The 2018 Holley National Hot Rod Reunion took over Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, KY last month for the 16th time. Over June 13th-16th, the venue was flooded with nostalgia racing and car show action. Beech Bend Raceway is one of the oldest operating drag strips in the country, which is a perfect setting for the venue.
This has been a family friendly from the start, and has been a great way to get younger generations involved in the car scene, while also bringing the past to life. Holley set out on a mission to figure exactly why people love vintage cars so much during the heart of the hot rodding event.
Spanning almost a century in year range, the car show portion of the event is like taking a step back into many different eras, and a great place to get started. Not only is there a massive selection of vintage cars and trucks, the venue is overrun with custom builds of all kinds. Some are restored to original condition, many are sporting custom engine swaps, and of course, there are patina cars galore.
You will also notice that will shows like this, and generally amongst the hot rod crowd, there is a strong presence of themes that tell a story using props with the car’s spot to tell something about the history of the car, or the uniqueness of the custom build.
The car show isn’t the only thing to fest your eyes on, seeing vintage cars take on the drag strip is amazing. There’s everything from gassers, to stock cars, to street cars, to funny cars, and even vintage dragsters that race non-stop throughout the event. This is also a great place for people to come who are looking for hard-to-find hot rod parts for their restoration or custom build.
This event answers why people love hot rods: there’s something for every kind of car person when you join the hot rod community!
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
