25 OR OLDER ONLY

THE 51ST ANNUAL NSRA STREET ROD NATIONALS

- CAMERON AUBERNON

THOUGH THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC THREW MORE THAN A FEW MONKEY WRENCHES IN THE WORKS THIS SHOW SEASON, ONE MAINSTAY HELD THE LINE: THE 51ST EDITION OF THE NATIONAL STREET ROD ASSOCIATION STREET ROD NATIONALS. Just over 7,400 rides rolled up to the massive grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky, Aug. 6-9, 2020, despite the specter of COVID-19 still in the background.

The first edition of the Street Rod Nationals took place in Peoria, Illinois back in 1970. Originally founded by the staff of Rod & Custom Magazine, just 600 turned up for the festivities that year. The Nationals moved all over the country, taking place in cities like Detroit, Memphis and Tulsa before settling down in Louisville 23 years ago. Through it all, the annual gathering grew from 600 to nearly 13,000 street rods, muscle cars and cool-ass trucks from not just the United States, but countries including Canada, England and Australia.