THE GOODGUYS LONE STAR NATIONALS 

For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of experiencing a Goodguys car show, let me take a minute to explain how cool these events are. The show takes place throughout a three-day weekend; starting Friday morning and ramping up as more and more vehicles arrive to join in the fun. Vendors and swap-meet booths abound, and the autocross experience draws bigger crowds at each successive event. Each part of the event is given as much attention as the others.

Judges begin the task of searching for prize vehicles on Friday and continue throughout Saturday, which is when the full-blown festivities reach their peak. The gates don’t open until 7 a.m., but folks start lining up at 5:30 a.m. For the next two hours, a non-stop parade of vehicles rolls through the entrance toward their spots in the show.

The autocross event draws bigger crowds every year. The competition gives all registered show participants a chance to put their vehicle through its paces during a timed event, which is open to every vehicle in the show. At the end, the winners in three categories, Street Rod, Truck and Street Machine, received awards for their performance through the course. This year there were nearly 3,000 vehicles on display, and the competition was stiff.

Twenty different Goodguys shows take place throughout the country, running from March through November. Check their website for the full schedule. There’s a good chance that there’s one within driving distance to you, so do yourself a favor and check one out in 2017.

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Editor’s Note: A version of this article first appeared in the March 2017 print issue of the Drive Magazine.