Throwback: NSRA Street Rod Nationals 50th Anniversary

As soon as I pitched the golden happening to my editor at Chilton DIY Manuals, I booked this 2019 Nissan Maxima SV with Rhode Island plates from Enterprise to take through the mountains to my dad\’s house in the South End of Louisville. It was just the second Maxima I drove into town that year, having booked a silver Maxima SV in February; I would later rent the blue Maxima again, this time in October to take into Maryland.

While the Maxima was made for cruising long distances — thanks to its excellent highway fuel economy — it wasn\’t quite able to throw its weight around the tight parking areas near the back of the expo center. Yet, we both squeezed through to claim a place among the big rigs, vans, and SUVs parked outside the festivities.

The first NSRA Street Rod Nationals was held in 1970 in Peoria, Illinois. Organized by Rod and Custom, the intent was to gather as many custom rides from around the country as possible into one place. Around 600 cars and their owners answered the call back then, building a foundation for the Nationals to rest upon.

Over the next two decades or so, the Nationals traveled around the country, hitting up places like Memphis, Tennessee, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and, of course, Detroit. It wouldn\’t be until the 1990s when the NSRA decided the city of Muhammad Ali would be their forever home. Thus, the 50th anniversary edition of the Nationals was also the 25th time it was held in Louisville, and the 22nd consecutive time it took over the grounds of the expo center.

Speaking of take-overs, though, before we walk through the pedestrian crosswalk to the happenings inside, let\’s go back in time to a couple of days before the big show, when a parade of street rods rolled into Downtown Louisville.