Goodguys Chicagoland Nationals - Ready, Set, Joliet

The Third Annual Goodguys Chicagoland Nationals

From the May, 2010 issue of Street Rodder

By Ryan Manson, Tim Bernsau

Photography by Ryan Manson

You may have noticed that, for most street rodders, the whole point of building or owning a rod is the pleasure of actually driving it. There is a percentage of enthusiasts who get more enjoyment out of building and fabricating and performing all the hands-on mechanical stuff, but for many others, the best day of the build is the one when all the work is done and it's time for fun.

You may have also noticed that Goodguys events generally reflect that trend. Getting there may be half the fun, but the other half is waiting for you when you roll through the gate at a national event. Parking yourself in a folding chair is always an option, if that's your thing, but it's definitely not the only one.

Nowhere is that more obvious than at the relatively new Goodguys Chicagoland Nationals, held at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.

In addition to the attractions you typically find at Goodguys events-all the vendors and manufacturers, the swap meet, and the show 'n' shine for cars and trucks in numerous categories and corrals (including Homebuilt Heaven, Suede & Chrome, and Ya Gotta Drive 'Em), the Chicagoland Nats has the advantage of actually taking place in the infield of a modern, state-of-the-art 1-1/2-mile tri-oval racetrack. But that's not the only advantage. Another is Route 66 Dragway, located right across the street, where Friday Night Drags drew a big crowd of Goodguys participants at the end of the first day of the Chicagoland Nats.

Back at the Speedway on Saturday, event participants got a chance to have some fun with their street rods, customs, muscle cars, and classic trucks in a couple of different ways. One was the Street Challenge AutoCross, set upon the site Goodguys holds this event at more than a dozen of its shows, giving competitors the chance to run their rides through the twisty course, testing their car's handling abilities, and their own driving skills. We've never seen a skinny-tired, buggy-sprung Model A coupe zip through the cones as fast as a purpose-built g-Machine Camaro, but the rods do make for better photos. The other performance opportunity at Chicagoland took place on Saturday when the event moved out of the infield onto the banked oval, where participants got to take some laps around the track. Even in a mild-mannered street car at sub-NASCAR speeds, there's no experience quite like making a few counterclockwise passes around the course.

If all of this sounds like your idea of fun, start thinking about getting yourself and your car to Joliet this year. Goodguys will be back at Chicagoland Speedway on the third weekend of September. How 'bout you?

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