visit our Lifestyle page!
