It forces competitors out of their shells. They get four minutes to present their vehicles to the judges and they can’t afford to have a laser focus on how they’re going to run a faster time in the afternoon, because they have to be warm and personable to a group of fellow car guys, who hold their fate in the scores they enter on ipads. Design & Engineering bonds competitors in this series, who may have nothing in common, other than their fear of the outcome or disdain for even having to do it…until it becomes their saving grace.

As Teslas have emerged as dominant competitors in the Peak Performance Challenge and Classic Car Liquidators Autocross, Design & Engineering helps level the playing field, due to the challenges it presents to owners of newer vehicles, who are trying to figure out how to modify them in a way that will improve performance and/or appearance- a task much easier to accomplish in a car built 50 years ago.

Even beyond that aspect of the series, there’s a different vibe here. Competitors will often talk about how intimidated they felt, showing up at their first event. They’ve been to other time trial events and even track days, where podiatrists try to “out-cool” investment advisors, as they all pursue the singular goal of fast time of the day.

In this series, they pull into a track and are suddenly amid cars they’ve watched on TV, read about in magazines or saw featured in online advertisements for years. Brand names like Forgeline, Falken and Lingenfelter are no longer in the abstract, they are front and center, along with the principals behind them. There is a misguided belief based on other track experiences, that you need to put on your “game face,” but then you see people laughing and joking with each other and they are driving the same cars, which means they’re also competing against each other.

Then the cookies come out. A little while later someone loses an alternator and someone else lends them a spare, while others jump in to help get it swapped out. At Sebring, Henry Crawn’s weekend ended early, but he stuck around and pitched in when his fellow No-Limit Engineering GTT Class competitor, Stephen Dorrick, blew up his transfer case and needed help. The same thing happened when Dave Schotz had splitter issues on his Camaro. Ted Barnes and Robert Weathers dropped what they were doing to get him back on track.

If they had known their efforts would’ve made the one-point difference that gave Schotz the win over their Mustang, they wouldn’t have thought twice to do it again. Chris Smith rode with Randy Johnson to help him dial in his new Camaro build because they all want to win on the track, but not because someone else wasn’t at their best.

They walk the autocross course together, with veterans explaining nuance to newcomers, they ride right seat to learn a faster line around the track and head out to dinner together afterwards. Come see for yourself and then figure out a way to get out here with your street car. You may not beat the world right out of the gate, but you’ll have a great time and make new friends, who you’ll look forward to seeing when you come back…and you will come back. www.DriveOPTIMA.com has all the information you need to get started.

Top Ten Overall
1. Chris Smith 1970 Chevrolet Camaro GTV 489 points
2. Dave Schotz 2022 Chevrolet Camaro GT 477 points
3. Ryan Mathews 2002 Chevrolet Corvette GTL 477 points
4. Larry Woo 1968 Chevrolet Camaro GTV 476 points
5. Austin Barnes 2020 Ford Mustang GT 476 points
6. Mike Gallagher 2016 Ford Focus RS GTS 464 points
7. Ron Scott 1963 Chevrolet Corvette GTV 462 points
8. Jason Bottenfield 1969 Chevrolet Camaro GTV 461 points
9. Dayton de la Houssaye 2016 Mazda MX-5 GTC 459 points
10. Collin King 2018 Chevrolet Camaro GT 452 points

2024 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Schedule
February 23-25th Sebring Raceway
March 1-3rd Thunderhill Raceway
May 3-5th Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca
June 28-30th Road America
July 26-28th Portland International Raceway
August 16-18th Summit Point Motorsports Park
October 4-6th VIRginia International Raceway

QA1 First Timer Award- Joshua Johnson 1979 Chevrolet Camaro

Anderson Composites Competitor’s Choice Award- Ron Scott 1963 Chevrolet Corvette

Operational Speed Supply Most-Improved Driver- Patrick Lever 1966 Superformance GT40

Summit Racing Spirit of the Event Invitation- Mike Owen 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle

Sparky’s Showdown Winner- Steve Rivett 1968 Chevrolet Camaro

The post Fun With Cars & Car People at the Track: OPTIMA’s Ultimate Street Car series visits Sebring International Raceway appeared first on BangShift.com.

