Bonneville Salt Flat Speed Week 2026

Day 1 — Today, July 30, we’re heading to Utah. It’s going to be a long 12–13-hour journey.

Once we arrive, we’ll head straight to the venue for registration and technical inspection. We’ll have until July 31 to make any necessary adjustments or repairs.

The event runs from August 1–7, and there are no practice sessions. Our team will compete from August 1–3, then we’ll head back early on August 3 together with Uncle Shige.

From August 4–7, the plan is to visit Jim Dunn and several race car builders that are partners with MOONEYES.

We’ll take you behind the scenes to discover what authentic American hot rodding is really about—what it looks like, what defines it, and the true heart behind the culture. It will almost feel like an immersive “How-To” course in American hot rod culture.

From August 7–10, we’ll visit CZ, HWY, Jokers, and P16.

Today is the final day of technical inspection. We’ve been setting up both the motorcycles and cars, while also running our merchandise booth from early morning until 4:00 PM.

Each team has been making final adjustments to ensure their vehicles pass inspection, as well as preparing and fine-tuning everything for tomorrow.

This event brings together hot rods and celebrates the preservation of inline engines. But what makes the venue even more special is the history of Historic Wendover Airfield.

During World War II, this site served as a major bombing and aerial gunnery training base for the U.S. Army Air Forces. It later became a top-secret testing and training site for the 509th Composite Group, the unit that prepared for the atomic missions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many people may not realize that an important part of those historic missions began right here in Wendover. The history behind this place is truly incredible.

According to the local history shared at the site, this area was also used as a registration point during the early years of racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats, before registration was later moved closer to the racecourse.

Today, Historic Wendover Airfield is preserved and open to the public as an important American historic site and museum. Its surviving buildings, hangars, and exhibits continue to tell the story of the airfield and its role during World War II.

The reason this group remains dedicated to preserving inline engines goes back to the changes in American hot rod culture after World War II, particularly during the 1950s.

During that period, many car builders began replacing their inline engines with V8s because of their greater performance potential and the wider range of speed parts available. As a result, V8 engines gradually became a major part of American hot rod culture.

As inline engines became less popular, performance parts for certain models became increasingly difficult to find. However, a dedicated group of enthusiasts continued to preserve and develop these engines. They modified existing components, fabricated their own parts, and shared their knowledge with others. This included inline-four, straight-six, and straight-eight engines.

One important example was the development of 12-port cylinder heads and other high-performance components for Chevrolet and GMC inline engines. These engines were used in competition at Bonneville as early as the 1950s, proving that inline engines were still capable of delivering serious performance.

What began as a small community gradually expanded into different cities and states across the United States. Inliners International was founded in 1981 to bring inline-engine enthusiasts together, and the organization continues to welcome fans of four-, six-, and eight-cylinder inline engines.

Their gathering during Bonneville Speed Week is more than just a car meet. It represents the preservation of another important part of American hot rod history—a culture built around creativity, self-reliance, shared knowledge, and the determination to keep these often-overlooked engines alive.

Day 3 — The First Day of Racing

Today, we met many people who have known and supported MOONEYES for decades. They came to volunteer and help the MOONEYES team, including former car builders and the sons and daughters of racers who drove for MOONEYES during the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s.

What made it even more special was that MOONEYES had not made any announcement or arranged for them to come. Everyone who is passionate about hot rod culture already knows that this is Speed Week.

Even some MOONEYES employees who had not traveled with us from the beginning drove all the way here to volunteer with the team on their day off.

Seeing everyone come together like this was both surprising and deeply moving. Every person gave their full effort and did everything they could to support the team.

Both vehicles recorded strong speeds today, so we now have to inspect and prepare them again for another timed run tomorrow.

Chico reached 175 MPH in the Small-Block V8-powered car, while Yano reached 92.2 MPH on the Harley-Davidson Ironhead.

The Bonneville Speed Week Car Meet is a gathering for hot rod owners and enthusiasts attending Bonneville Speed Week. The meet takes place on Saturday and Sunday.

The atmosphere is filled with people who share the same passion. Everyone comes together to meet, talk, and exchange stories about cars and hot rod culture.

The event runs from 4:00 PM until midnight, with cars continuously arriving and leaving throughout the evening. It creates a lively and enjoyable atmosphere.

Day 4

The reason Shige switched to a smaller engine is that this engine was previously used in the legendary Larsen & Cummins #115 Streamliner, which first competed at Bonneville in 1966.

Shige wanted to carry on the legacy of that historic race car, so he installed the old engine in a new car and entered it in a different racing class.

The original #115 competed in the Streamliner category, while the current MOONEYES car, #1533, is entered in the F/BFRMR class.

This year, the car reached 172.143 MPH, which was fast enough to qualify for a record return run. However, Shige was not satisfied with the speed, so he decided not to confirm the record yet. Let’s see whether he can improve his speed tomorrow.