[Gallery] 53rd NSRA Street Rod Nationals Brings Louisville to the Final Lap of Summer
Cameron Aubernon
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August in Louisville, Kentucky means two things. For the last two weeks of the month, the Kentucky Exposition Center comes to life with the sights, sounds and smells of the Kentucky State Fair, the big send-off to summer for the Bluegrass State.
For the first weekend of August, though, it’s the biggest street rod show around, the annual National Street Rod Association Street Rod Nationals. The 53rd edition held in 2022 marks the 25th consecutive time the NSRA brought thousands of horsepower and people to the home of Muhammad Ali and Jennifer Lawrence, and the 28th overall appearance in the city along the Ohio River.
Speaking of returns, after two years away due to COVID and protests, the kick-off parade returned to its original destination, Fourth Street Live in Louisville’s business and entertainment district. Some 20 to 30 street rods from the earliest days of the hobby to the rolling 30-year cut-off (1992 for the 2022 Nationals) left the parking lot of the expo center – the current starting point since 2021 – for the brief journey north.
“Louisville’s a great city,” said NSRA Marketing Director Jim Rowlett. “They’ve really treated us right, and we appreciate it […] Fourth Street Live still has a certain amount of impact […] It was good to be back at Fourth Street Live.”
One of the many special guests attending the Nationals this year was legendary drag racer Darrell Gwynn, who was joined in the expo center by his father, Jerry. Paralyzed in a racing accident in April 1990, Darrell has since gone on to work with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, and is the director of the Darrell Gwynn Quality of Life Chapter of the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.
“People always concern themselves with ‘How many cars? How many cars?’” said Rowlett. “I quit worrying about that a long time ago because the reality is, regardless of how many cars, you gotta make sure the folks that come have a good time […] I tell everyone that we talk to about our events: they’re like a family reunion with cars.”
The 54th annual NSRA Street Rod Nationals is scheduled for August 3 through 6, 2023. As for the rest of 2022, the organization will visit Kalamazoo, Michigan for the 42nd edition of the NSRA Street Rod Nationals North September 16 through 18, Burlington, Vermont for the 28th annual Northeast Street Rod Nationals September 23 through 25, and Tampa, Florida to close out the year with the 35th annual Southeast Street Rod Nationals December 2 through 4.
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