The beautiful town with a name you definitely can’t forget, let alone pronounce in one shot hosted the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association gang for the 27th consecutive year. It was during the Goodguys 27th Wesco Autobody Supply Pacific Northwest Nationals held at the Washington State Fair Event Center in Puyallup, Washington that gears were shifted.

The Goodguys tour to the majestic northwest for a week of hot rodding and drag racing excitement definitely adds a touch of magic when you hit an event in as beautiful a part of the country as the heavily forested area of Washington state that borders Canada.

Kicking off the weeklong event was Northwest Hot Rod Week which started on July 21st. It was three big days of guided hot rod tours featuring stops at exclusive car collections, iconic shops, and manufacturers set against the backdrop of the serene northwest.

Goodguys Northwest Hot Rod Week was open to everyone who wanted to participate and for those who didn’t get a chance to partake, definitely consider giving it a shot next year. There are few other places that could beat the feeling of cruising the backroads and forests with a group of fellow hot rodders.

Daily driving tours left the fairgrounds at 10:00 a.m. daily. Daily tour maps were given out to all cruisers prior to departure so they could plot their roots and pitstops accordingly.

The Kingsmen car club hosted the annual Poker Run on Thursday, July 24th. The Poker Run kicked off quickly following fairground registration at 10:00 a.m. sharp.

Following the Poker Run, the traditional barbecue kickoff party greeted attendees with the sweet smell of marinated meats and other delicacies that round out the perfect car show weekend. This would set the tone for the rest of the event and it was nothing less than cheerful, riled up, and festive.

The Goodguys Friday Nite Drags was hosted by Pacific Raceways outside Kent, Washington and shaped up to be a real 70s-style barn burner.

On Saturday, July 26th back at the fairgrounds in Puyallup, Goodguys presented Dragfest NW featuring Northwest drag racing legends Bucky, Pat, and Walt Austin, Jerry “The King” Ruth, “Gentleman” Hank Johnson, and Herm Petersen. All six drivers signed autographs for enthusiasts from noon to 1:00 p.m. and put on an encore from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

The cackle cars of Johnson, Ruth, and Walt Austin came to life on full loads of nitro from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and filled the air with the sweet smell of nostalgia.

All this was topped off by a full weekend of hot rodding fun at the fairgrounds which included over 2,500 show cars, a swap meet, car corral, Pinstriper’s Brush Bash, lots of live music, nightly cruising, and All American Sunday, just to name a few.

The Goodguys 27th Wesco Autobody Supply Pacific Northwest Nationals was a love affair. They say hot rodding is a passion based hobby and man is that ever true, especially up in the rarified air close to the Canadian border.

Until Next Year, We Leave The Magic Of The Northwest

Pacific North westerners LOVE their cars and sunshine. The second-longest running event on the Goodguys calendar had both in spades. There was so much going on that coincided with the Goodguys event like Northwest Hot Rod Week. This unforgettable three-day drive-along hot rod tour gave enthusiasts a rare chance to hit Puget Sound shops, collections, and museums.

Almost on cue, the weather turned in the show attendee’s favors Thursday afternoon after record rainfall on Wednesday. The puddles evaporated, spirits were rejuvenated, and just like that, the warm sun came out.

By Thursday evening the joint was besieged by thousands of cars as is typical for a Goodguys event. From early hot rod iron, to modern era muscle–it was a showcase of high quality American-made mobile artwork from start to finish.

The weekend hit the ground running fast and strong with the let-it-all-hang-out Friday Nite Vintage Drags at Pacific Raceways. The largest car count Goodguys had in five years provided eight solid hours of ground-poundin’ highlighted by fire-breathing funny cars. “Hollywood” Kris Krabill won the show with a dazzling 5.737/254 mph blast under the lights!

The drag race theme continued into Saturday back at the fairgrounds with Goodguys Dragfest Northwest. There, cackle cars and northwest racing legends provided fans with bench racing, nitro fumes, and free hero cards!

It was quite the scene. Both Bucky and Pat Austin, Jerry “The King” Ruth, “Gentleman” Hank Johnson, Herm Petersen, and Frank Hall did a meet and greet/autograph session with fans. They were nice enough to put on an encore amidst the two hour cacklefest they treated the audience to.

The fairgrounds action was hot and heavy all weekend. Being the second oldest national event on the Goodguys’ calendar, this event is steeped in tradition and a captivating aura unique to the pacific northwest. The giant Pinstriper’s “Brush Bash” (you can’t believe how many artists come here to revel in their craft!), the overflowing “Canadian Corral”, after parties , and wide cruise lanes made it uniquely charming. These folks definitely know how to party.

The weekend closed with the awards ceremony in the area of the fairgrounds they call Sillyville. But make no mistake, there was nothing silly about the award winners as the ceremony was led by the Builder’s Choice winners hand-picked by Art & Craig Morrison. The 96-hour non-stop hot rodding marathon was not only a blast, it filled the soul with another round of hearty hot roddin’ memories, sufficient enough to hold the region’s rodders over until Goodguys returns next year.

It’s definitely a bummer when such an awesome weekend has to come to an end, but we’re sure that countless memories were made to last a lifetime.

Speaking of next year, be sure to mark your calendars the weekend of July 24, 25, and 26 for the 2015 Pacific Northwest Nationals!

Click here for a full list of the weekend’s award winners. Also, Click here to see more event pictures featured on the Goodguys Instagram page, and here to give Goodguys Rod & Custom Association a Like on their Facebook page.

Be sure to check out the gallery below for a pictorial recap of the Pacific Northwest Event and we’ll see you in Puyallup in 2015!