Cruisin’ Into Car Show - Best Turnout In Ten Years

by Maria Orozco Navar | April 30, 2026

It was a sunny Saturday morning, chillier than most.  The wind was strong and cold but that didn’t stop 58 eager contestants from entering their cars, pickups, and motorcycles in the car show. A total of 17 cities were represented from Southwest Kansas and Eastern Colorado, 15 of the 58 entries were local. (Ulysses, Dighton, Johnson, Kinsley, Scott City, Leoti, Garden City, Goodland, Colby, Sharon Springs St. Francis, Coolidge, Syracuse, Lamar, Eads, Cheyenne Wells, Burlington). 

Many cars lined up on the streets, all looking forward to showing off their vintage vehicles. People came from all over including Colorado, Kansas, even Oklahoma. Cruisin’ Into Summer Car Show organizer Krista Norton said, “It was the most entries since 2016.”

Troy Sidebottom, Kinsley, Kansas, won 2026 Best of Show with his 1957 Chevy Bel Air. It won people’s choice award as well. 

Sidebottom, began this project after he retired from his body shop business. The project took  one year and eight months. After purchasing the Bel Air, he found a 2025 Dodge Challenger, which was wrecked so he purchased it as a salvage vehicle, and his project began. The inside of his Bel Air is everything from the 2025 Challenger from front to back, including the frame, Hemi engine, drive train, door side panels, seats, dash just to mention a few. This contributed to his winning the Special Interest category, something built for another purpose. 
Local winners included Connor Ochs winning the Young Enthusiasts (21 and under class), with his 1969 Ford F-100, Ebben Urie won the Import Class with his 1993 Mazda Miata, Don Hasik’s 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo won the 1970-2000 class. And finally, Wanda Smith won the 1950-1969 Class with her 1967 Super Sport.  Four generations of Smiths celebrated as Wanda posed for a picture with her daughter, Klarissa Eddy, granddaughter Kiah Newsome, and great granddaughter, Evelyn Newsome.

 
 The day was filled with dozens of positive interactions.  Many were willing to share the stories of how they acquired their prized cars. One story that was eye-catching was the story of Sammy Matthews who built his own car which is a 1967 Chevy Camaro SS. Matthews was working on a farm around Southwest Kansas when he spotted a car in the weeds. This car was different; no motor, no wheels, nothing at all. For all the car enthusiast Matthews claimed it looked like a bare chassis. He himself had no relation to the owner though he was determined to have this car shell. He asked for three long years before the owner agreed to let him have it. He worked fourteen years adding the mechanics, miles, design, even now he claims it’s still a work in progress. The design took around six weeks to complete. The design features a mix of Patriotism and Western style designs. On the front and even the sides it features the American Flag with the Constitution engraved on the back sides of the vehicle. On the trunk it features a dead man design and a stack of solitaire cards spread out which correlates to his love for Western style cars. Matthews was very clear that he did not want people to assume his car showcased anything inappropriate or send a bad message to anyone. 

This car has been to dozens of states for races. One race that Matthews has done more than a couple times is a four-day car stay. This race is composed of racers who stay in their cars without leaving for four solid days. During these days, contestants race through different types of tracks every day without getting out of their vehicles. In each car, contestants often bring clothes and food to keep themselves clean and energized during these grueling four days. One race in which Matthews will be attending very soon is Tulsa, Oklahoma. We wish him good luck!

 It was a great day with several vendors joining in as well. Start polishing and shining your vehicles for next year’s 2027 Cruisin’ Into Summer Car Show.