Amsoil Summernats USA 2026

After almost 40 years as Australia’s wildest automotive celebration, Summernats has finally gone global. The inaugural Amsoil Summernats USA was a three-day bash held at the Freedom Factory and the adjacent Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida, where the idea was to export the real ’Nats festival feel, with cruising, show cars, burnouts, live music, plus drags and roll racing. 

A staunch contingent of Summernats staffers headed Stateside to run the show in conjunction with YouTube star, event promoter and Freedom Factory co-owner Garrett Mitchell – aka Cleetus McFarland – and his team. It was an ideal partnership, since Mitchell’s fanbase is rabid and plentiful, and he freely admits that his Cleetus & Cars events are based on what he saw while attending Street Machine Summernats Down Under. 

The question was: How would Summernats translate to the American audience? Our car cultures intertwine in so many ways, and yet there are subtle differences in how we consume horsepower. For starters, how could the Yanks possibly be expected to understand the cruise route aspect? The cruise route is a central part of Summernats in Australia because it allows for cars that are too wild for rego to come out and play. Whereas in the States, they just drive their wild shit on the streets – because freedom, baby! Also, the US punters are not as likely to stand around watching cars cruise by in that way – it’s just not their culture. But Summernats mainman Andy Lopez had a plan to educate them all.

“We started the burnout drivers’ briefing by saying, ‘When you’re not skidding, get in your cars and cruise around.’ We encouraged them to spend all day in their cars.” Andy said. “There’s also some Australians who have made the trip over, so we’re going to let some of them cruise around in the Crown Victorias that live here at the Freedom Factory. Hopefully they can sort of ‘Pied Piper’ the people around. We need to show them how to be ratbags!” 

Although the cruise route had the locals slightly baffled, one thing they are starting to understand quite well is burnouts. As such, Skid Row was a focal point. With fans clustered on one side of a chicken-wire fence, drivers rolled in to smoke their way to glory – or embarrassment. Skid Row was probably the main thing that seemed much the same as its Australian counterpart – everything else had a slight Seppo twist. 

The gates opened on Thursday afternoon, and the main action that day was round one of the burnout qualifiers. There were three separate burnout comps: Pro, Open, and a Development class for newbies. The Pro class starred a couple of Aussie gunslingers in Heath Waddington in the WAR BIRD CP Falcon and Jack Harrison’s JACKOSLUX HiLux.

To add a little spice on night one, there was a separate $5K-to-win Burnout Invitational, open to those who had finished on the podium at previous Burnout Rivals events. The standard among the elite was high, and it must’ve been hard for the judges to choose a winner. In the end, the prize money went to Austin Waller in his blown LS-powered Ranger, DERANGED. 

Things continued to ramp up on Friday, with more car show entrants arriving and crowd numbers building. The Bradenton drag strip was hot all day with qualifying for the various classes, headed up by the six-second-capable Elite Street class, plus roll racing. While the cruise route remained underutilised, Skid Row was lively. There was a trader zone on the speedway infield, a yard full of amusement rides for the kids, and the Fearless Flores Family motorcycle stunt show running several times a day. 

Friday seemed to be building to a nice crescendo when rain hit suddenly during the Open burnout qualifying session. It proved more than just a passing shower, with ankle-deep pools of water forming around the pad, leaving organisers little choice but to call it a night. 

Saturday started earlier than expected, with the resumption of the uncompleted burnout qualifiers. There’s nothing like the smell of burning rubber at 9am! 

Over at the drag strip, Jim Braun had top-qualified in Elite Street on Thursday, with a 6.94@207mph pass in his ‘Great White’ Mustang. He then had to pull the Coyote out of it for repairs before Saturday’s final, where he red-lit and handed the win to Richard ‘RC’ Flint in his Honda S2000. Among the other notable winners was Tommy Hoskinson, who took the trophy in the 8.50 Index class in his ’61 Falcon, and Jan Buhler, who got the chocolates in Elite Roll Racing in his Nissan GT-R. 