Eight of the top-10 cars from the 2022 OUSCI returned to Las Vegas to take another shot at Sobey and came up short, but several narrowed the gap. While Sobey’s GT-R enjoyed a larger margin of victory in 2023 (13 points vs 7 points in 2022), Sobey’s overall score only improved by three points from the prior year. At the same time, fourth-place John Falkner’s Camaro improved by 12 points, eighth-place Ryan Mathews’ Corvette improved by 13 points, runner-up Jordan Priestley’s Tesla improved by 22 points and third-place Chris Smith’s Camaro improved by 29 points.

It’s incredible to think that just six years after the first Tesla competed in the series, Jordan Priestley’s Model 3 is knocking on the door for an OUSCI title and Sobey’s Nissan GT-R was the only car preventing that from happening in 2023. In fact, all four Teslas finished inside the top-20 and to date, no Tesla has ever failed to complete one of these events due to a mechanical issue.

Between the Teslas and the improvements made by others, Sobey could have a very hard time matching Danny Popp’s record of three consecutive OUSCI victories in 2024. At the same time, several top competitors, including the Camaros of Dave Schotz and Brian Hobaugh and the Mustangs of Matt Ramirez and Jonathan Blevins all had unusually disappointing performances early in the competition, which they all aim to remedy before the 2024 season-opener. The list of contenders is long and doesn’t appear to be shrinking.

If there’s anything that can be said about the OUSCI, it’s that it definitely earns the “Ultimate” moniker in its title. To stand still in this event and the qualifying series that feeds into it, is to fall backwards. Too many others are constantly finding ways to perform better on the track and look better while doing it. See a massive photo gallery from this event below and be sure to catch the TV series when it airs later this year on the CBS Sports Network. Registration for the 2024 season will open on January 5th at HYPERLINK “http://www.DriveOPTIMA.com” www.DriveOPTIMA.com

Top Ten Overall

1. Bob Sobey 2013 Nissan GT-R 487 points

2. Jordan Priestley 2021 Tesla Model 3 474 points

3. Chris Smith 1970 Chevrolet Camaro 460 points

4. John Falkner 2021 Chevrolet Camaro 455 points

5. Ryan Breezee 1969 Chevrolet Camaro 453 points

6. Dave Schotz 2022 Chevrolet Camaro 447 points

7. Brian Hobaugh 1973 Chevrolet Camaro 445 points

8. Ryan Mathews 2002 Chevrolet Corvette 445 points

9. Austin Barnes 2020 Ford Mustang 436 points

10. Mike Rovere 2008 Chevrolet Corvette 432 points

2024 OPTIMA Search for the Ultimate Street Car Schedule

Sebring International Raceway Feb 23-25th

Thunderhill Raceway Mar 1-3rd

Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca May 3-5th

Road America June 28-30th

Portland International Raceway July 26-28th

Summit Point Motorsports Park August 16-18th

VIRginia International Raceway October 4-6th

The post OPTIMA’s Ultimate Street Car Invitational- 2023 Edition: Bob Sobey’s Nissan GT-R successfully defends its title appeared first on BangShift.com.

We’ve got more photos from the 2023 PRI Show in Indy. Man this place is full of epic stuff that I’d really love to see under the tree or under the hood in 2024. The PRI Show is where everyone that’s anyone seemed to be on hand checking out parts, making sponsors happy, signing autographs, partying at the local bars and just having too much fun all around. It’s our favorite trade show of the year and we had a great time. There was tons to see and even more importantly, awesome people to talk to. Check out our continuing coverage below, we’ve got more galleries coming this week as well!

We are in Indianapolis for the 2023 PRI Show and man there is lots of cool stuff here as usual. Thursday we got to the show, judged the featured products, saw some awesome stuff we’d never seen before, and then wandered around shooting some photos. Then we attempted a more stuctured approach to our coverage and went aisle by aisle in search of all things cool. Check back tomorrow for even more coverage as we’ve got all kinds of cool stuff we know you will dig.

The Performance Racing Industry show is one that any racer would love to attend. Unlike the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where every kind of automotive aftermarket part is on display, the PRI Show features only racing-related parts. If the parts aren’t related to the motorsports world, you won’t find them here.

CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED OUR PREVIOUS GALLERIES FROM THE 2023 PRI SHOW

The post PRI Show Photos: We Came, We Saw, And We Made A Dream List. Check Out The Cars And Parts Of PRI 2023 appeared first on BangShift.com.

