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LSX Challenge Series - Hotlanta LSXThe LSX Challenge Series rolled into Atlanta for Round 2, and racers, fans, and enthusiasts alike couldn’t have asked for a better event From the September, 2011 issue of GM High-Tech Performance By Justin Cesler Photography by The Author
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Round two of the LSX Challenge series brought racers and fans to beautiful Commerce, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, for the NMCA/NMRA All Star Nationals, April 14-17. If you weren't there, you missed out! Much like the season opener in Bradenton, many racers arrived at the track not knowing what to expect and much of Friday was spent cruising the pits looking for old friends and new racers alike. Many combinations that missed Bradenton were still being bolted together in trailers during opening day, although every racer we talked to was excited to see what the winter upgrades could do in competition. Threatening skies and a terrible weather forecast may have kept some racers home, although when it did rain, the Atlanta crew and the NMCA did an excellent job turning the track around quickly and getting racers back to racing. Track prep was excellent and we saw several cars either go directly on the back bumper-Mike Meeks comes to mind-or set new world records, Mark Carlyle style. Round after round brought enthusiastic LSX racers to the water box and, round after round, races were won and lost by the smallest of margins. It's safe to say that the Georgia race brought a new level of excitement to the series, one that is sure to carry on to the Holley LS Fest and the actual LSX Shootout in October. But, don't take our word for it. According to Ray Litz, an LSX Drag Radial racer from Lexington, Ohio, "I cannot say enough about how well this event was ran. We had an NMCA official whose only job was to keep the LSX guys informed in the pits and staging lanes as to the schedule. Never have I been treated so well at an event!" Even new racers, who had never attended an LSX Challenge race, had great things to say, like this quote from Daren Poole-Adams, who sported a brand-new LS7 combination in his immaculate Firebird, which was a former LTX Shootout attendee. "For any LSX enthusiast this should be a must-do. We had a great time at Atlanta and plan to be at Bowling Green and Indy." They will be there. How about you?  Atlanta drew more cars than...  Atlanta drew more cars than Bradenton, a good sign for the series, and thanks to Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center’s generous contributions to the LSX Challenge series, every LSX racer on hand raced for free and had a blast!  The NMCA did a great job setting...  The NMCA did a great job setting up the Manufacturers’ Midway and fans of LSX racing were able to meet with a ton of different vendors, tuners and speed shops to talk about upcoming parts, builds, ideas or just to finally meet the vendors who support our industry and our racing.  Kelly Fromm brought Vetran1,...  Kelly Fromm brought Vetran1, his rolling tribute “dedicated to all who served” and put his mission to raise awareness and money for fallen soldiers right on the track. While it may look like a show car, Kelly took home runner-up in the fifth-gen class and “best in class” in the car show.  The father and son team of...  The father and son team of Shawn and Tom Calabrese continued to dominate the fifth-gen class, running consistently all weekend and taking home yet another first place trophy. With only half of the season left, they have a commanding points lead in the series.  Don Dixon has been a long...  Don Dixon has been a long time LSX racer with his wicked GTO and his performance in Atlanta, combined with his efforts in Bradenton, have earned him 700 points, enough to place the GTO third in points.  James Rowlett’s ’00 Camaro...  James Rowlett’s ’00 Camaro also runs in the Proform Racing LSX Rumble class and his consistent 10.0-second runs have placed him fifth in overall points. Atlanta proved to be a little tough for Rowlett, who made it to the second round before bowing out on a 10.198 at 130.80 mph run.  Nicholas Massengale continued...  Nicholas Massengale continued his string of consistency, running an 11.50-index and making it all the way to the semi-finals, where he had a small issue, crossing the line over a second off pace. Nevertheless, he sits fourth in the points, just 45 points behind Don Dixon.  David Saunders, pilot of the...  David Saunders, pilot of the massive 500 cubic-inch S.A.M.-powered ’98 Camaro found himself atop the Atlanta podium for LSX Rumble, winning the final round of eliminations with a 10.057 on a 10.000-second index. David’s win put a couple of much needed points on the board, putting him second going into Bowling Green.  Jay McCardle brought his gorgeous...  