Goodguys Names Tyler Nelson as 2024 Trendsetter Award Winner

Goodguys Rod & Custom Association has named Tyler Nelson, owner of Revision Rods & Rides, as the recipient of its 2024 Trendsetter Award. The prestigious award was presented during the Hot Rod Industry Alliance (HRIA) reception at the 2024 SEMA Show in Las Vegas on Nov. 6.

“The Trendsetter Award is given to rising builders in the hot rod and custom car industry and Tyler and his team at Revision have been pushing the boundaries and styles of hot builds since 2018,” the organization noted in a press release announcing the award. “In 2022 they won the Goodguys Truck of the Year Early with a ’58 Ford F100 and this year their ’51 Henry J pickup was in the Ridler Award Great 8 and a finalist for Goodguys Custom of the Year.”

As a high school freshman, Nelson was inspired by the designs and builds of Chip Foose and the crew on the TV show “Rides.” It’s fitting that Foose was an influence as he was Goodguy’s inaugural recipient of their Trendsetter Award in 1998. Twenty-six year later, Nelson has joined the esteemed Trendsetter club himself.

With the custom car building bug embedded, Nelson took every high school trade class available including welding and auto shop. He bought a ’69 Chevy C10 pickup and began working on it with his father, both of them learning as they went by stripping and painting the frame, welding in new floors and patch panels, and tackling mechanical tasks and bodywork needs.

After high school Nelson earned his associate’s degree in Applied Service Management from WyoTech while finishing their collision refinishing and street rod programs. That gave him the skills to find work at a sheet metal fabrication shop followed by joining a local hot rod shop.

After a decade of gaining experience on the shop floor, not to mention with customers and suppliers, Nelson heeded his wife, Katie’s, advice and opened Revision Rods & Rides in 2018. Six years later, thanks to their hard work and perseverance, the shop now spans 12,000 square-feet with six team who handle everything from fabrication, bodywork, and paint to mechanical work, engineering, and machining.