NSRA Street Rod Nationals 2021

On the final day of the NSRA Street Rod Nationals 2021, the finale was the Circle of Winners in Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Expo Center. The top cars selected from the thousands that have come here from all parts of the U.S. and Canada were on display in the circle for all to see. These were the cars brought here by registered members who came to display their work at America’s largest street rod show.  The awards ceremony put the final touches on the NSRA’s “big party” here in Louisville, Kentucky, August 5-8. The weather was perfect (not too hot for once), and the atmosphere was electric with energy as street rodders look to the future of their favorite hobby. So many new builds to see and appreciate here. 

Click through the slide show below to see the Circle of Winners Awards Ceremony.

On Saturday afternoon they pulled the winning ticket out of the barrel for the lucky registered car show entrant who won the Give-A-Way car here at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky. Thousands of show goers were packed into Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Expo Center hoping to be the winner of a special built custom 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster Pickup. Minutes later we were photographing a happy Dick Steven’s from Isola, Mississippi as he received the keys from Gary Corkell, owner of One-Off Rods & Customs, the car’s builder. 

Here is a slideshow of that moment and the 1932 Ford Hi-Boy Roadster Pickup Give-A-Way truck. 

Late Friday evening here at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals 2021 they announced the winners of the two major awards which NSRA gives out every year. The NSRA’s Builder of the Year Award went to L&S Customs out of Prospect Hills, North Carolina for their work on a 1950 Chevy 3100 Pickup. And the NSRA’s Pro Pick of the Year is a 1950 Chevy Suburban Custom. Both awards were announced at the NSRA banquet on Friday evening. The awards go to the top street rods shown here at the NSRA big show. 

Here are the NSRA award winners, and a number of the other custom builders in a special display called the Builders Showcase:

The Builder of the Year award was accepted by Scott Sheets of L & S Customs, Inc.  He built the car for its owner, Keith Layne of Eden, North Carolina. We were able to catch up to Scott Sheets for an interview this weekend. Here is what he had to say about building this award winning 1950 Chevy 3100 Pickup they call the “Fast Layne 50.”

The Rumble in the Ohio River Valley

If you notice a little rumble in the background along the Ohio River Valley this week it is probably the arrival of 10,000 street rods and customs coming for the NSRA Street Rod Nationals 2021. Converging on the city of Louisville, Kentucky, it is considered the world’s largest street rod show of its kind. And it is just the medicine we need to beat the COVID bug once and for all. 

In the past week some doubt was shed on whether this event would be altered by a new mask mandate imposed by Kentucky Governor Andy Bashear. But it turns out the mask mandate is being applied only to government buildings and institutions. “This place is packed,” our photo journalist, Bob Boberg told us. “They are looking at at least 10,000 registered custom cars and trucks here this weekend.” There were already 7,000 registered on Thursday. That’s a pretty good turnout for the 52nd Annual National Street Rod Association event. We are seeing everything from old school hot rods to high tech state-of-the-art builds. There is plenty of eye candy here in Louisville. 

Through the lens of Bob Boberg’s camera we thought we would give you a taste of what the sights were like here on the grounds of the NSRA Street Rod Nationals 2021. Click through the slider below to view the “beauty shots.”

As you can see, our Cars-On-Line Car Show team is here and getting some great photos and videos here at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, home of the NSRA Street Rod Nationals 2021. In one of the halls in the Expo Center we spotted 35 of the top custom car builders in the country  displaying their latest builds. Outside on the grounds of the Expo Center there are thousands more custom built street rods, classic cars, old school hot rods, classic customs and custom muscle cars all on display in a giant car show. 

Cars On Line’s Car Show team is reporting on the NSRA Street Rod Nationals for our readers. Keep this page bookmarked all weekend as we will be adding photos and videos in real time. The NSRA is one of the oldest and largest street rod clubs in the U.S. They really know how to put on a car show. Watch for our posts on Facebook and Twitter.  If you love the American hot rod, you’ll want to see the NSRA Street Rod Nationals 2021 through our camera lens.

Readers may be interested in our coverage of past NSRA Nationals in Louisville. Click here to review previous NSRA Street Rod Nationals.