We are in Indianapolis for the 2023 PRI Show and man there is lots of cool stuff here as usual. Thursday we got to the show, judged the featured products, saw some awesome stuff we’d never seen before, and then wandered around shooting some photos. Then we attempted a more stuctured approach to our coverage and went aisle by aisle in search of all things cool. Check back tomorrow for even more coverage as we’ve got all kinds of cool stuff we know you will dig.

The Performance Racing Industry show is one that any racer would love to attend. Unlike the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where every kind of automotive aftermarket part is on display, the PRI Show features only racing-related parts. If the parts aren’t related to the motorsports world, you won’t find them here.

CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED OUR PREVIOUS GALLERIES FROM THE 2023 PRI SHOW

The post PRI Show Photos: The 2023 PRI Show Was Off The Chain, We Had Fun, And Here Are The Photos To Prove It! appeared first on BangShift.com.

We are in Indianapolis for the 2023 PRI Show and man there is lots of cool stuff here as usual. Thursday we got to the show, judged the featured products, saw some awesome stuff we’d never seen before, and then wandered around shooting some photos. Then we attempted a more stuctured approach to our coverage and went aisle by aisle in search of all things cool. Check back tomorrow for even more coverage as we’ve got all kinds of cool stuff we know you will dig.

The Performance Racing Industry show is one that any racer would love to attend. Unlike the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where every kind of automotive aftermarket part is on display, the PRI Show features only racing-related parts. If the parts aren’t related to the motorsports world, you won’t find them here.

CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED OUR PREVIOUS GALLERIES FROM THE 2023 PRI SHOW

The post Even More PRI Show Photos: The Cars And Parts Of The 2023 PRI Show Were Like My Christmas List Come True. Check Them Out. appeared first on BangShift.com.

We are in Indianapolis for the 2023 PRI Show and man there is lots of cool stuff here as usual. Thursday we got to the show, judged the featured products, saw some awesome stuff we’d never seen before, and then wandered around shooting some photos. Then we attempted a more stuctured approach to our coverage and went aisle by aisle in search of all things cool. Check back tomorrow for even more coverage as we’ve got all kinds of cool stuff we know you will dig.

The Performance Racing Industry show is one that any racer would love to attend. Unlike the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where every kind of automotive aftermarket part is on display, the PRI Show features only racing-related parts. If the parts aren’t related to the motorsports world, you won’t find them here.

CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED OUR PREVIOUS GALLERIES FROM THE 2023 PRI SHOW

The post PRI Show Photos: More Parts, Cars, And Trucks From The Best Racing Trade Show Of The Year! appeared first on BangShift.com.

Eight of the top-10 cars from the 2022 OUSCI returned to Las Vegas to take another shot at Sobey and came up short, but several narrowed the gap. While Sobey’s GT-R enjoyed a larger margin of victory in 2023 (13 points vs 7 points in 2022), Sobey’s overall score only improved by three points from the prior year. At the same time, fourth-place John Falkner’s Camaro improved by 12 points, eighth-place Ryan Mathews’ Corvette improved by 13 points, runner-up Jordan Priestley’s Tesla improved by 22 points and third-place Chris Smith’s Camaro improved by 29 points.

It’s incredible to think that just six years after the first Tesla competed in the series, Jordan Priestley’s Model 3 is knocking on the door for an OUSCI title and Sobey’s Nissan GT-R was the only car preventing that from happening in 2023. In fact, all four Teslas finished inside the top-20 and to date, no Tesla has ever failed to complete one of these events due to a mechanical issue.

Between the Teslas and the improvements made by others, Sobey could have a very hard time matching Danny Popp’s record of three consecutive OUSCI victories in 2024. At the same time, several top competitors, including the Camaros of Dave Schotz and Brian Hobaugh and the Mustangs of Matt Ramirez and Jonathan Blevins all had unusually disappointing performances early in the competition, which they all aim to remedy before the 2024 season-opener. The list of contenders is long and doesn’t appear to be shrinking.

