It's easy to pick out the gearheads at the Hot Rod Super Nationals.
While the casual car fans are walking through the acres of rebuilt hot rods, muscle cars and Model A's admiring the colors and sounds of the event, the gearheads are often found on their hands and knees -- or even flat on their backs -- trying to see just how a particular car was modified.
And there are a lot of gearheads in Lincoln.
The Hot Rod Super Nationals returns to the Lancaster Event Center May 25-27, the fourth straight year the event has found a home in Nebraska's capital city. More than 2,000 cars and 20,000 spectators are expected to occupy Lincoln for three days of car envy.
"This is a great place for this event," said Matthew Louck of Family Events, the Super Nationals' promoter. "Lincoln is what we like to call ‘car crazy.'"
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That's a big boon for Speedway Motors, the nationally renowned car parts supplier based in Lincoln. Thousands of car enthusiasts take the opportunity to check out the company's showroom and the Museum of American Speed.
Speedway Motors touts itself as "America's Oldest Speed Shop." It was founded in 1952 by "Speedy" Bill Smith and has grown from a one-man operation to the world's largest manufacturer, distributor and retailer of street rod and racing products.
According to Speedway Motors spokesman Damon Lee, Lincoln's love of cars really began in the 1950s.
"There's a pretty strong tradition here for hot-rodding and racing," Lee said. "A lot of it goes back to the air base in the 1950s in Lincoln. There's really always been a strong racing community here, with I-80 Speedway and Eagle Raceway. That really helped generate enthusiasm for street rods and other vehicles. And Lincoln is somewhat centrally located in the United States, so it makes sense to hold a big event here."
For Jim McNeil, a member of Lincoln's Rebels Auto Club, Speedway Motors is like a big-boy toy store.
"Bill Smith has done an awesome job working with car clubs and with the museum," McNeil said. "If you really want to build a car from scratch you can write a check and bring every part out of there. You can put it all in the back of your pickup and start assembling at home."
McNeil has been building cars for more than 30 years and has watched the growth of car clubs in the Lincoln area.
"There are so many people showing off cars at the Hot Rod Super Nationals you can't drive around anymore like we used to," he said.
One of the most popular events at the Hot Rod Super Nationals is the burnout competition.
"Some of those guys lay a lot of smoke out there," McNeil said. "They put old junk tires on the cars and do 4,500-5,000 RPMs. There's a lot of smoke and a lot of noise, and the kids love that."
Fortunately, the winner gets a set of new tires.
Jeff Maul of the Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau said the city embraces the event.
"We have an amazing amount of support from local car clubs," he said. "They help provide volunteers and coordination to make sure the event goes off."
Maul said an official study has not been done but added he thinks there is a sizable economic impact that comes with the Hot Rod Super Nationals.
And it's not just for gearheads, Louck insists.
With this show, "the cars are the stars," he said.
