Talk to the experts. Call 800.979.0122, 7am-10pm, everyday.

REWARDS

GIFT CARDS

DEALS

TRACK ORDER

HELP CENTER

My

List

Menu

Shop

Garage

Cart

Account

Products to Compare (max of 3)
X
Compare These Parts

Show Coverage - 2022 Goodguys Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals

6/21/2022
Add Article To List
Tags: News, Street, Truck

Speedway Motors is a proud sponsor of the Goodguys Heartland Nationals in Des Moines, IA. And it also happens to be one of our favorite events. It's close to our Lincoln, NE home base and makes for a great way reconnect with old friends and check out over 5,000 cars and trucks over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. We were there for the 2022 event and here are a few of our favorites, broken down by genre and in no particular order...

Hot Rods

Goodguys is known for bringing in a heap of early cars that are best described as "hot rods" and there were a bunch to choose from in Des Moines...

Brothers James and David Wolk are known for building killer traditional cars, and James and wife Michelle's '34 is no exception. This car has been around for a while in patina and is now beautifully finished.
Another angle, because...wow.
Right next to the coupe was David and Paulette's '36 roadster, finished with the same spot-on eye for detail and killer profile.
What in the world is it, you ask? Well, we would have had no idea either without reading the window sticker. It's a 1930 Erskine, built by Studebaker from '27-'30. It also happens to make for a cool hot rod.
And of course it has Stude power.
The "Omaha Coupe" is a legit old Nebraska hot rod that Omaha resident Tom Secora hunted down and is in the process of restoring. It looks downright nasty.
Yes, it's another '36 roadster, but Wayne and Robyn Griffin's chopped and slammed hot rod was just too perfect not to share. It's powered by a 283 backed by a '39 trans.

Classic Trucks

There were a lot of trucks at this year's show, and we're thrilled to see people taking advantage of this affordable way into the hobby. They ranged from budget-friendly drivers to pro-built full customs. Here are a few from across the spectrum that caught our eye.

'67-'72 C10's were everywhere in Des Moines. We loved the subtle color on this one.
It's almost surprising to see anything but an LS under the hood of a contemporary high-end C10. Bonus points to this one for the good 'ol' SBC with 2x4 throttle body injection.
Seems like '57-'59 Ford "fridge trucks" are finally getting some recognition. This one was cool with two-tone paint accentuating the neat factory ribs in the hood.
Squarebodies are all the rage these days, and that counts for Suburbans, too. And we get it; slam one and bolt on some neat wheels an they make great cruisers that will fit the whole family and then some.
Patina is great for a worry-free ride, and this '64-'66 had a killer stance on top of the perfectly aged paint. And judging by the booster, it looks like the proprietor of "Gpa's Garage" deserves bonus points for bringing the grandkids out to the show.

Muscle Cars

Muscle was well represented in Des Moines. We saw 60's-70's cars from each of the Big Three as well as a few others...

Mike Jorgensen's neat Camaro was on display in the Speedway Motors booth. It was put together by the crew at No Coast Rod and Custom shop.
The LS under the hood of Mike's Camaro was convincingly disguised to look like a big block by the crew at No Coast.
This Limelight 4-speed Hemi 'Cuda convertible was a clone, but boy was it cool.
This '69 Z/28 was the real deal...
...complete with cross-ram (not in the trunk).
There were a few AMC's on hand too, like this Rebel Machine.
We loved this in-progress Regal with a turbo 6.0 LS.
Speaking of turbos, here's our own Bill Schneider's R&D project "Frankenvette" with its freshly installed twin turbo 5.3.
Bill's Corvette was already brutally fast on its first time out.

Customs

There is a wide variety of cars in this group. Sure, there are a few traditional customs (or "kustoms" if you're so inclined), but we've also lumped in some cruisers of varying build styles that fit the custom profile: slammed with clean lines, built more for profiling on the street than all-out performance. You'll see what we mean...