If there’s anything that can be said about the OUSCI, it’s that it definitely earns the “Ultimate” moniker in its title. To stand still in this event and the qualifying series that feeds into it, is to fall backwards. Too many others are constantly finding ways to perform better on the track and look better while doing it. See a massive photo gallery from this event below and be sure to catch the TV series when it airs later this year on the CBS Sports Network. Registration for the 2024 season will open on January 5th at HYPERLINK “http://www.DriveOPTIMA.com” www.DriveOPTIMA.com

Top Ten Overall

1. Bob Sobey 2013 Nissan GT-R 487 points

2. Jordan Priestley 2021 Tesla Model 3 474 points

3. Chris Smith 1970 Chevrolet Camaro 460 points

4. John Falkner 2021 Chevrolet Camaro 455 points

5. Ryan Breezee 1969 Chevrolet Camaro 453 points

6. Dave Schotz 2022 Chevrolet Camaro 447 points

7. Brian Hobaugh 1973 Chevrolet Camaro 445 points

8. Ryan Mathews 2002 Chevrolet Corvette 445 points

9. Austin Barnes 2020 Ford Mustang 436 points

10. Mike Rovere 2008 Chevrolet Corvette 432 points

2024 OPTIMA Search for the Ultimate Street Car Schedule

Sebring International Raceway Feb 23-25th

Thunderhill Raceway Mar 1-3rd

Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca May 3-5th

Road America June 28-30th

Portland International Raceway July 26-28th

Summit Point Motorsports Park August 16-18th

VIRginia International Raceway October 4-6th

The post OPTIMA’s Ultimate Street Car Invitational- Part 2: 2023 Edition: Photos and Results! appeared first on BangShift.com.

While it’s not unusual for these season-long battles to come down to a single point or two, which translates into one position on the track, no class has ever ended the regular season in a tie for the championship…until this year. The Downforce Motorsports GTR class for factory-licensed replicas saw two competitors in Dan Long and Bob Spencer, running a GT40 and Cobra from Superformance.

Spencer notched a 500-point weekend early in the season at Laguna Seca and when the two squared off at Daytona, Long held a two-point edge on the weekend. With Spencer sitting at 996 points, Long would need a 499 at VIRginia to get around Spencer. While he posted that number, Long grabbed a 497, which increased his season point total to 997, resulting in the tie. The two will face off again in Las Vegas to compete for the Downforce Motorsports Class Cup at the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI), but the higher finisher between the two will also be crowned regular season champion.

If they tie again, the higher score in the Lingenfelter Design & Engineering Challenge will serve as the tie-breaker, but there’s another factor that could come into play in Las Vegas. Doug Campbell will be running a ’68 Superformance GT40, which could grab points from the other two and impact the outcome.

The other class championships were settled relatively-easily, topped by Bob Sobey’s Nissan GT-R in the GTS class, which also took home the most points on the season and grabbing the National Champion title for the regular season. The question now is if Sobey can defend his OUSCI title and repeat as the the overall champion in Las Vegas?

There are several strong contenders, including regular season class champions Ryan Mathews from GTL, Dave Schotz from Viking Performance GT, Stephen Dorrick from No-Limit Engineering GTT and Chris Smith from Classic Car Liquidators GTV, as well as competition from within the GTS class from Jordan Priestley. Although he wasn’t at VIR, expect the Geaux Moto GTC Class champion, Dayton de la Houssaye, to be a factor in Las Vegas as well.

The full field is now set for Las Vegas and while class cups will be up for grabs in Las Vegas, the big prize only goes to one car and that is the title of Ultimate Street Car. If you’re in Las Vegas in early-November for SEMA or any other reason, be sure to check it out! The livestream will also be available for those who want to watch remotely. Just add the OPTIMA Network for free on Roku.

Top Ten Overall

1. Bob Sobey 2013 Nissan GT-R GTS 495 points
2. Ryan Mathews 2002 Chevrolet Corvette GTL 490 points

3. Dave Schotz 2022 Chevrolet Camaro GT 483 points

4. Larry Woo 1968 Chevrolet Camaro GTV 481 points

5. Ron Scott 1963 Chevrolet Corvette GTV 480 points

6. Garry Walsh 2004 Chevrolet Corvette GTS 473 points

7. Pat Duncan 2003 Chevrolet Corvette GTL 468 points

8. Wayne Atkins 1985 Chevrolet Camaro GTV 464 points

9. Stephen Dorrick 2005 Nissan Frontier GTT 462 points

10. Matthew Hamson 1989 Ford Mustang GTL 443 points

Class Winners

Viking Performance GT Class (post-1989, 3,200+ pounds, 2wd sedans, 4-seater coupes, etc…)

Dave Schotz, 2022 Chevrolet Camaro

Classic Car Liquidators GTV Class (pre-1990, 3200+ pounds)

