Car Craft Summer Nationals - History Of

Many folks came to the St. Paul Summer Cruise specifically to see the latest and greatest in Pro Street. The two super-trick '66 Novas shown in the photo had enough high-tech upgrades to keep onlookers amazed for hours. Dave Verschave's orange Nova in the foreground won Best Engine honors along with a gift certificate from Earl's.
Many folks came to the St. Paul Summer Cruise specifically to see the latest and greatest
We don't get it. The Car Craft staff was walking around the entire weekend, and no crowds gathered to cheer us on. Our attire is nowhere near as pleasing to the eye as the threadwork worn by Andrienne Douglass--Miss Car Craft for St. Paul.
We don't get it. The Car Craft staff was walking around the entire weekend, and no crowd

Here's a trivia question for you: Does the red Camaro in the foreground look familiar? If you're an avid CC reader, you'll remember Juan Navedo's '69 Camaro from the "Two Of A Kind" feature in the January '95 issue. Juan brought his car all the way from Pensacola, Florida, thus proving that he is a true die-hard gearhead-just how we like to see 'em.
Here's a trivia question for you: Does the red Camaro in the foreground look familiar? If
These are the kind of burnout shots we like to get but hate to photograph. Why? Notice all of the burnout rubber shooting out rearward-right at the photographer. After this shot was taken, CC Staff Editor Cook had to change his shirt because it had specks of smoking rubber stuck all over it.
These are the kind of burnout shots we like to get but hate to photograph. Why? Notice all

On Saturday afternoon, there was a huge cruise organized to go from the Minnesota State Fairgrounds to Hopkins, Minnesota. However, late-afternoon rains came just as the cruise began. Not to worry, though, as die-hard gearheads cruised their street machines anyway. Leading the cruise was KOOL 108 radio (an oldies station from Minnesota) in its big ol' honkin' Chrysler wagon.
On Saturday afternoon, there was a huge cruise organized to go from the Minnesota State Fa
Besides the cruising that took place at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, there was plenty of after-hours street machine activity on the streets of St. Paul. One hot spot was Porkys drive-in on University Avenue, just south of the fairgrounds. Hundreds of cars showed up, and a few even wheeled up to the drive-up window to purchase food. What a concept, eh?
Besides the cruising that took place at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, there was plenty

What's the Summer Nationals really about? For one, it's about getting a bunch of really cool cars together for all to see--and Steve Gantz's '65 Corvette fit the bill. While this is a fairly radical, big-dollar show rig, that still doesn't mean it isn't one of the neatest things since sliced bread. There's simply too much to say about it in the space here.
What's the Summer Nationals really about? For one, it's about getting a bunch of really co
Burnouts galore! The burnout contests at the Summer Cruise shows never fail to attract the big audiences. This chap had little trouble melting the skins on this big-block '71 Chevelle.
Burnouts galore! The burnout contests at the Summer Cruise shows never fail to attract the

The Bad Boy Miss Car Craft Swimsuit Competition was, as usual, a big hit with participants and spectators alike. The '96 winners from left to right were Second Place Julie Simpson, First Place Laura Giacomino, and Third Place Shannon Johnston.
The Bad Boy Miss Car Craft Swimsuit Competition was, as usual, a big hit with participan
Town & Country Dodge was the place to be in Hopkins (about 20 miles west of the fairgrounds) after the Summer Cruise closed down for the evening. The Cars For Kids show was but one of two places where motor mania continued long into the warm Saturday evening.
Town & Country Dodge was the place to be in Hopkins (about 20 miles west of the fairgr

A '70 Challenger R/T was another great way to be with the "in crowd" at the Porky's cruise-in scene. For several hours all evening, loads of cool street machines rolled up and down University Avenue.
A '70 Challenger R/T was another great way to be with the "in crowd" at the Porky's cruise
Ah, there's just nothing that compares to a leisurely session of bench racing. Providing the perfect starting point for that sort of discussion is this radical '67 Corvette. With its big-block Chevy mill and its apparent no lack of nitrous, we'll bet it would excite a crowd almost as quickly as it goes.
Ah, there's just nothing that compares to a leisurely session of bench racing. Providing t

