By Charlie Albrecht — Hot August Nights makes a homecoming after a 39-year hiatus to the parking lot of Mackay Stadium as visitors join together for the final day of the classic car show.
Hot August Nights has partnered with the Grand Sierra Resort for multiple decades as the main venue of the largest classic car event in the nation. But this year, there’s a return to roots with the first Hot August Nights since its conception to be held at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Since it began in 1986, the show has continued to grow a heavily dedicated list of attendees and car aficionados, who come for the classic rock, live music and passionate restoration of vintage vehicles. However, the change in hosts is causing regular visitors to miss the GCR.
“They’re old school; a lot of people here don’t like change, even if there’s more room here,” said Tony Hatch, owner of a 1972 Chevy C-10 and longtime patron of the event.
During the week, visitors have been enjoying the large space that the West Stadium Parking Complex provides, along with the food of local businesses such as the Chocolate Nugget and Short Tail Coffee. The stadium has also set up shade structures in rows to provide comfortability for attendees who want to set up a lawn chair and stay for the day.
“I like this. For one, it’s covered,” said Mark Stathes, owner of the event-qualifying-winner 1971 Dodge Challenger RT. “The problem we had last year was if we wanted to go for a ride, we wouldn’t necessarily be able to find a parking spot when we came back. Then this year, when they moved to UNR, we could go drive around and always find parking. It’s awesome for us.”
The Grand Sierra, while not being the main event venue, is still partnering with Hot August Nights for the event, including other venues around Nevada like The Nugget, Atlantis, Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Bonanza Casino and The J Resort.
As always, the 10-day-long event is packed with auctions, drag racing, and the renowned Grand Finale Parade, which will cruise through the iconic Reno arch along with other festivities as a time-honored tradition to wrap up the event.
“This is a social event at its core,” said 74-year-old Ed Zubaiti, owner of a 1963 Chevy Nova SS. “You know, you get to talk to a lot of people that have similar experiences. They share similar likings, whether it’s wheels, colors, or manufacturers, but we all have the same thing in common: we like beautiful American-made cars.”
