Nopi Nationals 2001What does a $25 admission times 70,000 spectators equal? Possibly the world's greatest car show: the NOPI Nationals. For the 14th year, NOPI held its smorgasbord car show, and nothing could stop it. From September 15 to 16 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, thousands upon thousands of enthusiasts crowded the show grounds in search of one thing: bikini-clad models. Luckily, most found what they were looking for, but they had to trick more than 5,000 cars to get to them.

The NOPI Nationals features seven show divisions and 300-plus show classes, but the real incentive for going is the payout. If you won every class in every division, you'd walk away with more than $100,000 in cash and prizes. Then again, winning everything is fairly improbable, unless you own a Japanese-American, hydraulic-burnout-hopping car-van-truck, and chances are you don't.

What was possible, however, was picking up free swag at the Super Street/eurotuner Tour Zone. In fact, if you went to the NOPI Nationals, you know you didn't even need to pick up the stuff-we threw it at you. Nearly every hour we hiked to the top of the Pioneer rig and nailed passersby with free T-shirts, suspension components, and stereo equipment. Actually, we handed out the heavier stuff, but in our hearts we wanted to throw it. If you missed it this year but are determined to get pegged by a pointy amplifier thrown by a sleep-deprived Super Street staffer, head to the NOPI Nationals in Atlanta next September. Hell, bring your Japanese-American, hydraulic-burnout-hopping car-van-truck-who knows, you may get lucky.-Philip Royle

By Mike Robleto, Skye Dunn
Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
stumble upon rss