NSRA Street Rod Nationals Celebrates 40th Anniversary

It is one of Louisville’s premiere conventions with an economic impact of more than $15 million. It’s the NSRA’s Street Rod Nationals, which opened Thursday and runs through the weekend. As of yesterday nearly eleven thousand rods were registered, all pre-1949. The quantity of Ford ’32 Deuces is staggering, but everything else under the sun was here, including at least one item from 1903.

This was the NSRA’s 15th trip to Louisville, though flooding of the Ohio River earlier this week threatened to disrupt the spectacle. To be sure, there was no evidence of anything but sunshine and blue skies yesterday. With the Kentucky Exposition Center renovation complete, conditions could not have been more perfect for a car show.

It is the third year AMSOIL has been an official product sponsor of the NSRA. AMSOIL has been offering rodders the power of synthetics since 1972. Many of today's oils have significantly trimmed back on additives that help the oil protect engines and prevent cam and follower wear. AMSOIL offers two high zinc formula oils especially suited for vintage cars. AMSOIL synthetic motor oils and drivetrain fluids are installed in the NSRA Giveaway Car that was assembled by Indiana's Brookville Roadsters.

Hundreds of companies put their wares on display inside the convention center, and thousands of rodders put the love of the lives on display outside in every available parking space and across the grassy apron to the west. There are also a wide range of seminars and workshops designed to help rodders solves challenges in making or keeping their equipment road worthy.

In short, it's a great event and even if you're not a "car guy" it's well worth a gander at least once in a lifetime simply for the color and art and experience.

Below is just a small portion of the scene, looking southeast from the roof of the Kentucky Expo Center.

Louisville Prepares for 40th Annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals

For those of you keeping up with the AMSOIL Promotions Blog or the NSRA's Street Scene Magazine, you are no doubt familiar with the NSRA Nationals events happening across the country each year. For those of you who aren’t, the NSRA is an organization of street rod enthusiasts who gather in various locations to display their vintage restored hot rods at large local gatherings across the nation. Their next stop is Louisville, KY for the 40th Annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals. The granddaddy of them all, event promoters and expecting upwards of 11,000+ street rods to be on display. These beautifully restored vehicles must be driven in, and range in value from $20,000 to $150,000. In all, the total value of all vehicles on display reaches well over $3 million so there is plenty to see and explore up close and personal.

In addition to the thousands of street rods, there is a lot to see and do for the entire family. As with all NSRA Nationals events, the Women’s World with arts and crafts will be there, as well as several games designed especially for children. A swap meet runs the entire weekend, and hundreds of companies are hand to display products and services pertaining to this market.
Louisville also has some extra special attractions that are not usual staples at NSRA events. First up, a ‘Builders Showcase’ area with cars built by the top professionals in the industry will be on display. An appearance will be made at the Mothers polish booth on Friday and Saturday by ‘Overhaulin’ TV host Chip Foose, an established car builder and TV personality. Norm Grabowski will on hand as well showing off his ‘Kookie Clone 09’ replica, made famous by the 70’s series ‘Sunset Strip’ as well as his ‘Kookie II’ Magazine car. Live entertainment, from a Rolling Stones tribute to an Elvis tribute, will ensure that there's never a dull moment. And if you're within a ten state radius, be sure to stop by one of the AMSOIL booths.

What: 40th Annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals

Where: Kentucky Exposition Center, Louisville KY

August 6 8:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M.

August 7 8:00 A.M.-6:00 P.M.

August 8 7:00 A.M.-7:00 P.M.

August 9 8:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M.

Cost

Adult: $14

Child 6-12: $5.00

5 & Under: Free with paid adult

NSRA Widens the Field

The National Street Rod Association has announced that beginning in 2010 all NSRA events will be open to all vehicles older than 30 years behind current year. This is good news for owners of Sixties and Seventies cars who up till now were only able to participate in a couple events.

This year the NSRA turns forty with its 40th Anniversary in Louisville to be the stellar event for this family of enthusiasts. That will be a gathering you won’t want to miss.

Blown Outa Proportion

Paul Sykora's pet passion has been making the rounds. In July the ’37 Ford Coupe, which won a 2007 Hot Wheels Design Award, was displayed at the GoodGuys Nationals in Columbus. Paulie put together a nice sign listing all his sponsors with a full color AMSOIL logo prominent. We like that kind of appreciation.

From there, the Coupe was transported to the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville KY, a highlight among the 10711 cars there. To many, the coupe was the hit of the show. Among the photos here we see a camera crew interviewing Sykora for their video and Street Scene magazine.

Sykora's email to AMSOIL, describing the photos he sent us, included this comment: "The last one doesn’t need a caption. It's me and Chip Foose standing next to the car, which he liked by the way." We're sure he did.

If you wish to see this work of art and engineering in person, the car is scheduled to be in Florida the rest of the year. You will find it at the Daytona Dream Cruise in Oct, the NSRA Nationals in Tampa (also October), and the Turkey Rod Run in Daytona in Nov.

Street Rod Nationals Just Around the Corner

If it isn't one thing, it's another. No sooner have we finished our 35th Anniversary Convention here than we have to get our head out of the clouds and feet back on the ground preparing for the next event. The street rod scene it is the 39th Annual Street Rod Nationals that a lot of folks are gearing up for. Louisville's the place. July 31 thru August 3 are the dates. If you love the cars, bring along a lawn chair and get up close to the curb because all day every day it's a parade. An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 vintage cars will be on hand this year for the largest show of its type anywhere in the world.

This will be the fourteenth year the NSRA Nationals will be held in Louisville. The first event was held in Peoria in 1970 featuring 600 rodders. Since then the nationals have been hosted by Columbus OH, St. Paul MN, Oklahoma City OK, Memphis TN, Tulsa OK, Detroit MI, and Syracuse NY. But Louisville's become the major center of this gathering.

There will be more than 300 manufacturers of specialty equipment as well as an AMSOIL presence. If it has moving parts, nothing protects and performs like AMSOIL synthetic lubricants.

The images here, taken last year, offer a pretty good flavor of what's about to take place in the week to come.