Hot August Nights
RENO, Nevada – This year’s 10-day celebration of classic cars and rock and roll went out with a bang as Hot August Nights awarded its most coveted prizes to the Event Series winners, naming a new Grand Champion for 2024 – a cherry red 1957 Chevy Bel Air Convertible owned by Charlie and Alanna Butts of Loomis, Calif. The Grand Finale event took place Aug. 11, 2024, at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center along with the Celebrity Choice awards and the Youth Automotive Competition awards presentations.
The Hot August Nights Event Series crowns the best of the best, the Grand Champion, as well as winners in four categories: Classic Stock, Classic Custom, Classic Truck and Member’s Choice. To be invited to the Grand Finale, cars must have won their category at a qualifying Event Series Show.
The 2024 Grand Finale winners are:
Classic Stock
- Champion: Alan Biagi with a 1957 Ford Thunderbird
- 1st Runner-Up: Rico Petrini with a 1963 Plymouth Savoy
- 2nd Runner-Up: Jeff Siefert with a 1957 Chevy Bel Air
Classic Custom
- Champion: Russ Eells with a 1969 Chevy Camaro
- 1st Runner-Up: Benny Hall with a 1965 Buick Riviera
- 2nd Runner-Up: Coby Gewertz with a 1934 Ford Coupe
Classic Truck
- Champion: Holden Jung with a 1956 Ford F100
- 1st Runner-Up: Brandon Putzier with a 1968 Chevy C10
- 2nd Runner-Up: Sean Bermingham with a 1959 Chevy Apache
Member’s Choice
- Champion: Joe Ortega with a 1963 Chevy Impala
- 1st Runner-Up: Tim Chan with a 1937 Ford 5-Window Coupe
- 2nd Runner-Up: Steve Ryder with a 1971 Ford Bronco
Now in its second year, the Event Series had 60 participating shows in five states, sending 75 qualifying winners to the Grand Finale to compete. The Grand Champion becomes the Hot August Nights “car of the year” and will be featured on the 2025 poster, website, marketing materials and more. Additional accolades include the winner’s name on the rotating Grand Champion trophy, a Champion winners’ jacket, $5,000 in cash, HAN vehicle registration #0001 for the 2025 event and more.
To participate in the HAN Event Series, presented by Champion Chevrolet, car clubs and promoters must register and pay an annual fee of just $40. Individual participating vehicles must then purchase a $5 decal to display in their window; the decal is good for the entire 2025 event year through Aug. 9, 2025. Winning vehicles with the decal automatically receive an invite to participate in the Event Series Grand Finale event where all the winners from various car shows throughout the year will converge and one winning vehicle will be crowned as the 2025 Grand Champion on Aug. 10, in Reno.
HAN Event Series decals are available for purchase online at HotAugustNights.net or from any participating car show. To learn more about the HAN Event Series, visit online. For more information or to get involved, contact Hot August Nights at haneventseries@hotaugustnights.net or call 775-356-1956.
Hot August Nights’ main event returns to Reno and Sparks for its 39th year Aug. 1-10, 2025. Registration opens Nov. 4, 2024, at HotAugustNights.net. For registration or event information, visit online at HotAugustNights.net or call 775-356-1956. Keep up to date with the latest by following on Facebook, Instagram, or X.
Hot August Nights, a nonprofit organization, is a premier classic car event, annually drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators and participants to northern Nevada to revel in nostalgia, enjoy top entertainers from the 50s, 60s and 70s and participate in a variety of events including Show-n-Shines, controlled cruises, an auction, drag races and more. Since 1986 thousands of car enthusiasts from near and far have come to the Reno-Tahoe region to participate in one of the largest annual classic car events in the world.
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