Once a year, the National Hot Rod Association visits Joliet, Illinois and Route 66 Raceway for their Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance.

Part of this event is the PEAK Street Car Shootout, showcasing some of the quickest rides in the drag and drive community, and for the third year in 2025, eight contestants rolled into Illinois to determine the champion.

Leading the eight rides would be the defending champion Schroder-Ens team, with David Schroeder at the wheel of the nitrous-fed C7 Corvette. 2023 event winner Bryant Goldstone returned at the wheel of his ’73 AMC Javelin, looking for a second title in three years.

The remaining six spots included Tom Bailey with the ‘Sick Seconds 2.0’ 1969 Camaro, Craig Groebner and his twin-turbo ’71 Chevrolet Nova, Alex Taylor’s ’55 Chevrolet, the ’82 Camaro of Nick Taylor, Tom McGilton and his 2013 Camaro, and the lone naturally-aspirated ride, the ’85 Ford Mustang of Ed Ensor.

‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ is a phrase that’s been used to tie together racing and car sales, and the promotion has worked well over several decades. Included in that idea are the big three and the use of drag racing ‘stock-appearing’ rides to sell their showroom counterparts.

That idea has been enjoying its latest wave with National Hot Rod Association Factory Stock Showdown and Factory X class, but recent rules infractions have the rumor mill swirling on future participation in the class.

In an announcement Wednesday by Richard Freeman, owner of Elite Motorsports, he announced plans to expand into the NHRA’s Top Fuel category. A team largely known for their Pro Stock prowess with eight teams currently under their umbrella, Freeman definitely had the racing world buzzing with this news.

This weekend - the final weekend in May / first weekend of June, a pair of first-time drag-and-drive events get under way, joined by the second drag-and-drive exhibition at a National Hot Rod Association event for the 2024 season.

After four days of fun with drag-and-drive rides, including some road miles on Thursday, a pair of time runs Friday, and eliminations on Saturday and Sunday, a winner has been crowned in the second annual PEAK Street Car Shootout as part of Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Chicago’s Route 66 Raceway.

Even though the NHRA didn’t specifically name the track or area that is slated to possibly get the event, one track is an odds-in favorite to get the nod.

The 2024 National Hot Rod Association national event season is officially underway, and two drivers in the professional ranks are picking up right where they left off at last month’s PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park.