August 24th-26th, 2023 | the Bend XPO center, East Moline, IL
Boss Nationals 2023
Organized by Rick Ybarra and Finley Ledbetter
Mark your calendar to attend the national gathering of Ford’s best high-performance true Boss Mustang and Cougar cars – stock, modified and Cougar cars – past and present. Taking place at Bend XPO, East Moline, IL from August 24th through August 26th, 2023. Showcasing 1969, 1970, 1971, 2012 & 2013 Boss Mustangs and Cougars. Also spot lighting 427 SOHC Cammer powered Ford and Mercurys.
Schedule Overview
Wednesday, August 23 Mandatory Setup Day for Swap Meet & Cars
9am – 5:30pm: Setup swap meet spaces, and park arriving cars. If you’re going to be late, please text us at 940-736-0941.
Indoor and Outdoor Swap Meet spaces: must be setup by 6pm Wednesday, August 23th. NO EXCEPTIONS.
All judged and non-judged cars (indoor and outdoor): must be inplace inside their respective space no later than 9pm Wednesday, August 23th. NO EXCEPTIONS.
IMPORTANT: All indoor vehicles must have
- 1) have the battery disconnected in show mode
- 2) have a minimum of one fully functional fire extinguisher with the car
- 3) have a maximum of 1/8th of a tank of fuel per City of Eeast Moline Fire Code
- Registration Location: Coming soon
- Show Parking: Coming soon
- Swap Meet Parking Assignment: Coming soon
Thursday, August 24
8:00am: Opening Ceramony
8:30-ish – 12 noon: Everyone mingling and having a great time!!
12 noon – 4pm: Judging commences for those cars entered for judging. Everyone mingling and having fun!
7:30pm – 10:30pm: Band playing
Friday, August 25
8am – 4pm: Judging continues. Everyone mingling and still having a great time!!
7:30pm – 10:30pm: Band playing
Saturday August 26
8am – 12noon-ish: Judging ends. Mingling and having fun!
12noon-ish – 5pm: Mingling and having more fun!
5pm – 6pm: Awards presentation
7:30pm – 10:30pm: Band plays
Sunday, August 27 Everyone Heads Home
Location
922 Mississippi Parkway | East Moline, IL 61244
Click for Map
Event
Free for all spectators. Activities include car show with featured cars and multiple judged car classes; swap meet; live music; lots of food; and more!
Start Planning
Car Show
Multiple judged car classes for Trailered or Driven Concours Boss 302, 351 & 429 cars. Also multiple special recognition certificates for Survivor Unrestored Boss cars; Original Owner Boss cars; and Special Purose/Unique Boss cars. See JUDGING page for more details.
Live Music & More
Time to meet friends, both old and new. Buy, sell or trade at the swap meet. Enjoy the live music, foood, and more! Alcoholic beverages and a concession stand are available in the XPO Center. Many restaurants are nearby – see list of some of them below.
Swap Meet
Ready to buy, sell, and trade? Reserve your space at the swap meet. Both indoor (limited quantity) and outdoor spaces are available.
Save the date
August 24-26, 2023
Lodging & Eats
The Hyatt Place East Moline/Quad Citeies is the “official” Boss Nationals event hotel. Located at 111 Bend Blvd, East Moline, it’s just 0.2mile from the XPO Center.
Use this link for information & online registration or call them at 309-755-6000. If you call, be sure to reference our group block which is under “2023 Boss Nationals Anniversary Car Show” with a group ID of “G-BNCS”.
If rooms at the Hyatt Place are no longer available when you contact them, use the link below to a Google Map which you can use to search around the Bend XPO center for other hotels, restaurants, etc.
Link to Google Map
A little further down this page, we’ve also compiled a list of many, but not all, nearby hotels, restaurants, and RV hookups.
IMPORTANT!! Be sure to mention Boss Nationals car show block when booking your hotel.
Miles shown with the hotels listed below is the approximate distance from the Bend Expo center. Reminder: Be sure to mention Boss Nationals car show block when booking.
Restaurant Links
List is not all inclusive
Restaurant Links
Hyatt Place - THE event hotel
0.2 miles. Info/Online Reservation 309-755-6000 Group ID G-BNCS
Stoney Creek Hotel
3.4 miles. 309-743-0101
The Axis Moline Hotel
3.5 miles. 309-640-0060
Wyndham Moline on John Deere Commons
4.0 mile. 309-764-1000
Isle Casino Hotel
4.5 miles. 563-441-7115
Comfort Inn & Suites East Moline
5 miles. 309-792-4600
Comfort Inn Moline
6.5 miles. 309-762-7000
Hotel Backhawk
7.4 miles. 563-322-5000
Hampton Inn & Suites - Davenport
8 miles. 563-441-0001
Quality Inn & Suites - Davenport
12 miles. 563-386-8336
RV Hookups
Fisherman’s Corner. 6 miles northeast. 877-444-6777
RV Hookups
Lundeen’s Landing. 8 miles east. 309-885-4555
Camping
Illiniwek Forest Preserve Campground 0.5 miles northeast. 309-496-2620
DON’T MISS THE NATIONAL GATHERING OF FORD’S BEST HIGH-PERFORMANCE TRUE BOSS MUSTANG AND COUGAR CARS – STOCK, MODIFIED, RESTORED – PAST AND PRESENT. BE SURE TO VIEW THE VIDEO BELOW
Get In Touch
(940) 779-3441
Address
2023 Boss Nationals
C/O Finley Ledbetter
P.O. Box 321
Graford, TX 76449