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The Goodguys Rod and Custom Association car show is returning to the Alameda County Fairgrounds this month for the first time in nearly two years since the group’s Autumn Get-Together before the pandemic in November 2019.
Goodguys COO Andrew Ebel told the Weekly that the team is looking forward to bringing events back to Pleasanton, where they are headquartered.
“We were founded here many, many years ago, so we’re just excited to be back in our hometown and to be able to put on shows for our community,” Ebel said. “We have traditionally had a very strong hot-rodding following here.”
The family-friendly show returns next Friday through Sunday (Aug. 27-29) for the 34th West Coast Nationals, also known as Goodguys’ “crown jewel” event. The show will feature a number of exhibits and activities including, the hot rod display, an autocross racing competition, a burnout competition, a swap meet and “Cars 4 Sale Corral” and a Kids Zone with free arts and crafts, games and prizes. There will also be automotive and food vendors on site.
“We’ll probably have close to 3,500 cars,” Ebel said. “Our pre-registration on cars is doing really well; we’re way over where our numbers were at the same time for our 2019 event, and that’s a good indication that the car enthusiast community is ready to come on out. And we’re hearing a lot of great things, too, from the local spectator community.”
Ebel said that Goodguys and the Alameda County Fairgrounds will be prioritizing safety and following health officials’ guidelines for the event.
“The cool part about our event — and why I think people get so excited about it — is that maybe 95% of the footprint is all outdoors, so it’s a very safe environment for people to come out to,” he said.
He added, “We’re excited about being able to provide an atmosphere and an environment where people can really spread out if they want to but still yet come together as an automotive community.”
In addition to being outside, Ebel said organizers and staff will be encouraging social distancing and requiring face coverings for all indoor exhibits during the three-day event. There will also be several hand-washing and sanitizing stations placed throughout the fairgrounds and staff will be making sure that bathrooms and other communal areas are cleaned frequently.
This will be Goodguys’ first show in California this year and although Ebel said he’s unsure what to expect from the spectator turnout, he is very optimistic as recent shows held in other states have had strong attendance.
“I think our tagline says it all. It’s all about getting back to cool cars, cool people and good times,” he said.
More information about the upcoming show is available here.