Larry Woo, 1968 Chevrolet Camaro
GTS Class (post-1989, 3200+ pounds, two-seaters & awd vehicles)

Bob Sobey, 2013 Nissan GT-R

Downforce Motorsports GTV Class (factory-licensed replicas)

Dan Long 1966 Superformance GT40

GTL Class (non-compacts under 3200 pounds)

Ryan Mathews, 2002 Chevrolet Corvette

No Limit Engineering GTT Class (Trucks & SUVs over 3200 pounds)

Stephen Dorrick, 2005 Nissan Frontier

GeauxMoto GTC Class (two-wheel drive compacts, 107-inch wheelbase or less)

Ian Brown, 2005 Mini Cooper

Arrington Performance Lucky 7 Outlaw Class (relaxed aero rules, pro drivers allowed)

Justin Peachey, 2007 Chevrolet Corvette

Summit Racing Spirit of the Event Award:

David Yadon, 1984 Chevrolet Camaro

2023 OPTIMA Search for the Ultimate Street Car Schedule

Thunderhill Raceway March 3-5

NOLA Motorsports Park March 10-12

Laguna Seca May 5-7

Portland International Raceway July 21-23

Road America July 28-30

Daytona International Speedway August 11-13

VIRginia International Raceway October 6-8

OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational Las Vegas October 31- November 6

The post OPTIMA’s Search for the Ultimate Street Car at VIR: Virginia International Raceway. The regular season wraps up & champions are crowned! appeared first on BangShift.com.

Holley’s Moparty was back at Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green Kentucky this past weekend and it was bigger and better than ever before. This event just keeps growing and growing and the quality of cars that attend this show is amazing. I’ve said it since year one, but these Mopar folks bring the heat when it comes to nice cars. Sure, there are some rides with patina, some beaters, and some last minute builds, but the finished or restored cars are all pretty nice. This show attracts some great rides for sure.

Oh, and there are some weirdos there too. It’s not nice to call Mopar fans that though, so I’m referring to the cars. There are a lot of car owners with details on the numbers made, options list, etc, but some of them just want to make a fun statement and those are the weirdos we’re referring to.

CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED OUR FIRST MOPARTY PREPARTY GALLERY

The post Moparty Show Photos: Our Second Gallery From Holley’s 4th Annual Moparty At Beech Bend Raceway Park! appeared first on BangShift.com.

I’ve been the voice of Holley’s LSFest since its inception 14 years ago, and for the first 7 or so years of that I announced literally every competitive and demonstration portion of the event myself by bouncing around from area to area at Beech Bend Raceway Park. Over the years it has grown into an event of such scale that this just isn’t possible, so I have some help on the dragstrip and the off-road area so I can bounce between them and all the rest as needed. It’s a crazy-packed show, full of action and great stuff to see, and I often say it is a zoo that might sometimes feel like it is being run by the animals because all of us involved are enthusiasts ourselves. We do everything we can get the insurance company and track to allow if we think it will be fun for the show and the competition. This year was no exception. Holy crap this thing was HUGE and the cars, trucks, and oddities on hand were second to none. Every single type of entry for this event, from show to racing, was sold out weeks before we opened the gates. We jumped a station wagon almost 200 feet, before landing it like a lawn dart. We ran thousands of autocross and dragstrip passes, jumped trucks, destroyed tires, slammed walls, and showed off rad rides. It was a good time had by all!

Spectators came in at all new records as well, and the weather could not have been nicer. It was a great time had by all and I’m so thankful to be a part of such a great group of people that put this whole thing on. If you only knew how many full and part time people it takes to do this, you’d be blown away. We start each morning with a staff meeting at 6am that features 20-25 people who are just the heads of groups. They have 4-6 people each working under them. Some even more. It’s crazy in so many ways, but man is it awesome to see come together!

Here is our first gallery from all over the show. We didn’t worry about making a specific gallery with just trucks or something for this first one, we just wanted to give you a taste of it all. So click on any photo below to make it expand so you can scroll through the whole gallery.

CLICK HERE IF YOU MISSED ANY OF OUR GALLERIES

The post LSFest Photos Jump Photos: The Biggest LS Fest Ever Did Not Disappoint! Here’s Our Final Photo Gallery And Links To All The Rest! appeared first on BangShift.com.