A Kansas Roadster and a 1,300-HP Chevelle Rule Goodguys' Biggest Weekend in Columbus

Goodguys calls its Columbus show "The Big One," and the 28th Summit Racing Nationals, held July 10 to 12 at the newly renovated Ohio Expo Center, earned the nickname again. More than 6,000 hot rods, muscle cars, classic trucks and customs filled the fairgrounds, and by Saturday night the two awards that matter most to the high end of the hobby had gone to a pair of cars that could not be more different: a traditional-leaning 1933 Ford roadster from a small Kansas shop and a 1970 Chevelle that has been reshaped, rebuilt and twin-turbocharged to more than 1,300 horsepower.

Columbus is where Goodguys hands out two of its BASF-presented Top 12 of the Year awards every summer, the Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year and the Forgeline Street Machine of the Year. Winning either one puts a car in the conversation for the rest of the season and, for the builder, usually means a phone that does not stop ringing.

Two Builds, Two Philosophies

The Street Rod of the Year went to John and Jennifer Fairleigh's 1933 Ford roadster, built by Mike Kellar and his team at Big Creek Restoration in Ellis, Kansas. Goodguys says nearly everything on the car was modified or fabricated. It rides on a frame with an extra-high rear kickup and a five-inch drop axle, stops with vintage-style Kinmont brakes from Johnson's Hot Rod Shop, and rolls on race-inspired knock-off wheels machined by Leading Edge Machine.

Under the hood is a Jon Kaase Racing Boss 520 with an eight-stack Borla fuel-injection manifold, good for more than 800 horsepower, dressed with vintage magnesium valve covers and custom exhaust. The body wears custom PPG Kansa Blue with a laid-back grille and windshield. Inside, Classic Instruments gauges sit in a machined dash insert, the pedals are one-offs, and the rearview mirrors double as door handles. Elegance Auto Interiors stitched the leather seats and woven-insert door panels.

What makes the car more than a trailer queen is how it has been used. According to Goodguys, John has driven it on back roads and tours, finished a Goodguys 100-mile reliability run and made several passes down a drag strip. That matters in a category where judges are supposed to reward cars that are built to be driven, not just admired.

The Street Machine of the Year went the other direction. Matt Jewell has owned his 1970 Chevelle Super Sport for more than 30 years, and Eddie Pettus and the team at Eddie's Rod & Custom spent six years turning it into something only loosely related to what left the factory. The fenders are extended, panels are sectioned, the roofline is reworked, and the bumpers, hood and decklid were hand-fabricated, yet the car still reads as a Chevelle from across a parking lot.

Underneath, the original frame is gone in favor of a custom Roadster Shop chassis with coilovers, Brembo brakes and a cantilever independent rear suspension. Power comes from a twin-turbocharged LS3 built by Steve Morris Engines and rated at more than 1,300 horsepower. The interior was designed with 3D scanning and 3D printing, then finished in leather by Avante Garde Design.

The Rest of the Top Five Was No Consolation Prize

Fuel Curve's coverage listed the other Street Rod finalists as Cal Auto Creations' 1933 Pontiac sedan, Harold Chapman's '32 coupe, Norman Caetano's '32 roadster and Scotty Hooper's '40 Ford. The Street Machine top five behind Jewell included Darrell Lee's '69 Plymouth, Scott Young's '86 Mustang, Dennis King's '69 Torino and Shawn Rice's '67 Chevelle. An '86 Mustang in that company says a lot about where the Street Machine category is heading: Fox bodies now get the same build budgets that used to be reserved for first-generation muscle.

Goodguys also named regional finalists for other Top 12 categories. Zach Strait's '67 Camaro took the Snap-on Muscle Car nod, Kevin and Wendy Flondor's '68 C10 was picked for Dakota Digital Truck of the Year Late, and Jim Bridgewater's '66 Thunderbird was selected for Vintage Air Custom Rod. Bob Hastreiter's Ford F1 pickup got the Goodguys editorial feature pick. The remaining Top 12 winners are named later in the season.

Builders Choice picks came from two of the most respected shops in the business, Dutchboys Hotrods and Roadster Shop, with each choosing ten cars. The New Product Showcase in the Bricker Building, run with In the Garage Media, is the only Goodguys event with a Best New Product of the Year competition, which is why so many manufacturers time their launches for Columbus.

Rain on the Cones, Then a Saturday Shootout

Fuel Curve reported overcast skies Friday and Saturday and sunshine Sunday, and the weather took a bite out of Friday's autocross. The Forgeline Buckeye Shootout moved to Saturday morning. Ron Scott Jr. won Pro X, Chris Smith won Pro, Rob MacGregor took Truck, Tom Farrington won Street Machine, Bob Bertelson won Corvette, Tim Elswick won Challenger and Ryan Mathews won Sports Car. Sunday's All American Shootout, open to newer American-made or American-powered cars, went to Pat Leatherman.

That Sunday program is worth noting. Friday and Saturday at Columbus are reserved for 1999 and older vehicles, while Sunday opens the gates to American cars and trucks of any year. It keeps the core of the show rooted in classics while giving owners of late-model Camaros, Mustangs, Challengers and Corvettes a reason to show up and run the cones.

One Key, One Coupe

The weekend's biggest prize was decided by a key. Goodguys built its 2026 Grand Prize Giveaway car with Roseville Rod and Custom: a 1940 Ford coupe with a supercharged Cadillac engine. Seventeen finalists each got a key to try, and only one would start the car. Fuel Curve reported that Ted Bauer's key was the one that fired it.

Goodguys also unveiled the 2027 giveaway car in Columbus, a 1966 Chevelle built by GAP Industries. Between that, the swap meet, the Cars 4-Sale Corral, the Summit Racing Nitro Thunderfest and two days of SEMA-backed Hot Rod Industry Alliance tech seminars, the show covered nearly every way there is to spend a weekend around old cars.

The takeaway from Columbus is that the top of the hobby has room for both schools at once. A '33 Ford with a vintage-style big-inch V8, knock-offs and drop axle can win on craftsmanship and driving miles, while a Chevelle with a modern chassis, 3D-printed interior design and four-digit horsepower can win on ambition. Goodguys rewarded both in the same weekend, and both builds started with owners who kept driving and kept investing in cars they had loved for years.