San Diego Car Shows, Meets and Races

You live in San Diego, California and you just bought a new car – or new to you. You are looking into what to do with it past driving it to work and cruising around during the weekends. This is the list of the San Diego car shows, meets and races.

Maybe you love detailing your car and showing it off. Maybe you’d like to enter it into a contest for a chance to win bragging rights. Or maybe you’re the “just drive it” kind of person and want to test the waters in competitive driving such as autocross, rallycross, HPDE (high performance driving events) or club racing.

Below is a list of car shows in San Diego, California – including meets and races. The main difference between shows and meets is that the meets are much less formal, recurring weekly in most cases and just about any type of car is welcome.

Keep in mind that with car meets, information can vary quite a bit. Some car meets occur every week, rain or shine. Such is the case with most Cars & Coffee events such as Cbad Cars. However, there are other meets that happen on a whim, happen once a month, happen every once in a while or simply disappear and come back without notice. Don’t tell us we didn’t warn you.

Many of these car meets are based on word of mouth, between many friends and people tightly connected with the local car scene. If you live in San Diego or close by and you are deeply involved in the local car scene you’re bound to find out about all the meets. If not, it’s a little hard to keep up.

This list is meant to serve as a ‘lax kind of guide. Due to the nature of the whole scene, information is bound to change without notice and you will likely end up polishing your car and driving far to a meet that’s not there. Be sure to double-check with different sources and ask around to make sure an event is actually happening. Don’t ask us, we’re not the source. We’re just relaying the information.

Meet	Description	Location	Date	Time	Link
*We update this chart as soon as we hear about any changes. However, please confirm with the organizer’s site before commiting to attend. Don’t do anything stupid. Common sense. Not burnouts, revving, etc. Obey the laws.
Cbad Cars (Cars & Coffee Carlsbad	Cars and Coffee Carlsbad – All cars welcome. Drink coffee and talk about cars.	7130 Avenida Encinas, Carlsbad CA 92011	Every Saturday	7-9AM	Facebook
Cars, Coffee and Doughnuts	All cars and bike enthusiasts welcome. Drink coffee, eat many doughnuts and talk about cars.	Krispy Kreme – 4180 Clairemont Mesa BLVD, San Diego, California 92117	Last Sunday of every month	7-9:30AM	Facebook
La Costa Cars & Pizza	All cars welcome. Pizza and cars.	Project Pie, La Costa Town Square	Thursday nights	7:30PM	Facebook
Cruisin’ Grand	Big get-together of car enthusiasts of all types cruising Grand Ave in Escondido.	East Grand Avenue, Escondido	Fridays, March-September	5-9PM	Website
SAE Motorsport Meet	Car gathering, all types of cars welcome.	4040 Calle Platino Suite 123 Oceanside, California	Check with organizer	Check with organizer	Facebook
Local Car Scene / Temecula Tuesdays	Car gathering, all types of cars welcome.	Temecula	Check with organizer	Check with organizer	Facebook
Ovrdue!	Car gathering, all types of cars welcome.	583 Grand Ave San Marcos, California	Varies – Mostly one Thursday a month – Check with organizer	7:00PM	Facebook
Krispy Kreme Tuesdays	Car gathering, all types of cars welcome.	2305 Otay Lakes Rd, Chula Vista, CA 91915	Varies – 4th Tuesday of the month – Check with organizer (can’t find page)	7-10PM

Show	Description	Location	Date	Time	Link
*Please confirm with the organizers and check their website before committing to attend.
HRE Open House	Most types of cars welcome. Summer. Registration is required for show cars but there’s usually plenty of parking for other show cars inside and out.	HRE Performance Wheels HQ – 2611 Commerce Way, Suite D Vista, California 92081	Summer – Check with organizer	9AM-2PM	Story
Car Show Sundays	Most types of cars welcome. Early spring, summer & early fall. As of this writing, registration is not required.	Restaurant Row, San Marcos	First Sunday of every month	11PM-3PM	Facebook
Del Mar Concours d’Elegance	Prestigious event with very strict rules on what cars qualify. Registration is required.	Del Mar Racetrack Paddock	Pending announcement – Check with organizer	10-3PM	Website
La Jolla Concours d’Elegance	Prestigious event with very strict rules on what cars qualify. Registration is required. Spectator entrance fee.	La Jolla Cove	April 8-10, 2016	10-3PM	Website
Vettes for Veterans	Corvette only car show. Registration required, free admission for spectators.	T.G.I. Fridays in Carlsbad	Pending announcement – Check with organizer	10-3PM	Story
Good Guys Del Mar Nationals	Hot Rods, customs and classics thru 1972. Also show and shine for newer cars.	Del Mar Fairgrounds	April & November	8-5PM	Website
San Diego International Auto Show	Of course, your car stays outside – but you get to see the cool new ones.	San Diego Convention Center	January 2016 – Check with organizer	10AM	Website
O’Gara Coach /Symbolic Motors Cars & Coffee	Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley & other exotics.	O’Gara Coach Sorrento Valley Service Center	Varies – Check with organizer	9AM	Story
Bella Italia	Celebration of the Italian automobile. Modern and classic exotics	Spanish Landing Park, San Diego Bay	Spring	8AM	Story

Race	Description	Location	Date	Time	Link
*Please check with organizers for details. If competing, safety gear and car inspection are the most important points to look into.
Coronado Speed Festival	Vintage racing all weekend, plus car shows, car clubs and many other car activities within the event.	Naval Air Station – North Island, Coronado, CA	September 19-20, 2015	8AM-5PM	Story
Race Legal	Legal quarter mile race venue for your street car.	Qualcomm Stadium	Varies – Every other Friday	6PM	Website
SCCA Solo 2 San Diego	Autocross (Auto X) for your street car. Easiest & cheapest way to start racing. Most cars welcome.	Qualcomm Stadium	Varies – See site	Varies – See site	Website
BMW Club of America Auto X	Auto X with BMWCCA. Mostly BMW, but with limited open slots for non-BMW vehicles.	Qualcomm Stadium	Varies – See site	Varies – See site	Website
Porsche Club of America SD Region Auto X	Auto X with PCASDR. Mostly Porsche, but with limited open slots for non-Porsche vehicles.	Qualcomm Stadium	Varies – See site	Varies – See site	Website

 

Disclaimer: RallyWays does not organize or host any of these shows, meets or races. We are not responsible for changes in the event dates or times, or even complete cancellation. This list is here as a guide to help car enthusiasts find new venues to enjoy their cars. We encourage you to check with all the organizers and inform yourself about all the ins and outs related to each event. We also remind you to obey local laws and use common sense. We will not list or help promote any show or meet that is involved in illegal activities such as street racing or any other form of dumbassedness. Be safe out there and look after your fellow car enthusiasts. -RW

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