On the show car side of things, America already has its own big-time events for unveiling new builds, so it’s difficult for Summernats USA to deliver anything close to a Great Uncover or Elite Top 60, but this is something that legendary judge Owen Webb is determined to work at. 

The car show started to really shine on Saturday, with a paddock full of cool stuff to walk around and gawk at. Standing out amongst it was John Pellicone’s yummy brown pro touring ’69 GTO, which took the $5K Top Judged award, just ahead of Neal Edelstein’s tough-as-teak, pro street ’69 Camaro Z28. 

Nine cars participated in the battle to become the first-ever Summernats USA Grand Champion, with Texan Jeremy Gilbert and his ’82 Chevy C10 emerging victorious. The tan-coloured pick-up performed strongly in the judging stakes, but it was the driving events that clinched the sword trophy for Jeremy. As in Australia, Owen Webb oversaw the process, which included roll racing, a slalom, and a go-to-whoa. 

“As we have seen time and time again in Canberra, the driving events were what ultimately decided it,” Owen said. “It’s been the same for the past 10 years, and it’s the same again here. We had one car on 20 points and two cars on 19 – that’s how close it was.” 

As the sun began to go down, the crowd packed into the Freedom Factory for the burnout finals. Every grandstand in the arena was full; Summernats USA had finally arrived! The burnout competitors had them all on their feet in raptures, with the Pro-class big dogs sending things over the top as they skidded it out for a $15K payday. Most hectic of all was Aussie madman Jack Harrison, who flung his HiLux into every corner in an incredible display of high-risk driving to bring the cash back to Australia. 

The Summernats Supercruise in Canberra is usually where everybody chills out and watches cars lap the arena. Well, not in America. Their Supercruise is LOUD! The sound of revs, horns, backfires and megabass stereos filled the air as the 60 chosen cars cut slow laps. It was a very different experience, but it was actually a little bit wild and kinda cool.

The awards ceremony then took place on the main stage, before up-and-coming country singer Chase Matthew and his backing band made sure everybody left the Freedom Factory on a high.

For a first foray into a new territory, you couldn’t have asked for much more from the inaugural Summernats USA. Perhaps the best indicator of its success is the fact that a second one has already been announced for Indianapolis later this year, 18-19 September. As the great Paul Kelly once sang: “From little things big things grow.” Just watch this take off! 

LIL’ RIPPER 

The sight of a Torana drag racing on the other side of the world stirs something deep down in the loins of every red-blooded Australian. Indeed, Luke Kestle’s ’72 LJ was majestic to behold as it ran down the strip at Bradenton Motorsports Park.

And what did the Yanks think of it? “Americans are funny about small cars; they like big cars,” said Luke, who has relocated his Motor Fab business from Queensland to California after marrying the love of his life, Heather. “This Torana is my dream car, but Americans gravitate a lot more to my HT Monaro, even though that’s a junkyard thing and it’s 10 different colours. The Torana is too small for them, I think.”

Propelled by a twin-turbo 406ci Chevy, the car was built in Oz and unveiled at the PRI Show in Indianapolis in 2023. “The goal was to make a lightweight car to try to capitalise on the small-block, and at this stage we’ve got a lot more left in it,” said Luke, who normally races the car over the eighth-mile but was having fun running conservative mid-to-low sevens at Summernats USA. “Based on the numbers, we’ll soon see a six-something out of it.” 

PHOENIX RISES  

Things were touch-and-go for the Castlemaine Rod Shop WAR BIRD Falcon in the lead-up to Summernats USA. Issues with the car had Heath Waddington and his team tearing their hair and motor out in an effort to find the gremlins. Enter a couple of fellow Victorians, Adam Rogash from MPW Performance and John Pilla from Powerhouse Engines, who jumped into the fray on Thursday with some fresh eyes and helped get the car running and ready to make the Pro Burnouts qualifying round. 

“We went through hell with it, but I didn’t want to let Summernats down,” said Heath. “If it was back home, I would’ve just put it back in the trailer. But Andy Lopez put a lot of time and money into this car with the promotion and stuff, so we knew we had to put a show on.” 