This slammed, chopped, and flamed Merc is a textbook example of a custom.
We loved this '62 Wagon. The perfect patina hid a trick chassis, clean interior, and LS power.
The engine bay of that '62 shows the clean workmanship found throughout the car.
More longroof action. This one is a phantom '62 2-door wagon owned by John Judt.
We dig the clean custom interior in John's wagon.
4-doors get a bad rap, but this slammed Delta 88 made us stop in our tracks and rethink the idea of a family-friendly cruiser.
Goodguys Gazette editor Damon Lee drove his neat Dodge custom. We never get tired of seeing this car and hope we get to see it finished one day.
Josh Paulson's '53 Olds caught our attention with its clean blue paint and perfect stance.

Gassers

We will never tire of seeing nose-up hot rods with huge engines and nasty attitudes. There were plenty on hand at Des Moines...

Before there were Willys and Anglia Gassers there were cars like this Deuce 5-window. Chris Sogge's '32 ran a 327 with a Muncie 4-speed and we loved it.
Oh man there's just so much good stuff going on here. The chrome dash was full of period gauges and the 8-track player was loaded up with the American Graffiti soundtrack.
You might think of all Anglias as being nose-up 60's strip warriors, but we've been seeing this one for years and love the in the weeds stance and kidney bean wheels.
This silver '41 Willys sounded nasty, thanks to a blown big block with a whole bunch of nitrous solenoids on top.
We weren't kidding about the nitrous.
Brad Sebotka's '60 Falcon sported a blown big block Chevy and the perfect gasser stance.
The "Shagnasty" '55 sported a bunch of period perfect details.
...including a tunnel ram big block.

There were just so many cars at Des Moines and there's not room for all of them here. Stay tuned to our social medial channels like Facebook and Instagram for more from the show!

Related Articles

 2023 Holiday Gift Guide: 20 Car Enthusiast Gifts They’ll Love
by Mark Houlahan - Posted in News
11/22/2023
Not sure just what to get that special car enthusiast in your life? Don’t freak out, we’ve got just what you need this holiday season
2023 Grand National Roadster Show: AMBR and Slonaker Winners
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
2/6/2023
Here are the 2023 America's Most Beautiful Roadster and Slonaker award winners, as well as coverage from the Suede Palace and elsewhere around the '23 Grand National Roadster Show!
"Gangrene" '36 Willys Sedan by The Tin Man's Garage
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
10/24/2022
This year, the Speedway Motors SEMA booth will host Ron Ernsberger's radical Willys built by the Tin Man's Garage. It's a Hemi-powered hot rod with some classic street rod elegance thrown in, and there's much more going on here than meets the eye...
Built With Speedway Motors: Bob's 1936 Chevy Coupe
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
7/22/2022
After being stored away for decades, Bob finally finished his big block powered '36 Chevy coupe...
2021 Goodguys Speedway Motors Homebuilt Heaven Winners
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
4/8/2022
The Goodguys Speedway Motors Homebuilt Heaven award is all about showing off what can be done in the home garage. This pair of '34 Fords show that just about anything is possible, from mild to wild!
Pick a Side: Hot Rod or Muscle Car?
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
3/22/2022
If you had to pick only one-is it a hot rod or a muscle car?
2021 Sandhills Open Road Challenge
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
8/17/2021
This open road race brings an outrageous assortment of cars from all over the place to the Sandhills of Western Nebraska for one special weekend every year.
Jason’s Model A Coupe
by Joe McCollough - Posted in News
8/2/2021
Jason’s Holland’s Model A coupe is loud, unruly, and refuses to apologize to anyone. It was pieced together from a few clapped-out bodies, one of which was so mangled that Jason’s buddies made fun of him for dragging it out of the swap meet.
Squarebody LS Swap Guide | 73-87 K10 Parts List
by Jefferson Bryant - Posted in Tech
4/25/2024
How to plan and execute a LS swap into any 1973-1987 Chevy/GMC K10 pickup truck.
Chevy 454 Big Block Budget Build: Recipes for 400-600 HP
by Mark Houlahan - Posted in Tech
4/22/2024
The 454 big block Chevy is still a popular build option for when there is no replacement for displacement!