Jay McCardle brought his gorgeous supercharged C5 all the way from Pennsylvania to run in Real Street and found himself in the final round of eliminations, running a string of mid-eight second passes, ending with an 8.863 at 141.46 mph, good enough for second place overall.  Evan SALT, our new turbocharged...  Evan SALT, our new turbocharged WS6 race car made the show in Atlanta, thanks to countless hours of work and many extremely late nights by the crew at Vengeance Racing. Though next to Tim Lynch’s 1,000-hp C6 Z06, the turbo kit still turned heads and drew a crowd.  Think convertible Pace Car...  Think convertible Pace Car edition Corvettes are only for making laps around your local cruise night? Rob Farley thinks otherwise and his awesome C5 took him all the way to the final round, securing him enough points for a healthy lead in the series.  Real Street, the new limited...  Real Street, the new limited power adder heads-up class, really picked up steam in Atlanta, with several brand new cars making the field and several others stepping up their game. George Toll of Tollville (awesome!) was out testing his new ride, a big cube nitrous fed LSX.  Adam Preston-yes, the same...  Adam Preston-yes, the same Adam who cleaned up in Bowling Green last year in his blue and yellow third-gen-showed up in Atlanta with a brand new and beautiful Camaro, and shocked the crowd with a Real Street win and several clean 8-seconds hits.  The JE Pistons Drag Radial...  The JE Pistons Drag Radial class continued to be a crowd favorite in Atlanta and every racer in the class new that the crown was up for grabs. Ray Litz missed Bradenton trying to get his new turbo combination together, although Atlanta seemed more like a test session than a race for the former GMHTP feature car, although Ray did qualify with an 8.485 at 164.85 mph.  Mark Carlyle, fresh off his...  Mark Carlyle, fresh off his season opener win in Bradenton came to Atlanta looking for that elusive 7-second pass and his crew was determined to do whatever it took to get it done. In between trying to set the IRS Corvette record, he also managed to go a couple of rounds, taking second place overall in the Drag Radial class…  ...although it was his 7.897-second...  ...although it was his 7.897-second pass, at over 180 mph, that really got the crowd on their feet. Congratulations to Mark and the crew from IPS for getting it done, the 7-second IRS C5/C6 barrier has finally been crossed!  Mike Meeks’ tough season opener...  Mike Meeks’ tough season opener in Bradenton and a cracked oil pan from an amazing wheelie in Atlanta almost proved to be his undoing, but his resilience to adversity and his can-do attitude got him back on track and into the money, taking home first place in LSX Drag Radial and earning him the distinction of being the first and only nitrous car to win an LSX Drag Radial class.  ERL Performance All Motor,...  ERL Performance All Motor, a class that just last year was facing extinction, proved to be the largest and most radical class on the property. Six cars made the field, including Danny Niceley’s 427 cubic-inch C5, which qualified with a 9.853 at 138 mph.  Daren Poole-Adams, a former...  Daren Poole-Adams, a former LTX racer and NHRA veteran, made his first ever LSX appearance in Atlanta and his ultra low-mileage, super clean ’98 Formula ran decent for a first outing. Having watched Daren race at the LTX Shootout, we know this is one guy to watch as the season progresses.  With some help from LMR and...  With some help from LMR and the School of Automotive Machinists, Joe Huneycutt was able to get his new 444 cubic-inch LSX ready for the race and his giant wheel stands were a real crowd pleaser, sporting a new TH400. Unfortunately, an oiling issue kept him from really showing the ATL crowds what the Camaro was capable of.  If there is an LSX All Motor...  If there is an LSX All Motor elimination going down, you can bet Bobby Lashley is somewhere in the mix and, just like in Bradenton, the final round of All Motor came down to the two most badass Camaro’s on the property. Bobby’s driver, Chris Woods, gave it all he could, but a slipping clutch left them down on power, although they still took home second place and enough points for second in the series.  The School Of Automotive Machinists’...  The School Of Automotive Machinists’ Judson Massingill, the man to beat in All Motor, proved once again that the Hugger Orange Camaro just couldn’t be stopped. A string of insanely low 8-second passes (8.371, 8.252, 8.235) took him all the way through the finals, emerging the victor yet again and proving that All Motor is here to stay.
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Camaro ZL1 Morphs into “Freedom Fighter”
In a post-9/11 world, there are a multitude of organizations and individuals dedicated to helping veterans, both human and canine, adjust to life back home and aid with their health problems --...
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