Heath praised the efforts of everyone who came together to assist. “The best thing about it was everybody chipping in to help. Rogash spoke over the phone with Frank Marchese back home, and they made it work. That was great. You had two opposing engine builders coming together to help a car overseas, and I can’t thank Dandy Engines, MPW and Powerhouse enough for what they did.”

CULT LEADER 

Believe it or not, there is a fast-growing Holden cult in America, and Travis Bell is the self-appointed leader. He hosts the annual Outback in the Midwest event on his property in Indianapolis.

“Eleven years ago, I started a cook-out for Pontiac GTO, Chevy SS and Caprice owners,” he explained. “There were 28 people in my backyard and I cooked for them all. Last year, there were 600 cars and 1700 people in my backyard, and I surely did not cook for everybody!” 

This year’s 10th Outback in the Midwest is set for 4-6 September. “It’s all Australian cars; 99 per cent are Holdens, but occasionally we gotta let a Barra Falcon in – we like to play nice,” said Travis, who road-tripped across to Summernats USA among a fleet of colourful Commodores, and left with a Car Show Standout award.

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HIGHLIGHTS:

1. Seth Cavanaugh’s beloved FROSTY ice cream truck caught fire every time he revved it up at Summernats USA, which included three toasty burnout pad appearances plus a Supercruise meltdown. It’s a ’69 International Metro-Mite on an ’83 S10 Blazer chassis, powered by a BDS-blown Powertrain Products 408 stroker. “I tune it with sticks and rocks and let it eat,” said Seth, who spent most of his weekend replacing burnt fuel lines. 

2. Internet-famous weird car builder Jeff Bloch, better known as ‘Speedycop’, brought a boat and a plane to the inaugural ’Nats USA! “The boat is a 2009 Mustang Bullitt with a ’79 Hawaiian jet boat body and a 6.0L LS, and the aeroplane is a ’56 Cessna 310 on an ’87 Toyota van chassis with a 2016 Mustang EcoBoost,” he said. 

3. Pulsar Turbos Australia chief James Domenico was getting around in his turbo Barra-powered 1971 Valiant ute. “A lot of Americans don’t have any idea what it is, so I just tell them it’s a Mopar pick-up,” he sad. “Same with the engine; I tell them it’s like a big-block 2JZ. It’s got an 8.0-certed ’cage, and we’ve already run 8.003@171mph without much boost!” 

4. Minnesota’s Auston Leon turned his 2008 Pontiac G8 into a LHD VE Commodore, and then turned that into the 1400hp, LSX-powered, tyre-destroying monster known as HYPNOTIC. “I converted the car using all parts from Australia, and a lot of guys over there helped me out, like Craig Bailey and Jake Myers,” said Auston. “I take it to Powercruise in Minnesota every year, but it’s my dream to take it to Summernats in Australia.” 

5. Travis Meehan lives up to his ‘Madman’ nickname by mercilessly killing tyres in a 1972 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow. “Everything Rolls-Royce has been cut out and it’s on a tube chassis,” said Travis of the car, which runs a 14/71-blown Steve Morris Engines big-block making north of 2000hp. “I have people ask me, ‘Why would you do something like that to a Rolls-Royce?’ I just direct them to my website, trashtheclassics.com!”

6. Tyler Oberste had the fans on their feet as he popped the rear tyres in his supercharged 6.0L-powered 1990 Wrangler, then switched to front-wheel drive and started smoking the fronts too! “There’s not much Jeep left, but it’s a full-on rock crawler as well as a burnout car,” Tyler explained. 

7. Bradenton local Richard ‘RC’ Flint drove his 2000 Honda S2000 to the track and back, and as an added flex, took the win in the Elite Street drag racing after Jim Braun red-lit in his Mustang. Built for drag-and-drive, the S2000 is powered by a Fountain Race Engines 388ci LS with twin Precision 8085s

8. Jim Braun made it to the Elite Street drag racing finals in his Mustang S197, but he and crew chief Brett LaSala worked extra hard for it. “We were the quickest car here on Thursday, but we later found that one of the studs pulled the threads out of the block,” said Jim. He and Brett managed to get it fixed up just in time for the final, only for Jim to red-light, handing the win to RC Flint’s S2000. 

