Although technically the Goodguys' 6th Del Mar Nationals in Del Mar, California, was actually their third event this season, for many it was the kick-off to the summer rodding season. Indeed, for the STREET RODDER staff, it was the inaugural event for the 2006 STREET RODDER Top Ten Award program, where we travel to six different Goodguys events across the country and pick 10 of our favorite pre-'48 cars. With SRM's Top Tens, the 40 or more awards given out by Goodguys themselves, Boyd Coddington's Pro's Picks, and the Classic Trucks Top Tens, there are more than 100 awards handed out throughout the weekend. But don't worry; with upward of 2,000 pre-'72 cars, trucks, hot rods, and customs, all those awards are still hard to hand out. I know I spent a whole morning before I even started picking any of our Top Ten cars featured on the next couple of pages.
Kicking of the weekend's events, The Over The Hill Gang of San Diego planned a poker run for Thursday afternoon. Friday was the usual informal show 'n' shine, while Saturday saw an increase in not only cars, but spectators as well. The Goodguys shows always feature different areas, highlighting various styles and models of cars, with no less than eight this year. Those included Deuce Doin's, for all models of '32 Ford; Homebuilt Heaven, sponsored by Timberland Pro, for all those, well, homebuilt cars; Custom Corral for all those candy-colored sleds; Low, Smooth, Cool sponsored by Air Ride Technologies for all those who "praise the lowered"; Younguys, celebrating those rodders 25 and younger; Mighty Muscle sponsored by Billet Specialties for those '55-72 musclecars; a section dedicated to those cars awfully familiar to the nearby SoCal surf spots aptly entitled Good Wood; and a Trick Truck Corral for those fans of heavy haulers. In addition to the show 'n' shine, they also hosted a swap meet on one end of the grounds, live music, and seminars from top builders and manufacturers throughout the day.
If shelter from the sun was desired, there were a number of buildings open with even more stuff to ogle over. An indoor car show, which included a number of old dragsters, housed everything from traditional hot rods to trendsetting customs in one building, while arts, crafts, vendors, and even a few celebrities occupied the others. It took me all afternoon just to make it through the buildings!
On Sunday, all the winners were notified and the Goodguys organized them by category in the morning, leaving the rest of the day free for everybody to peruse the Winner's Circle of the weekend. The quality of cars present in the Winner's Circle this year was amazing, especially since most of the cars were driven to the event, some from as far away as Northern California and Arizona. It seems that homebuilt cars are showcasing more talent than ever. By Sunday afternoon, the awards ceremony was underway, where various celebrities and industry representatives handed out all those awards to the lucky winners.
Early April proves to be some of the most gorgeous weather Southern California has to offer all year long, so if it's a trip to the coast you're yearning for, make the trek to Del Mar, California, and join us next year for the Goodguys' 7th Del Mar Nationals. Who knows, maybe we'll see you in the Winner's Circle!