The Paddock, 2026

Story by Brandes Elitch
Photos by and copyright of Daniel De Gallo

A while back, someone asked me if there were any events missing from Car Week. This seemed like a strange question at the time because there are at least thirty well publicized events all over Monterey Peninsula. And then last year Tanya Kosta started a new event, called The Paddock. I think Tanya hit her stride with this a few weeks ago, but here I want to give you some background that you will not likely have read elsewhere about why this works.

It is about diversity yes, but it is also about a safe, comforting place to relax for the day, with a beautiful view and, yes food trucks!

According the Paddock site, Now in its second year, The Paddock Monterey brings together an array of vehicles—from the intriguingly quirky to the latest in innovation and mobility. The event celebrates the diversity of automotive technology, design, and culture, offering something for every enthusiast, from future concepts to timeless classics. Beyond the curated field, guests can enjoy a fun, laid-back, and family-friendly atmosphere filled with unique cars, engaging entertainment, and delicious dining options—from the VIP Club food experience to a selection of premium food trucks.

Let me put this in perspective.

Last year, Car Week, particularly in Seaside and Monterey, had some unscheduled excitement. Hundreds of people swarmed parking lots in illegal street takeovers which included such activities as street racing, burnouts, revving motors, speeding, aggressive driving, and exhaust cutouts. There was a group of high-end supercars at the local In-N-Out Burger with hundreds of people watching them. Cars left the lot to do burnouts and then moved to the nearby Home Depot parking lot and the crowd followed them there. Local police had to move in with multiple departments and barricade the roads around 11 pm to manage the takeover.

This year, on the roads coming up to Monterey from Southern California, the CHP instituted a special procedure for the entire roadway, called Special Enforcement Unit, to watch the highways for speeding cars and unsafe maneuvers. This included all eleven offices for the CHP from Ventura County to Santa Cruz. The CHP used 100 specially prepared Dodge Durango SUVs, which do not look like a police car and blend in with traffic. But they have a hemi under the hood, just to make sure that nobody gets away.

In contrast to this, I think Tanya filled a need that did not exist until a few years ago: a safe, peaceful place to spend the end of the day after perhaps being at the Laguna Seca track all day, with what they call a “fun, laid-back, and family friendly atmosphere.” They say it is there to celebrate the diversity of automotive technology, design, and culture. Unlike other events, it takes place in the late afternoon and evening, from 3 pm to 8 pm. And because it is located in a golf course surrounded by a residential community, there is very little of the cross traffic you see in the towns nearby. Tanya says is is a more relaxed and thoughtful setting, and I think this is true. There is no formal judging. They say that it is “becoming a curated counterpoint to the traditional Concours, a refined yet flexible space where personality matters, engineering has room to breathe, and context counts, where the curious come to look twice.”

There was a good turnout this year at The Paddock, and I think it is on a firm footing for next year.

Again thanks to photographer Daniel De Gallo for the outstanding photography!