9. Ryan Bowden is one American who has actually been to Summernats – twice! – and he helped show his fellow countrymen how it’s done in his wild, blown ’66 Fairlane. “It’s got a 390ci FE big-block with a 6/71 DC Blowers blower, and you gotta have the Big & Ugly hat up over the roof,” he said. “I’m just trying to compete with the Aussies, basically” 

10. John Pellicone took out the Top Judged gong with his full-custom 1969 Pontiac GTO pro tourer. Powered by an LS3 out of a 1995 Corvette and riding on a Roadster Shop chassis, the car was crafted by Miranda Built from designs by Eric Brockmeyer, with John handling the sumptuous interior trim work himself. “The paint colour was chosen off a Dunkin’ Donuts bag,” he said. 

11. Jack Harrison did Australia proud by taking top honours in the Pro burnout finals with a typically manic skid in his LS-powered ‘JACKOSLUX’ HiLux. Having only made the decision last-minute to trek over for ’Nats USA, Jacko was duly rewarded with the trophy and the cheque for $15K. “What an experience; it’s been amazing,” said Jacko. “For the first-ever Summernats in America, it’s insane, and it’s only gonna get better from here” 

12. Rising Nashville country music star Chase Matthew brought down the curtain on the first-ever Summernats USA with a concert that had the huge crowd practically eating out of his hand. This kid can sing. And he can also drive! Earlier in the day, he got behind the wheel of Zach Walker’s brown Fairmont wagon and ripped a demo burnout that was worthy of the Pro class 

13. Justin Siemens showed his commitment to making Friday’s Open burnouts qualifying round, tearing his drift Corvette completely apart during a rainstorm, with basically every part from the motor rearward strewn all over the wet pit area! Thankfully for him, the rain stayed around a while, and the quallies were postponed until Saturday morning, which allowed him time to get everything back into the car and compete. 

14. Winner of Thursday night’s $5K Burnout Invitational was Austin Waller in his 18/71-blown, 427ci LS-powered Ford Ranger known as DERANGED. 

15. Garrett ‘Cleetus McFarland’ Mitchell knows how to put on a show for his adoring fans. He ran an 8.52@161mph in his ‘Ruby’ C6 Corvette on the drag strip, ripped a skid in his ‘Crouton’ Chevy Spark on the burnout pad, and fanged around the venue in his ‘Freedom Factory Security’ Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing drift car like he owned the place. Luckily, he does! 

16. Four Aussies road-tripped an F6 Falcon from Tennessee to Florida and back for Summernats USA – roughly 5000 kays. “We’re here to have fun and go on a road trip,” said Mark Boxer, who was along for the ride with Drag Challenge stalwarts Brett Ewings and Sarah Heaney, and Mez Hallaby from barratheworld.com. With Brett driving, the Falcon ran a best of 12.30@114mph, and turned heads halfway across America. 

17. Tommy Hoskinson of YouTube’s Street Racing Channel claimed victory in the 8.50 drag racing in his bad-arse 1961 Falcon. Powered by a twin-turbocharged Mike Lough 388ci small-block, the car has already picked up several wins this year in the rough-and-tumble Lil’ Gangstas eighth-mile class. Lining up against Jeremy Gilbert’s C10 in the final, Tommy piloted the Falcon to an easy win when the pick-up unloaded the rears and went nowhere. 

18. Although Summernats USA didn’t have an official power-making contest like our own Horsepower Heroes, there was a chassis dyno on the property for any entrant that wanted to throw their car up on the rollers just to see what kinda snot it’s got. 

