National Street Rod Association Louisville 2024
The California Kid and California Kid Express (click for more info)
The National Street Rod Association has been holding its flagship event in Louisville, KY for 55 years. During this four-day event over 8,500 street rods, muscle cars, and custom classics were either cruising the show field or on display at the Louisville Expo Center. It’s a perfect venue for hot rodders to make new friends from all parts of the country – even as far away as the west coast. The classic cars outside in the parking lot of the Expo Center change every day and inside the Expo Center there were vendor displays and many high-end builds promoting aftermarket products. To top it all off, selected builders in the hobby are invited to bring examples of their craft in a special “Builder’s Showcase.”
Builders’ Showcase Vehicles
This year the National Street Rod Association (NSRA) featured 38 special Builds in their Builders’ Showcase. Not only do attendees get a chance to see these unique creations, but the builders, and many times the owners, are on hand to discuss the vehicles. In the videos below, we had the builders/owners to tell us about several cars on display. It was a chance to hear about unique features on a first year Goat, a dad and his son’s labor of love restoring a T-Bucket, a modern take on a Lead Sled, and even a young lady’s dream to build a pink deuce roadster. Every classic has a story just waiting to be told.
1932 Ford Roadster
Builder: Alan Johnson, Johnson’s Hot Rod Shop of Gadsen, AL
Owner: MeKenzie Murphy
1956 Ford F175
Builder: Michael Labrecque, Labrecque Autocraft LLC of East Windsor, CT
Owner: Mike Uhrin
1951 Mercury
Builder: Shannon Manley, Pot O’ Gold Kustoms of Colorado Springs, CO
Owner: Zack Hughes
1923 Ford T-Bucket
Builder: Dustin Cooper, Cooper’s Paint & Body of Avon, IN
Owner: Dustin Cooper
1964 GTO Convertible
Builder: Josh Jewell, Sparky’s Hardcore Customs, LLC of Central City, KY
Owner: Gene & Paula Powell
1959 Impala
Builder: Madison Alexander, Riveting Rides Hot Rods of Milan, TN
Owner: Bill Hill
1951 Ford F1
Builder: David & Angie, AND Hot Rod Shop of Clifton Forge, VA
Owner: Johnny Heck
Elite Builder of the Year
The ‘Elite Builder of the Year’ is awarded to one of the participants in the Builders’ Showcase. The judges, the builder’s themselves, recognize one of their peers for their cutting edge creativity and attention to style and detail, The winner this year was Tyler Nelson of Revision Rods in Rapid City, SD (Joe Faso, owner), with a 1951 Henry J Pickup. Sure, Henry J never made a pickup, but that is only part of what makes this build something extraordinary. Tyler gave us a walk around tour of this unique hauler which was also a 2024 ‘Great 8’ winner at the Detroit Autorama.
Pros’ Pick of the Year
The Builders’ Showcase vehicles are also evaluated by pro judges for a ‘Best of Show’ type award. This year the honor went to was a 1950 F1 Pickup, owned by Dennis & Saun Strobel of Birch Run, PA and built by Korek Designs of New Berlin, PA. This is definitely an eye-catching build, especially with the unique turbine wheels and white walls. Saun told us how they came up with the idea for the wheels and how the color was chosen, In the below video, she gives a walkaround of the pickup.
Winners Circle
On the final day of the show, special awards were presented to a select number of vehicles that attending the event outside the Expo Center. Out of the thousands of attendees, these cars/trucks were brought into the Freedom Hall Sports Auditorium to what is called the Winners Circle. The awards included Pro Picks, Best use of Color, Mopar Country, Mayor’s Pick, and more.
