If you live near Wichita, Kansas, mark your calendar for the end of August!

We recently got some great news from Jesse Powell, one of our good friends at Aeromotive in Kansas City. He’s heavily involved with a brand new event that will cover four days, and several venues. It’s called the Blacktop Nationals, and if you love cruising, showing, autocrossing, street rods, motorcycles, or drag racing, you’ll want to be a part on this multi-disciplinary event based in Wichita, Kansas on August 26 – 29. The event was hatched by car lovers, Rick Nuckolls and Frank Upton, who wanted to bring different interests and venues together to enjoy and appreciate the passion and hard work many people have put into their own projects.

Starting on Thursday, August 26, up to 5,000 cars and trucks, and as many 7,500 bikes will convene in Wichita to kick off an amazing four days of entertainment and camaraderie. More than just a weekend show, the Blacktop Nationals will feature a premier car and bike show with up to $100,000 in cash and prizes in more than twelve classes. The event will also host a collector car and motorcycle auction, featuring rare and exotic cars, bikes, and purpose builds auctioned off for charity. All proceeds will go to help fund the Automobile Mechanics and Restoration program at Wichita South High School, which introduces kids to vintage auto restoration and teaches them necessities in automotive mechanics.

An additional benefactor of the Blacktop Nationals is the Wichita Aviation Museum. Home to companies like Boeing, Raytheon and Cessna, Wichita is known as the Air Capital of the World and the Kansas Aviation Museum has set out to preserve the birth and living heritage of Kansas aviation. Another benefactor is McPherson College, the only accredited four-year college that offers a degree in Automotive Restoration Technology.

Attendees can participate in two separate cruises on two nights. One is in the neighboring community of Park City, home to many motorcycle events. The second is down historic Douglas Avenue in Wichita. The city of Wichita has a rich drag racing heritage dating back to the early ’50s. Draggin’ Douglas was a popular past time. Rodders like Darryl Starbyrd and Rob Holzman, made draggin’ Douglas a regular weekend affair. On Friday and Saturday night during the event, the city of Wichita will shut down over four miles of city streets to allow participants to relive the glory days.

Other events include a Concourse show on Saturday, an open autocross, drifting exhibition, opening night gala, a fashion/home/art fair, a kids zone, manufacturers midway, outdoor concerts, and food and beer gardens. For the motorcycles, the Blacktop Nationals will host the Fallen Heroes ride to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Also planned are a poker run, slow drags, hot dog eating competition, and vintage flat track racing at 81 Speedway in neighboring Park City, Kansas.

The 2010 BlackTop Nationals is open to anyone with any kind of car, truck, or bike. For more information, visit the Blacktop Nationals website at www.BlackTopNationals.com.