Attend any cruise night, rod run, or indoor car show in the Southeast and it becomes abundantly clear that trucks are a big part of the overall hot rod scene. So it was no surprise to see an amazing array of vintage trucks rolling into Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Lowe's Motor Speedway to attend the 16th Annual Goodguys Rod & Custom Association Southeastern Nationals. This event has become a tradition for many people, leading to them saving the last weekend in October to attend this event. While October in North Carolina is generally a fairly dry month with pleasant temperatures, for some unknown reason this event always seems to have at least one day of rain and this year was no exception.
Goodguys Charlotte has long been one of our favorite events. After all, there just aren't many events that have this much to offer; it's a gearhead's dream weekend. Those in the know arrive a day early and take part in the Thursday poker run and NASCAR shop tours. This is a great opportunity to get up close and personal with many of the biggest teams in NASCAR. The poker run always ends at Fatman Fabrications, where Brent Vandervort and company put on a free feed for several hundred of his closest friends and customers.
Friday morning the event kicks off and the infield of Lowe's Motor Speedway quickly fills with hot rods and trucks of every description. RideTech, also known as Air Ride Technologies, has a great autocross track set up and many participants took part in the event, and even more enjoyed watching cars and trucks run the course. The skies remained cloudy with occasional light rain on Friday, but the rain held off so the nostalgia drags had a full night of running at the incredible zMAX dragstrip located just outside of the speedway. Just seeing this incredible facility is worth the trip, four lanes of all concrete dragstrips explains the zMAX name and everything from street brackets to vintage top fuel took to the quarter-mile on Friday evening. Saturday remained dry, albeit under heavy clouds. Saturday is the day for all the judging and we spent a good portion of the day checking out all the fine trucks in the Trick Truck area.
Saturday evening was time for touring laps on the famous banked oval, and from there the weekend begins to wind down. This year Sunday arrived with heavy rain, conditions bad enough to push the awards ceremony up several hours. Terry Temples took home the honor of being a Goodguy's Truck of the Year finalist with his gorgeous '59 Chevy. Like all events, this one came to an end all too soon. If you've never attended this event we heartily recommend that you put it on your "gotta go" list as this is one action packed, fun weekend. The 17th annual event is scheduled for October 29-31, 2010.
Al and Renee Cravens motored...
Al and Renee Cravens motored in all the way from Madsionville, LA, in their fine '53 Chevy five-window. Subtle body tones contrast nicely with the black fenders.
Larry Force was hoping to...
Larry Force was hoping to sell his teal '61 Ford at the show. The truck sports a very nice gray interior and the body fit and finish was very good. The asking price was $22,000.
A tilt hood and two-tone tangerine...
A tilt hood and two-tone tangerine and tan paint are some of the tasteful mods on Dan Fullan's fine '54. Under the hood you'll find a 351 Windsor, keeping this Ford all Ford.
A heavily hammered lid dramatically...
A heavily hammered lid dramatically alters the profile of this '72 GMC truck. The cowl-induction hood is wearing original color paint and judging by the fresh chrome on the truck we'd bet this is a work in progress.
This deep-blue '67 was parked...
This deep-blue '67 was parked in the vendor area, and while we're not sure who the owner is, we are sure this is one super-straight, good-looking pickup.
Hal Kinder didn't have to...
Hal Kinder didn't have to drive far to get to Lowe's Motor Speedway. The Mint Hill, NC, resident made the trip in style though, with his longbed Chevy. Inside you'll find orange and black Camaro pace car fabric.
From the chopped top to the...
From the chopped top to the fine-tube grille, this '57 Chevy is one outstanding truck. Out back you'll find a set of big meats tucked under the fenders.
According to the sign it runs,...
According to the sign it runs, and it did have an extra transmission in the bed.
For a mere $8,500 this '41...
For a mere $8,500 this '41 Ford could be yours.
Ron Mills is the happy owner...
Ron Mills is the happy owner of this cool '52 International. Deep burgundy paint, proper stance, and Torq-Thrusts let you know this is a hot rod hauler. Out back you'll find a louvered tailgate and under the hood a small-block Chevy.
Greg Kepley likes life in...
Greg Kepley likes life in the 'burbs, and who could blame him with this very nice example of a '68 Suburban.
Jeff Casto's '56 F-100 had...
Jeff Casto's '56 F-100 had one of the wildest paintjobs we saw all weekend. The deep green flipped to gold and purple in the light. The Big-Window rolls on big billet wheels.
It's a rough old truck, but...
It's a rough old truck, but nothing seems to amuse the spectator crowd more than a truck sitting right on the ground. At least there are no worries about hurting the bumper.
Dennis Bunton's '55 Cameo...
Dennis Bunton's '55 Cameo is so hot it dried the pavement in the rain! The orange and white hauler was a real crowd pleaser.