19. Tye Braun from McFarland Fabrication had a busy weekend. He gave his Whipple-blown Coyote-powered Mustang GT hell on the burnout pad, and also raced his turbocharged Coyote-powered ’94 Ranger down the quarter-mile, running a best of 8.45sec. “I’ve gotta go to Summernats in Australia,” Tye said after getting a taste at ’Nats USA. “I don’t know if I’m coming back. I’ll get stuck there!” 

20. Dubbo, NSW couple Jo and Greg Carlton were just two of the many Aussies who made the trip to the States for ’Nats USA. “It’s a good start,” said Jo, who was rocking her own homemade merch. “We’ve been to every Summernats in Canberra except the first one, and we reckon this will take off once people realise that it’s fun to cruise around with your mates and camp out for the weekend.”

21. Shawn Stevenson brought along his ultra-cool ’61 Morris Minor – complete with big-arse rear wing – and took home one of the awards for Car Show Standout. “It’s one of them projects that escalated into more than it should have,” Shawn said. The engine combo was freshened-up two years ago, and it’s now rocking a 434ci Dart with a 500-shot of giggle gas. 

22. The title of inaugural Summernats USA Grand Champion went to Jeremy Gilbert in his 1982 Chevy C10 pick-up. Jeremy had a whale of a weekend. He was top qualifier in the 8.50 drag racing, running a best of 8.50@154mph, but spun in the final against Tommy Hoskinson’s Falcon. The C10 also performed strongly in the car show judging and the specialised Grand Champion driving events to be crowned the first American Summernats Grand Champion. 

RESULTS

ROLL RACING

True Roll Racing
1st: Chase Clementson – 1988 Dodge Dakota
2nd: Darrus Bethea – 2006 Chevrolet Corvette

Elite Roll Racing
1st: Jan Buhler – 2015 Nissan GT-R
2nd: Jarrod Hess – 2011 Nissan

DRAG RACING

10.0 Index
1st: Sarai Reeher – 1974 Ford Pinto
2nd: James Meredith – Ford Capri

8.50 Index
1st: Tommy Hoskinson – 1961 Ford Falcon
2nd: Jeremy Gilbert – 1982 Chevrolet

True Street
1st: Chris Wood – 2021 Ford Mustang
2nd: Andrew Griffin – Cadillac CTS-V

Elite Street
1st: Richard Flint – 2000 Honda S2000
2nd: James Braun – Ford Mustang

BURNOUTS

Development Class
1st: Jake Nolan – 1998 Cavalier
2nd: Nick Cavaness – 2001 Dodge
3rd: Chandler Fyke – 1973 Ford F100

Open Class
1st: Thomas Wolf – 1986 Chevrolet C10
2nd: Jeremy Jarrett – 2012 Ford F350
3rd: Guadalupe Ramirez – 1985 Chevy C10
4th: Richard Tomczak Jr – 2003 Dodge Rumble Bee
5th: Josh Borgeson – 2001 Dodge Dakota RT

Pro Class
1st: Jack Harrison – Toyota HiLux
2nd: Collin Thomas – 1940 rat rod
3rd: James Taal – GMC 1500
4th: Sam Blankenship – 2005 Chevy Silverado
5th: Auston Leon – 2008 Holden VE Commodore / Andrew Kreamer – 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass

CAR SHOW STANDOUT AWARDS

Travis Bell (Outback Commodore Club) – Heaps of Commodores
Wayne Corson – Plymouth gasser
Wilke Pierre – 1971 Buick Centurion
Shawn Stephenson – 1961 Morris Minor
Robert Ferguson – Ford patina truck
Anthony Alvarez – Jeep Rangler with a sofa

TOP JUDGED
1st: John Pellicone – 1969 Pontiac GTO
2nd: Neal Edelstein – 1969 Camaro Z28
3rd: Josué Lozano – 1970 Ford Mustang fastback

PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Mike Higgins –1957 Ford del Rio Ranch wagon

JUDGES’ CHOICE
Art Wells III – 1966 Chevrolet C10

GRAND CHAMPION
Jeremy Gilbert – 1982 Chevrolet C10

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