Despite the threat of bad weather, the cars and the crowd showed up in a big way, and they left with great memories and plenty of prizes to prove it.
The 2026 Hennessey Car Show is officially in the books, and it was an overwhelming success. More than 248 cars, trucks, and bikes rolled into town for a full day of fun.
The Discover Hennessey/All About Hennessey team spent months preparing, designing new signage, building the website, and creating a computer-based registration and judging system, all to make every visitor feel welcome and keep things running smoother than a freshly waxed hood.
Town employees were busy behind the scenes cleaning up, fixing up, and getting everything ready for the hundreds of visitors. They even managed traffic detours like pros, then made them disappear almost as fast.
Dozens of volunteers put in countless hours, raising money, organizing parking, coordinating vendors, and helping vehicle owners. In short, if something needed done, someone stepped up and made it happen.
Our sponsors and local businesses stepped up and worked together to pull this event together.
In the past, Main Street was the place to be. This year, Pavilion Park also played a big role, hosting truck events, displays inside the pavilion, the teeter-totter competition, and of course, the always crowd-pleasing burnout contest. There was even a fundraiser where folks could take a swing at a car with a sledgehammer, because nothing says community bonding like a little controlled destruction.
THEN THE RAIN CAME…
Around 2 p.m., the skies opened up. Normally, that’s the moment a car show clears out fast. Not this time. No one left. People stuck it out, laughed it off, and kept the fun going like a little rain was just part of the entertainment package.
The grand finale was the burnout competition on the new Buddy Daniel burnout pad. Hundreds gathered to watch as drivers pushed their machines to the limit, with smoke, noise, and a few brave tires giving their all for the crowd.
We even had royalty on hand! Bree Yost, Miss Kingfisher County, was on hand to help pass out the awards. More than $4,000 in cash and prizes were handed out across the car show and burnout events, sending plenty of folks home happy and maybe already planning their return next year.
Even Hennessey Police K9, Vader got in on the action, cooling off at the Lions Club foam party.
A big thank you goes out to everyone who played a part in making this event one to remember. Hennessey showed up and proved once again that a little weather won’t slow this town down.
Photos by Amy Townsend, Ivan Cabral, and Jack Quirk
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