By Nick Licata – Images by the Author
On the weekend of July 12-14, Goodguys Rod & Custom Association rolled into Columbus, Ohio, for what they refer to as “The Big One:” The 26th Summit Racing Nationals presented by PPG. As expected, the huge classic vehicle event featured over 6,000 muscle cars, hot rods, customs, and vintage trucks throughout the massive Ohio Expo Center.
Beyond the thousands of muscle cars and hundreds of vendors gathered on the show grounds over the three-day event, many hard-core enthusiasts looked forward to Saturday’s announcement of the PPG Street Machine of the Year and the Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year winners. Top builders from all over the country brought their A-game, which showcased intricate fabrication skills with sheetmetal draped in flawless paintjobs—all true works of art. Most of these vehicles have been years in the making, and these builders consider the Street Machine and Street Rod of the Year as one of the most prestigious awards to be given all year.
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For those who like to spend their car show time strapped in the seat of their muscle car more so than in a canvas chair, the CPP AutoCross was a great option to have some fun on the tight course. For those who take their driving a little more seriously, there was the opportunity to go up against the quickest cars vying to take top class victories in the Forgeline Buckeye Shootout on Saturday. On Sunday, late-model, American-made muscle cars competed in the All American Shootout. And for those spectators just wanting to check out the action from a distance, the surrounding grandstands offered a great view of the competition all weekend long.
On Friday and Saturday, the Lokar Pro Street Roll Out got our attention along with everyone else in the vicinity as it featured some of the wildest street machines gathered in a trail of endless blowers and bug catchers combined with the sound of uncorked headers providing the full Pro Street experience as they made a parade lap around the fairgrounds two times each day. And if fried rubber is your jam, the burnout contest was the place to be as competitors participated in the process of annihilating tires for a smoke-filled exhibition that’s always a crowd pleaser.
Every year at the Columbus event Goodguys debuts the Grand Prize Giveaway car, and for 2024-2025 they pulled away the car cover to reveal a beautiful 1987 Chevy Monte Carlo Aerocoupe built by the talented crew at Goolsby Customs. The car features a brilliant white paintjob with gold accent stripes and stylish gold-spoked Forgeline wheels. It includes a Roadster Shop SPEC chassis and a Chevrolet Performance LT4 engine, ensuring the G-body to be a high-performance asphalt annihilator.
This is the premier car show for all classic car and truck fans, and with a considerable number of Camaros, Novas, Chevelles, and Tri-Fives on display, it’s an especially great event for the Chevy enthusiast. Even the casual classic car fan of any age can appreciate the automotive history these vintage vehicles encapsulate. Bringing all those elements together in a family oriented environment is what car shows are all about.
It’s Goodguys Columbus, man—it’s “The Big One.”
