(Radio Iowa) – For some Iowans, nothing is more American than gleaming chrome, shiny fenders and the sound of revving V-8 engines, as this holiday weekend marks the 35th edition of the Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals in central Iowa. Steven Bunker, spokesman for the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association, says thousands of stunning show vehicles from across Iowa and at least 20 surrounding states will be on display Friday through Sunday in Des Moines.
“We’re going to fill the Iowa State Fairgrounds with over 5,000 classic American hot rods,” Bunker says. “All these vehicles are going to be 1999 and older. You’re going to see a lot of the ’32 Fords, ’40 Fords, the pure muscle cars from the ’60s, classic trucks. Really all of it comes out to Iowa, and it’s a great, fun, full weekend celebrating the 4th of July.” In addition to the thousands of sparkling cars and trucks lining the Grand Concourse, events through the weekend include a watermelon eating contest, a pin-up girl modeling competition, and a whopper fireworks show on Saturday night.
“We have a little junior autocross thing where kids can race bikes on a track, but then of course, we have the big autocross racing, which, these are the muscle cars and trucks competing on a timed course,” Bunker says. “And then we have a big shootout on Saturday, live music, an R.C. car exhibit. We have Nitro Thunderfest, which is these old vintage dragsters that are firing up.” The newest vehicles on display will be 27 years old, but he says some of the oldest will date back more than a century.
“It’s not uncommon to see ’20s Model T buckets, down to 1923 or so,” Bunker says. “We might see some early 1908, 1912 Brass Era-type vehicles, but for the most part, our shows are going to start around the mid ’20s.” As one of the biggest car shows in the Midwest, the three-day event is expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators.
