Undoubtedly, a lot has changed in the car show world over the years. The events, the cars, and even the attendees have evolved since the first car shows were created decades ago. What began as cruising around to show off your ride (and check out other people’s rides) has, in modern times, morphed into a lawn chair affair with little or no movement once the show has started. Thankfully, various venues have realized enthusiasts’ desire to enjoy their rides once they arrive at the event. One such venue is the Street Machine Nationals, a long-standing show that caters to the horsepower-hungry.

I grew up reading about the Street Machine Nationals and remember being awestruck by the creativity and talent that was shown by the quality of cars in attendance. The cars I voraciously read about in numerous magazines helped formulate what I felt a cool car should look, sound, and run like.

There are two Street Machine Nationals events held each year — the first one, in June, is held in Du Quoin, Illinois. The second, and the one we attended, is held in Saint Paul, Minnesota in July. This was my first time attending one of these events and I jumped at the chance to cover this year’s happenings. Leading up to the event, I was unsure of what to expect.

I was amazed at how much the venue has to offer. After walking through miles and miles of street rods, hot rods, muscle cars, and late-model muscle, it was confirmed to me why good walking shoes are a must. The Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Saint Paul is the second largest in the nation. But beyond being the biggest, the tree-lined streets and numerous park benches of the facility give attendees excellent opportunities to get out of the sun and do some car-watching.

Street Machines Of Every Style

There is no way to cover all of the thousands of cars in attendance. There were plenty of Chevelles, Novas, Bel Airs, and SS variants to keep any Bowtie enthusiast happy. There were also enough Big Three entrants, as well as a giant helping of orphan makes and models clearly proving that no one should feel left out at this event.

Likewise, the build-out of the cars was as varied as humanly possible. There were the blown, pro street cars that have been a staple of the Street Machine Nationals for decades, as well as street rods and muscle cars that made those vintage body styles so cool. There were also modern builds that were more pro touring, along with others that were daily-driven street machines.

Many Chevy Hardcore readers will remember when cruising was the thing to do before it was deemed too dangerous and shut down by many municipalities. The Street Machine Nationals carries on that tradition, though, through the official “Cruise Route” that weaves its way throughout the majority of the fairgrounds.

There were numerous big-tire beasts loping their way around the show as their owners smiled from ear to ear. Many other enthusiasts made laps, their rides upgraded with air conditioning or still sporting their factory-installed units. While burnouts and racing are definitely frowned upon, it was great to see these cars in action, proving their cooling systems’ mettle through traffic. If you felt the need to shred some rubber, you could sign up for the burnout competition sponsored by Continental Tire.

The Automotive Passion Thrives In The Midwest

Noting the cars in attendance, it was easy to see that the passion for hot rodding is alive and well in the Midwest. This year’s attendance set the bar for this venue with over 4,500 cars seeking a spot along the tree-lined streets and parking areas throughout the fairgrounds. Official participant numbers were not currently available, but attendance was reportedly up twenty percent over last year, which caught gate attendants by surprise on Saturday. More gates were opened up to allow several other entrance points into the facility on Sunday, thereby alleviating the lines getting into the fairgrounds. Parking is clearly at a premium, and many enthusiasts secured their spots early by reserving a spot for themselves and their friends. The small additional fee to reserve their spot was a small price to pay to enjoy the event with all their friends.

After the rains had passed, attendees donned chamois or towels and lovingly wiped down their rides back to perfection.

You can plan as much as you want for the event, but you’ll never be able to control the weather. A couple of rain storms rolled through on both Friday and Saturday, but once the liquid sunshine was history, many enthusiasts who rode out the storms simply wiped down their cars and continued with the party! Their persistence was repaid with slightly cooler temps and less chance of dust fouling their highly polished rides.

The Street Machine Nationals: A Feast For Your Eyes And Ears

If you like people- and car-watching, there was plenty to feast your eyes on, but the Street Machine Nationals offers so much more if you’re more active. There was fun to be had — with and without your car — such as the QA1 autocross, the Carvici DYNO Challenge for those wanting to document their car’s horsepower, or submitting your ride in Loud Donkeys’ Show-N-Shine judging on Saturday. Many attendees flocked to the dyno area at noon on Saturday to watch the high-horsepower cars put on a feast for the eyes and ears. Four-digit horsepower numbers flowed from the rollers with ease, and viewers enjoyed the sights and smells of these powerhouses on display.

If you were looking for a more fuel-efficient means of enjoying the event, you could spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday walking around the grounds, looking at the cars in attendance. And, of course, since this is the Midwest, a requisite Cornhole tournament was scheduled for Saturday, sponsored by Loud Donkeys.