Burnout contests were held on both Saturday and Sunday. The wide variety of cars was evident. An unusual example was this early-'60s, fullsize Chrysler that really boiled the balonies in the ol' burnout box.
Burnout contests were held on both Saturday and Sunday. The wide variety of cars was evid
The 1997 winner of the Miss Car Craft swimsuit competition was Michelle McCormick.

Wow, now here's a photo with all sorts of stuff to talk about. First off, there are the guys ogling this radical Pontiac LeMans and its burly big-block Chevy engine. Second, there's our resident tech guy, Marlan Davis, shooting some tech tips on said LeMans for an upcoming tech-tip story. And third, let's not forget the full-resto, Nassau Blue '66 Corvette coupe parked behind ol' Mad Dog himself. This neat old Vette has all sorts of trick factory options such as side pipes, knock-off wheels, and a 350hp 327 small-block. Obviously, there's never a lack of something to see at the St. Paul CC Summer Nationals.
Wow, now here's a photo with all sorts of stuff to talk about. First off, there are the gu
The '97 Cars for Kids Show had little trouble packing the Town & Country Dodge parking lot with loads of cars for the Saturday night event. All types of cars were in attendance, including the row of cool Mopar street machines in the foreground.
The '97 Cars for Kids Show had little trouble packing the Town & Country Dodge parking

Mopar was the featured marque of the weekend, and in addition to special deals for Mope owners, there was a mondo Chrysler-only fairground cruise on Saturday. Man, did it sound wicked! These things were made to throw revs.
Mopar was the featured marque of the weekend, and in addition to special deals for Mope ow
They've helped out since the first St. Paul event four years ago, so it's arguable that the Summer Nationals wouldn't be the same without the enthusiasm of the Minnesota Street Machine Association--or without their free labor. Between traffic handling, parking, and burnout-contest wrangling, they handle all the thankless jobs. So now we're thanking them. Thanks.
They've helped out since the first St. Paul event four years ago, so it's arguable that th

Lance Isenberg of Zabrota, Minnesota, caught our eye and ripped it out with his Go Mango-looking '67 Coronet sedan. The two-door post was powered by a DC-cammed 440, a 2,800-stall Torqueflite and a 3.55 Sure-Gripped 8-3/4 and sings the quarter to the tune of 12.90s. For a mere $16,500 it could have been yours.
Lance Isenberg of Zabrota, Minnesota, caught our eye and ripped it out with his Go Mango-l
We tried desperately to con the owner of this seafaring Ford XL (extra large?) into selling us his set of mondo-retro-cool 15x7 Motor Wheel Spyders. We offered five bills, but he'd obviously suffered some smoke inhalation and said no gracias.
We tried desperately to con the owner of this seafaring Ford XL (extra large?) into sellin

The men in blue were on the job, as always. Pay attention to those traffic and parking laws, folks!
The men in blue were on the job, as always. Pay attention to those traffic and parking law
In '98, the burnout contest was run with two cars at once and people didn't like it, so single-car burnouts were back for 1999 with a 30-second time limit for the Saturday round. Sunday's carnage brought back the winners with a 30-second warning and a driver option for sustained smoke show action. Longer burnouts equal guaranteed destruction, as this Nova demonstrated when its right rear tire kersploded, sending radial into the trunk and shredding the quarter-panel. Owner Kevin Weber from Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, was down but not out and vowed to come back next year and win the contest.
In '98, the burnout contest was run with two cars at once and people didn't like it, so si

