SURVIVAL GUIDE

THURSDAY will see Street Machine Summernats 38 jump straight out of the gates and into the thick of it for the opening act of Australia's greatest car festival.

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DAY ONE THURS 8 JAN

A stack of new stuff is on offer at the 'Nats this year, and a bunch of it kicks off on Day One. There's a Hot Wheels Stunt Show in the mix, and a brand-new Festival Zone filled with rides, games and carnival classics that the whole family or crew can enjoy.

As for car action, Thursday is headlined by the Pro Burnout Series Last Chance Wildcard Shootout at Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC) from 4pm, with a mental lineup of cars duking it out in one last door-die effort to grab a spot in the Pro Burnout Series final on Saturday.

In the Elite Hall, the Top 60 Finalists Show kicks off from 6:30pm, highlighted by the Great Meguiar's Uncover at 7:30pm, where the sheets will be pulled off a bumper field of Australia's best-built show machines for the first time in front of a jam-packed audience.

If you're more about driving than watching, Thursday also marks the first of three days of the epic Enthusiast Braddon Fringe Festival from 5pm in Canberra's CBD. A selection of approved Summernats entrants' cars will exclusively pack the streets against a backdrop of live music, restaurants, bars and food trucks. The Fringe Festival has been super popular since it debuted a few years ago and is the perfect way to unwind after a big day at EPIC.

We've also got our own Street Machine VIP zone with a grandstand overlooking the Aeroflow Cruise Route, and there are new covered seating areas and chill-out zones amongst the madness. To top that off, there'll also be overpass bridges to allow spectators to cross the cruise route with ease, so you can get where you need to be faster and the cruising can flow all day long. Winning!

Qualifying for the Haltech Horsepower Heroes dyno comp kicks off as well, as does the annual Oz Wheels City Cruise at 12pm, when a convoy of hot cars will parade through Canberra's streets to show the locals what we're all about.