Goodguys' 21st Annual West Coast Nationals - Pleasanton Playground

When the last cars rolled out of the Alameda County Fairgrounds this past August and Goodguys closed the books on the 21st annual Texaco/Havoline West Coast Nationals, the organization did so on one of the biggest gatherings the West Coast Nats has ever seen. Pristine weather combined with beautiful grounds on which to hold the event and more than a handful of exhibition buildings displaying everything from the newest products to hit the aftermarket industry to fully operable, miniature gas engines, Pleasanton had something to offer every gearhead in attendance. And if the car show and exhibition halls were not enough, out on the south side of the fairgrounds was an excellent swap meet and car corral with plenty of good buys. The California Bay Area is known for its moderate, year-round weather and nowhere in the Bay Area is this as evident as it is in Pleasanton in August.

This year's show was also significant in that it was the first year in the history of the West Coast Nats, which just happens to be the Goodguys' crown jewel event, that fins were allowed in the show. That means that the Goodguys crew bumped the year break up to 1957. For the first time since Gary Meadors and the Goodguys organized the West Coast Nats 21 years ago, Tri-Fives, F-100s, shoebox Fords, and any and all other finned '50s street rods through '57 were welcomed onto the fairgrounds. This also meant that all those big, chrome-laden '50s cars qualified for not only the Fins Are Fifty award but also the myriad of other awards that Goodguys hands out throughout the weekend.

We were on hand to pick 10 of our favorite cars as part of our Top 100 program (don't forget to vote for your favorite at www.streetrodderweb.com), and the decision to up the year break at both the West Coast Nats and in SRM proved beneficial to all parties involved. The presence of all the post-'48 street rods in attendance gave us the opportunity to pick a field that is more representative of the current street-rodding hobby as a whole. As the availability of early iron continues to deplete, '50s and '60s cars will increase in popularity, something Goodguys and SRM have wholly embraced.

On the flip side of that coin, Goodguys also presented the award for America's Most Beautiful Street Rod at this year's event. Eligibility for the strictly beauty contest was any pre-'48 domestic street rod. From a field of more than 100 entries in the Pro's Pick section of the show, the top five finalists were announced early Saturday afternoon. Loyal SRM readers might recognize Ed Knudson's '33 Ford coupe, Ralph and Marlene Weaver's '35 Ford coupe, or Kevin and Karen Alstott's full-fendered '35 Ford roadster from the Street Rod d'Elegance category at the Del Mar Nats earlier this year. But newcomer Mike Hess' '37 Chevy coupe was also picked to give the veterans a run for their money. And if their '35 roadster wasn't enough to steal the show, the Alstotts also had a '35 Ford highboy roadster picked for contention as well. Out of that impressive field of five cars, it was Kevin and Karen Alstott's Lakeside Rods & Rides-built full-fendered '35 Ford roadster that took home the coveted AMBSR award. This is the fourth major award the Alstott roadster has swept, the other three being the Ridler award at the Detroit Autorama, America's Most Beautiful Roadster at the Grand National Roadster Show, and the Goodguys Street Rod d'Elegance.

With all the activity and awards going on throughout the weekend, it was easy to forget that there was also a car show going on with more than 2,500 cars in attendance. We walked the show, perused the swap meet, and talked to dozens of great people throughout the weekend in an effort to condense the highlights of one of the original Goodguys shows on these few pages.