Mooresville, NC – It was that time of year once again, the Goodguys Southeastern Nationals, our Detroit Speed, Inc. homecoming show! Each and every year we look forward to this show for multiple reasons, short drive to the track, epic TGIF kick-off party hosted by yours truly, and of course, some sweet local hot rods coming out of the woodwork. If you’ve never experienced a Detroit Speed Open House and Goodguys show at Charlotte Motor Speedway, mark your calendars for next year so you don’t miss out!

This year’s Open House was much different than any other of the past. We were pleased to introduce live music this go-around featuring our good friends and incredible country artists James Otto and Jason Tucker. Their performances filled the air with good vibes as guests had the opportunity to roam the entire Detroit Speed compound and browse hundreds of cool rides.

Of course, we couldn’t leave out one of our favorite parts, Southern style BBQ from Mooresville’s very own Big Tiny’s! All the money raised from the food sales will go to benefit Put On The B.R.A.K.E.S. by Doug Herbert, an organization focused on promoting safe driving for teens. Also, many of our partners had also donated some goodies for us to raffle off. The giveaways included items from GearFX Driveline, Mothers Polish, BFGoodrich Tires, GoPro Motorplex, Vintage Air, Inc., Miller Welders, and American Tapes! We say it every year, but this was the largest Detroit Speed, Inc. Open House to date! What will be in store next year?

There are a handful of 2-day Goodguys shows on the schedule this year, and this included the 25th Southeastern Nationals hosted at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. As usual, we were ready for battle on the autocross course with Ryan Mathews behind the wheel of the 1972 Corvette and Bryan Johnson sharing co-driving duties with Dustin McNeill in Kyle’s 1970 Camaro. There was plenty of Detroit Speed “Equipped” power among the competition such as Ken Edwards in his 1968 Camaro, Jason Mitchell in his 1969 Camaro (a former Detroit Speed display car), Jared Roden’s 1987 Camaro, Ben Uminn’s 1967 Camaro, and Michael Bradshaw piloting the Detroit Speed 1965 Mustang once again!

Competition was tough as usual, but it all came down to precision and speed in the Tarheel Throwdown Shootout on Saturday afternoon after a rainstorm rolled through town. The track had dried out and it was go time! The Top 4 bracket boiled down to Robbie Unser in the Team Speedway Camaro, Ryan Mathews in the Detroit Speed ’72 Corvette, Josh Leisinger in his C2 Corvette, and Jared Leisinger in the “Confused” C2 Corvette. Finishing fourth, Ryan Mathews proved to be the fastest of the day on BFGoodrich tires!

With the show being condensed to just two days, this meant Kyle Tucker had to make his way to the pits on Saturday to choose his Top 10 for the Builder’s Choice awards. This year’s choices contained some variety that all had two common factors, perfect stance and quality workmanship. Kyle claimed, “When I walk up to a car, the first thing I notice is if it sits right.” It was quite apparent that all the Builder’s Choice picks sat perfectly, something we strive to achieve here at Detroit Speed as well.

Congratulations once again to the following winners of Kyle Tucker’s Builder’s Choice:

Chuck Straub - 1940 Ford

Gene Fargis - 1963 Ford Falcon Sprint

Glen Sinon - 1972 Ford Maverick

Jeff Berry - 1932 Ford Coupe

Keith Campbell - 1966 Ford Fairlane

Thomas Doyle - 1970 Chevrolet Camaro

Johnny & Cas Futo - 1955 Chevy

Glenn Grozich - 1968 Chevrolet Camaro

Charles Baxley - 1957 Chevy

Terri Blackburn - 1967 Chevrolet Camaro

The Detroit Speed, Inc. crew will head out to Las Vegas next for the SEMA Show and Optima’s Search for the Ultimate Streetcar Invitational. You can catch Detroit Speed at booth #23080, the 1987 Camaro DSE-Z in Optima Alley, Stuart Adams’ ‘TUX’ 1969 Camaro in Booth #22613 (ARP Fasteners) and Craig Hardee’s 1969 Camaro Convertible at booth #22563 (Holley/MSD). We hope to see you there!