Copperstate 1000

The Copperstate 1000, formally the Bell Lexus North Scottsdale Copperstate 1000, is an annual four-day road rally for vintage sports, racing and grand touring cars on Arizona roads. The Men’s Arts Council created it in 1990 as a fundraiser for Phoenix Art Museum, per the event page.

The cause

Proceeds benefit Phoenix Art Museum and the Copperstate 10-90 Foundation, both 501(c)(3) charities, per the beneficiaries page. The 10-90 Foundation was formed in 2011 by Sergeant Robert Bowers and members of the rally’s host committee to provide emergency benefits to the families of officers killed in the line of duty and tuition help for eligible family members. The organizer does not publish a total raised.

Editions

Each year a new route covers about 1,000 miles of Arizona and beyond, per the organizer. The 36th running started on 12 April 2026, with a public car show at Tempe Diablo Stadium from 7:30am to 11:30am and the rally cars launching around 9:30am, per the car show page. The 37th runs from Saturday 3 April to Wednesday 7 April 2027.

For 2027 the organizer says the stadium is unavailable because of construction, so the rally will start and finish at the same hotel, not yet named. The route takes in Prescott, where the organizer is working with the city on a welcome reception, then two nights at a Tucson resort. A possible track day and commemorative patches earned at special stops are also planned.

What a rally week is like

The FAQ says the entry fee covers dinner and a hotel from Saturday night through Wednesday night, with check-out Thursday morning. At least four professional mechanics and three to four flatbed tow trucks travel with the field, and Bell Lexus North Scottsdale lends Lexus cars to teams whose cars cannot continue. A donated U-Haul truck carries luggage between hotels each day. About 80 cars take part, with drivers from the United States, Canada, Mexico and Europe, per the organizer.

Who it is for

Cars up to and including the 1973 model year are eligible: sports, racing and grand touring. Later cars that are well preserved and historically significant are considered case by case. Clones, reproductions, tributes and recreations are not eligible. Every participant, including crew, must be 18 or older.

How entry and selection work

Entry is by online application, due 11 January 2027, with acceptance notices the week of 18 January. About 75 to 80 cars are accepted, with a waitlist beyond that. The organizer encourages applying with more than one car to improve the odds. The 2027 fee is $11,996 for driver and co-driver in one double room, with a minimum $3,000 deposit; a separate room costs $4,000 more.

Safety

Every accepted car must pass a safety inspection signed off by a certified mechanic before the rally, and the organizer says each team is responsible for arriving with a rally-ready car. The organizer does not publish separate traffic rules on the pages read for this guide.