Goodguys Heads to Iowa for 35th Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals
Taking place over the Fourth of July weekend, the event will feature vintage hot rods, classic trucks & American-made muscle, plus a Fireworks Extravaganza…
Goodguys Rod & Custom Association is cruising into Des Moines for the 35th Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals presented by FiTech Fuel Injection. Taking place July 3–5 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, the event will feature vintage hot rods, classic trucks and specialty cars alongside motorsports action, live entertainment, automotive vendors and more.
Classic vehicles manufactured in 1999 and older are welcome to take part in all three days of the festivities, while late model American-made and powered show cars of all years can join in on Meguiar’s All-American Sunday, event officials said in a press release.
Awards & Competition at the 2026 Heartland Nationals
Special parking areas on Saturday offer the opportunity for registered participants and their vehicles to compete for the top awards of the show, including Goodguys “Top 12 of the Year” finalist awards presented by BASF for Muscle Cars, Trucks and Custom cars. Tyler Nelson of Revision Rods & Rides will be on hand to pick his top 10 Builders Choice selections, and the Goodguys crew will be handing out over 75 specialty awards through the weekend.
Central Iowa RC Addicts will serve up RC car demonstrations, in addition to a model car and pedal car display. Attendees can also shop over 100 vendor and manufacturer exhibits, stroll through a huge swap meet or Cars 4 Sale Corral, and check out the Goodgals Arts & Crafts Gallery.
AutoCross Racing, Nitro Thunderfest & Burnout Competition
Motorsports action takes place all three days with the Goodguys AutoCross Racing Series. On Saturday afternoon, racers compete in the Optima Batteries “Duel in Des Moines” AutoCross Shootout, followed by the All-American Shootout on Sunday. Several vintage exhibition dragsters will rev their supercharged engines during the Summit Racing Nitro Thunderfest and Saturday will feature a tire-smoking burnout competition.
The Twilight Cruise on historic Grand Avenue on Saturday evening will be followed by Goodguys Saturday Night Fireworks Extravaganza. The event wraps up on Sunday with a parade of award-winning cars and trucks at the Awards Ceremony, kicking off at 2:22 p.m.