The unruly mojo in this Quasar Blue '70 Nova punished the Holley Dyno with 494 rear-wheel horses. The collaboration of 468 cubes, BDS injection, and a honkin' Weiand huffer shook the ground. We even caught a glimpse of it cruising the strip in front of Porky's on Saturday night. Cool.
The unruly mojo in this Quasar Blue '70 Nova punished the Holley Dyno with 494 rear-wheel
Jerome Olson's cooling problem turned into a starting problem requiring close to eight hours of Jerome seeing the show on his back. If this were a flat-rate shop charging $45 an hour, the starter job would cost about $360, plus parts.
Jerome Olson's cooling problem turned into a starting problem requiring close to eight hou

Saturday night at Porky's summoned some local iron that we didn't see at the show. The owner of the early Pinto told us of a 460 under the hood but beat feet before we could interrogate him. Check out the yellow sheetmetal and big meats packed under the fenders.
Saturday night at Porky's summoned some local iron that we didn't see at the show. The own

The inaugural Car Craft Summer Cruise--later to become the Summer Nationals-- took place in 1995 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. It served as proof that street machining is hotter than ever. In addition, it was evident that Car Crafters were going a step beyond the traditional means of hop-up by building radical rigs that are not only quick in the quarter-mile but also deliver great gas mileage and awesome driveability. The St. Paul Nats also proved that street machiners were ready for a change. Although there are dozens of street machine events throughout the United States, the Car Craft staff had been hearing that their readers wanted a new event, in a new location, with new cars that had never been seen. That's exactly what the St. Paul Summer Nats brought. The number of entries at the event and loads of new, just-built cars in attendance were proof that St. Paul is the new place to be.

In '96, just the second year for the St. Paul Nationals, more than 20,000 gearheads made the tour through the fairgrounds. Resto cars in particular were out in force. It sometimes felt as if we were taken back in time to when you could buy a killer factory musclecar like a big-block Chevelle, a Cobra Jet Mustang, or a Hemi Mopar right off the showroom floor. With its tree-lined streets and lawn-covered surroundings, the fairgrounds is the perfect place to spend a leisurely weekend looking at spectacular cars.

The '97 edition of the show went off without a hitch. The staff spent the whole time trying to be in all places at all times, capturing the sights and happenings on film. In addition,they shot tons of cool cars for upcoming features in future issues. From what they saw, the quality of the cars was always improving, because the staff photographers shot more feature cars at this event than at any other Nationals previously held. While the staffers were shooting event coverage and features, the Minnesota Street Machine Association once again helped out in a big way with such tasks as taking tickets, directing traffic, registering cars, and putting on the swap meet. A big round of thanks goes to the MSMA for making the Summer Nationals run smoothly.

When you only have one show a year, it better be good--so what a relief that the '98 Nationals was great. It was bigger, with 1,500 entries; better, thanks to more varied and creative cars; faster for the fairground cruise loop; and louder, with the first ever two-at-a-time burnout show. That meant even more covers and car features shot, more burnout smoke, and it was definitely the place to hook up with the Car Craft staff and bend their ears a while.

For '99, there were cops, crowds, girls, blowers, big exhausts, burnouts, breakage, and a big-block Pinto--what else can you ask for? The Car Craft Summer Nationals in St. Paul was muy bueno, with contestants lettin' the rubber fly in a burnout contest where the crowd did the judging and the 30-second rule got tossed. Street cruising on Friday and Saturday night packed Porky's drive-in, spilling crowds of slack-jawed gapers into the street and forcing local law enforcement to commandeer horses and bicycles to curb the civil disobedience.

Saturday's big show separated fact from fiction on the big Holley dyno with 500-horse street cars chained to the rollers 15 feet above the crowd. Winners had their names posted on the wall of fame for maximum bragging rights. As usual, a golf cart full of Car Craft staffers roamed the fairgrounds in search of the next automotive supermodel and stopped to receive praise or ridicule from the readers.

The Nationals returns to St. Paul in July. Buy some cans of primer, wax up that flat black hood, and meet the staff at the fairgrounds this year. It'll be out of control.