Event highlights include Tri-Five Chevy Display, Lowrider Showcase, winners of “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster” and “Al Slonaker Memorial Award,” and autograph sessions from actor Eric Estrada and several award-winning builders
Sacramento, Calif. (March, 2022) – The Sacramento Autorama, one of the longest-running indoor car shows in the world, is returning to the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento, California April 29 to May 1, 2022. The three-day event presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts will feature over 500 hot rods, customs, lowriders, muscle cars, trucks and motorcycles from across the country competing to win the coveted “Custom d’Elegance” or “King of Kustoms” awards or one of the show’s many others. An additional 400 cars are expected to participate in the 14th Annual Sacramento Autorama Drive-In on Saturday and Sunday.
This year, the O’Reilly Auto Parts 71st Annual Sacramento Autorama will include a Tri-Five Chevy section and host multiple feature areas, including the Lowrider Showcase, the Butch Gardner Club House with over 25 car clubs and a special area in the Autorama Drive-In celebrating the 90th anniversary of the 1932 Ford. The show will again host the popular pinstriping charity fundraiser, where show attendees can watch the best pinstripers in the nation create custom works of art live during the show. All of the creations will be up for auction, with 100% of the proceeds going to the University of California Davis Children’s Hospital.
“We are excited to be back and better than ever for the 2022 edition of the Sacramento Autorama,” said John Buck, producer of the event. “Our partnerships with O’Reilly Auto Parts and ARP have increased participation and anticipation for the event, and we expect this to be a great year. We have missed the Sacramento car community and expect this year to be a great reunion and celebration of car culture.”
The 2022 Builder of the Year, Jason Standley of Standley Brothers Hot Rods, will be honored, along with the winners of the Grand National Roadster Show’s “America’s Most Beautiful Roadster” and “Al Slonaker Memorial Award.”
The most prestigious Sacramento Autorama award, the “Custom d’Elegance,” now presented by ARP Fasteners, will be given to the best chopped, channeled or sectioned vehicle from 1935-48 that embodies the true spirit of a classic custom. Custom owners and builders across America will be competing for the title and the now $5,000 purse courtesy of ARP. The winner’s name will also be added to the historic perpetual trophy alongside iconic customizers like Joe Bailon, the first to win it in 1953. The other highly sought-after award at the show is the “King of Kustoms,” which recognizes the best 1935-64 custom build with a particular focus on body lines, design, flow and quality of workmanship.
Known as the “Kustom Capitol of the World,” the Sacramento Autorama was started in 1950 by Harold “Baggy” Bagdasarian when he brought together the members of a local car club to settle friendly arguments over the outstanding merits of their customized cars. In addition to “Custom d’Elegance” and “King of Kustoms,” the “Big B Awards” include the “Dick Bertolucci Automotive Excellence Memorial Award,” “Candy Apple Joe Bailon Memorial Award,” “Sam Barris Memorial Award” and “World’s Most Beautiful Custom, H.A. Bagdasarian Memorial Award.”
On Friday afternoon, builders Troy Ladd from Hollywood Hot Rods, Roy Brizio from Roy Brizio Street Rods, Darryl Hollenbeck from Vintage Color Studios and Steve Strope from Pure Vision Designs will sign autographs from 2:00-5:00 p.m. Eric Estrada, who played Ponch in the television series “CHiPs,” will host autograph sessions on Saturday and Sunday.
The family-friendly event will also feature live music, food and entertainment. The Sacramento Autorama opens to the public at noon on Friday, April 29, and runs until 8 p.m. The show then runs 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 1. Admission for adults is $20 each day, children ages 6 to 12 are $10 each day and children under age 5 are free. Discounted tickets are also available at all participating O’Reilly Auto Parts stores for $18. The entrance to the lot is located at the Main Gate and East Gate off Exposition Blvd.
For more information about the Sacramento Autorama and to purchase tickets online, please visit https://hotrodshows.com/sacramento-autorama/.
About Rod Shows
Rod Shows produces the West Coast’s premier indoor hot rod and custom car shows, including the Grand National Roadster Show and the Sacramento Autorama. Its professional show management team sets the highest standards for top-quality competition and displays with every show and personally visit the country’s top automotive coachbuilders and events throughout the year, ensuring the Best of the Best participate in its events. For more information, visit www.rodshows.com.
