It’s a great time of year for hot rodders (especially those in the Midwest) as Goodguys Rod & Custom will host two of their biggest events of the year in July! The 34th Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals happens in Des Moines from July 4-6 and the following weekend they will take over the Ohio Expo Center for the 27th Summit Racing Nationals in Columbus.
The Heartland Nationals fills the Iowa State Fairgrounds for a family friendly 4th of July weekend, featuring a spectacular fireworks display on Saturday evening. In addition to thousands of incredible cars and classics, Saturday also includes an apple pie baking contest, a watermelon eating contest, RC car demonstrations, and other enjoyable activities for the entire family.
The Heartland Nats offers exciting twilight cruising, autocross racing, and a Top 10 Builder’s Choice selected by Andy Leach of Cal Auto Creations. Goodguys also selects several of their Top 12 of the Year finalists. Sunday features the Meguiar’s All American, where all American-made and powered show cars are welcome. Additionally, look out for Modern Rodding, All Chevy Performance, and Classic Truck Performance awards, as each magazine will select a pick at each of the shows. It’s an action-packed, fun-filled event for the whole family.
The following weekend, July 11-13, marks the Big One: the Goodguys 27th Summit Racing Nationals presented by PPG. The show will feature thousands of cars, top hot rod manufacturers, builders, and vendors, autocross racing, a giant swap meet, and this year, there will be a substantial indoor show celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Tri-Five Chevy! Goodguys also selects their PPG Street Machine of the Year and the Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year, and they choose several regional finalists for their Top 12 of the Year awards.
If that’s not enough, they also select the winner of their Goolsby Customs–built 1986 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe, followed by the unveiling of their 2026 giveaway car: a 1940 Ford coupe built by Roseville Rod & Custom. As a special treat, SEMA’s Hot Rod Industry Alliance will host two days of tech seminars—free of charge—as part of their Education Days program.
Both Goodguys events are filled with family fun and hot rodding action, featuring a model car show and a Make-and-Take for kids, tire-smoking burnout contests, a vintage dragster Nitro Thunderfest exhibition, special parking areas, live music, a Car-4-Sale corral, and so much more.
For more information, check out Goodguys at: good-guys.com. MR
