By Tommy Lee Byrd – Images by the Author
For decades, the National Street Rod Association had a strict age cutoff of 1948, ensuring its events would be pure to the street rod community. As time went on, there was a push to move the cutoff dates to allow a bigger variety of cars and trucks to cruise into the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky, for the NSRA Street Rod Nationals. The result was a 30-year sliding cutoff, meaning this year’s event allowed cars and trucks as new as 1995 to participate. While the name still implies the street rod theme, this event is packed with awesome muscle cars, gassers, and much more. With nearly 10,000 cars and trucks on the property, this event is still going strong in its 56th year in operation.
We rolled into Louisville on Wednesday to prepare for a long weekend of activities and hit the ground running on Thursday morning. A stroll through the swap meet is always interesting, as there are usually a few treasures hidden in the rows of used parts and projects. The vendor hall is a popular escape from the heat and provides a view of many parts manufacturers and vendors within the automotive aftermarket. There are also special display areas inside the vendor building, including the Builder’s Showcase in the lobby area. Out back, there is an autocross course running throughout the event, giving people a chance to stretch the legs of their vehicle. The autocross is open to cars or trucks from any year, so the NSRA’s 30-year cutoff does not apply in the autocross competition.
Then, of course, there are thousands of vehicles in the parking lots surrounding the Expo Center. We saw cool original-paint survivors, ’70s street machines, Pro Touring cars, and so much more. Tri-Five gassers were plentiful, offering lots of paint, suspension, and engine combinations.
Take a look at a selection of our favorite Chevys from the 56th annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals and put this outstanding event on your calendar for the first weekend of August in 2026.
