Friday First Look! 23rd Colorado Nationals presented by Griot’s Garage

Goodguys is continuing their Summer Swing this weekend with the 23rd Colorado Nationals presented by Griot’s Garage in Loveland, Colorado. The high altitude of Colorado isn’t the only thing elevated this weekend as anticipation for this event has been simmering for months with the high plains rodders.


The Ranch Events Complex is a beautiful facility with sprawling grass lined with shade trees, concrete paths for cruising, buildings for indoor vendors and activities, and a large lot for the CPP AutoCross Series racers to really get on the gas! Add in a packed vendor midway and over 1,500 hot rod, muscle cars, street rods, customs, and classic trucks and the Colorado Nationals lives up to being a “destination event”.


We opened the gates early this morning to kick off Day 1 and get the weekend of showin’ and shinin’ underway. It didn’t take long for things to kick into high gear as every aspect of the event was buzzing from the AutoCross track to the show field. We checked out the Specialty Auto Auction preview (the auction will be happening Saturday starting at 1pm), the Goodgals Gallery, and hit the Nitro Thunderfest before loading up to head over to the well-attended TGIF party just down the road at Pinkee’s Rod Shop.

Here’s a quick preview of some of the sites and scenes we saw today. Be sure to tune in to all Goodguys’ social media outlets for more throughout the weekend and check back right here to FuelCurve.com on Sunday for the full Weekend Rewind post.

Photos by Todd Ryden & John Jackson

Director of Media & Marketing

A lifelong car kid, Steven grew up around drag strips – his name may sound familiar because his grandfather is Bob Bunker, a Pro Mod pioneer who piloted the “Folsom Flash” ’55 Chevy from the ’70s through the ’90s. Steven’s father, Bob Bunker Jr., heads up Bunker Motorsports and is a regular in the West Coast racing scene, building chassis and race cars for more than 30 years. With genetics like that, it’s no wonder Steven has a passion for both cars and motorsports. In addition to helping his father and honing his fabrication skills at Bunker Motorsports, Steven began shooting photos at the drag strip and capturing the action with his Canon camera. He is now artfully crafting stories around the awesome machines at the shows, as well as the men and women behind them. When he's is not on the road covering events, he spends his downtime out on the water fishing, building his 1962 Chevy Nova, or cruising his 1987 GMC Suburban.