The Ducktail Run 2026 brought four days of traditional hot rods, customs, classic trucks and vintage iron back to Gas City, Indiana, September 24-27, 2026. Held at Gas City Park, Ducktail is one of those Indiana shows where walking through the gate feels a little like stepping into a different era of the custom-car scene.
There is plenty of polished paint and chrome, but that is only part of what makes this show interesting. Ducktail has always been a place where finished customs share the grounds with traditional hot rods, gassers, survivors, patina-covered pickups, oddball builds and vehicles that simply don’t fit neatly into one category. Gauge Magazine photographer Dan Davis spent time at the 2026 show documenting that mix, and our complete gallery below includes 198 photos from this year’s event.
Part of Ducktail Run’s identity comes from the vehicles it allows through the gate. The show is primarily open to 1972-and-older vehicles, although the organizers make exceptions for later vehicles that have been chopped, channeled, sectioned or tubbed. That keeps the focus on older cars and trucks while still leaving room for serious custom work.
It is a formula that has worked for years. Gas City Park fills with everything from early Ford hot rods and traditional customs to muscle cars, classic pickups and vintage four-wheel drives. Instead of one particular style dominating the grounds, Ducktail gives you a cross-section of several generations of American car culture.
The 2026 Gauge Magazine gallery reflects that variety. We found early Ford-style hot rods, Model A builds, Chevrolet Advance Design pickups, C10s, Bel Airs, Impalas, Novas, classic Ford pickups, vintage wagons, Broncos, Blazers and plenty more scattered throughout the show.
The traditional hot rod side of Ducktail was well represented again in 2026. Open-wheel cars, coupes, roadsters and pickups could be found throughout the park, ranging from clean finished builds to cars wearing aged paint and plenty of personality.
Gassers added another flavor to the mix. Nose-high Chevrolets, drag-inspired builds and exposed engine combinations brought some old-school attitude to the grounds. Several cars looked ready for a trip down the strip, while others leaned heavily into the street-driven gasser style that continues to have a strong following.
The customs covered just as much ground. There were shaved bodies and lowered cruisers alongside flame-painted cars, whitewalls, custom interiors and detailed engine bays. Some builds were understated enough that you had to stop and look closely, while others made their intentions obvious from across the park.
For truck people, there was no shortage of material to look at. Chevrolet’s Advance Design pickups showed up in everything from restored form to full customs and patina builds. Classic Chevrolet C10s were also well represented, along with early Ford and GMC pickups, panel trucks and several less-common utility vehicles.
That variety is one of the things we like about covering a show like Ducktail. A spotless custom pickup might be parked only a few spaces away from an old work truck still wearing decades of history. They tell two completely different stories, and both fit right in at a show built around preserving and enjoying old vehicles.
The 2026 field also included vintage four-wheel drives and utility vehicles such as classic Broncos, Blazers, Jeeps and a Toyota Land Cruiser. Even among the trucks, Ducktail doesn’t settle into a single style.
Some of our favorite finds at a large event are usually the vehicles we weren’t expecting. Ducktail delivered plenty of those.
Dan’s photos include several classic Volkswagens, including Beetles and Type 2 buses, along with station wagons, vintage service vehicles and other unusual pieces mixed among the traditional American hot rods. One Volkswagen Beetle even combines hot rod attitude with woody-style bodywork, which gives you a pretty good idea of how wide the range can get at this show.
Look beyond the complete vehicles and there are plenty of smaller details worth checking out too. Our gallery includes engine combinations, custom interiors, wheel and whitewall details, pinstriping, custom audio work and the little finishing touches that can easily get missed when you’re trying to cover an event this large.
Ducktail has never been just a park full of cars. The swap meet is a major part of the weekend, with the event organizers reporting hundreds of swap-meet and commercial vendors in recent years. For anyone building or maintaining an older vehicle, that can make wandering the vendor area almost as interesting as walking the show field.
Parts, memorabilia, automotive pieces and the hunt for something you didn’t know you needed are all part of the experience. That old-school swap-meet atmosphere fits naturally with a show centered around vehicles that have survived, been restored, rebuilt or completely reinvented over the decades.
Ducktail isn’t new territory for Gauge Magazine. We’ve been documenting this Gas City tradition for years, including our Ducktail Run 2013 coverage and the show featured in our April 2016 issue.
Our Ducktail Run 2016 coverage captured just how large the event had become. That year brought 2,417 registered vehicles and more than 50,000 people to Gas City. Coming back a decade later gives us another look at a show that continues to hold onto the traditional rod-and-custom character that made it worth covering in the first place.
Check out our complete Ducktail Run 2026 photo gallery below, featuring 198 photos by Dan Davis for Gauge Magazine. From hot rods and gassers to classic trucks, customs, Volkswagens, muscle cars and some of the more unusual rides around the park, this is our look at the 2026 show in Gas City, Indiana.
Photography: Dan Davis Event: Ducktail Run Rod & Custom Show Location: Gas City, Indiana Dates: September 24-27, 2026
For information about future events, registration and show updates, visit the official Ducktail Run website.
The post Ducktail Run 2026 Brings Hot Rods & Customs to Gas City, Indiana appeared first on Gauge Magazine.
