|
|
Beech Bend Raceway Event - The 4th Annual LTX ShootoutNew racers, new combinations, and a great day of racing From the January, 2012 issue of GM High-Tech Performance By Justin Cesler Photography by The Author
|
|
As the Associate Editor of GM High Tech Performance, I have had the privilege and opportunity to attend some of the greatest events in the country for fans of anything High-Tech. Depending upon the particulars, my travel itinerary, supplies, and agenda usually vary quite drastically from trip to trip. For certain events, my luggage contains button up shirts (ew!), business cards and pre-scouted locations, with carefully scripted events happening on a precise schedule and access being granted to places one could normally never enter (lucky!). For others, my luggage may contain little more than a racing helmet, a laptop and a notepad, flying into a test facility to check out the latest innovations in our hobby. However, for one annual event known as the LTX Shootout, I am relatively certain that I could show up with just my camera and a smile and come away with a fantastic story to tell. In fact, this year proved that if you were crazy enough you could show up completely naked (with a baby) and bathe in the hotel lobby during breakfast... Yeah, weird stuff happens every year at the LTX Shootout (random person driving backwards down the drag strip and asking for directions, anyone?), but that's only part of the reason it keeps drawing fans from across the country for the one-day event held at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, KY. Nothing says glory like the... Nothing says glory like the Golden Opti, and you’re not ever going to win one (or see one) if you don’t come out and race with the LTX Shootout. You’ve got months to prepare and no reason not to attend, so get ready and race! The main attraction is, of course, the fantastic racing and this year's event, held on September 3, 2011, was no slouch, with several new bests being set by racers in all categories and fans watching the first ever 8-second pass go down in the LTX Shootout's four-year history. Add to that a brand new and ultra-competitive Street Stock class and final rounds that were separated by tenths and you've got a recipe for success. Plus, who can get enough of that classic LT1 small-block sound running down the track all day? Of course, with all that was good, there was some bad and unfortunately, the blame for that lies on you, reader of GMHTP that didn't show up. Attendance, as it is with almost every heads-up class in the country, was low again this year, but if you're an LTX fan - even a fan with a stock LT1 or a non-competitive Outlaw style build¨you need to make every attempt to get to Bowling Green next year. From everyone in the community, we promise you'll have a good time, even if it means just putting faces with names you've seen in these pages or online. LTX racing is alive and well, but needs a serious injection of new participants if it plans on staying ahead of the curve. So, read the story, check out the competition, imagine the crazy stories you'll have to tell, grab a couple of buddies and start making plans to join the LTX Shootout next year... you won't regret it!  The LTX Bracket class finals...  The LTX Bracket class finals came down to a great battle between a mean four-door Caprice and this C4 Corvette owned by Matt Dellinger. Deadly consistent all day, Matt’s 13.698-second run was enough to secure him second place in the Brackets.  Larry Hall literally hauls...  Larry Hall literally hauls in his clean Caprice, which has enough LT1 power under the hood to run this beast into the 12-second time zone. A 13.036 at 100.14 mph was close enough to his dial in to win the bracket class overall. Hopefully he can find room to stash the trophy for the ride home!  One thousand rear wheel horsepower,...  One thousand rear wheel horsepower, 4.88:1 ring-and-pinion and a six-speed… yeah, the Lethal Injection Camaro was a handful on track all weekend. If you’ve ever wanted to see a wild ride and some cool video, check out YouTube for more on this car.  Considering the extremely...  Considering the extremely limited modifications allowed in the brand-new Street Stock class, we were impressed to see several 12-second cars in the field, including this nice third-gen owned by David Black, which he drove to a Second Place finish with a 12.812-second pass in the finals.  Tony Quadros claimed the title...  Tony Quadros claimed the title of the first ever Street Stock champion and did it with an impressive 12.707-second run, which was actually a tenth of a second slower than his qualifying run, a 12.649, which was fast enough to also claim the Number 1 qualifier spot. t  What more can we say?  We’re not sure why they call...  We’re not sure why they call him “Ninja,” but the nice matte black paint and straight body panels on this Camaro was just enough to take the Top Speed position in the Street Stock class, qualifying with a 106.37-mph trap.  Brady Matysek owns two LT1-powered...  Brady Matysek owns two LT1-powered rides that qualify as “EFN SWT,” but with his low 10-second Camaro still under the knife, Brady brought his daily driver Trans Am to the 2011 LTX Shootout and managed to take the Runner Up spot in LTX Extreme Street N/A. Ignore the LS-style rear end, Brady is all LTX, all the time.  Jeff Stark, an LTX Shootout...  Jeff Stark, an LTX Shootout regular and determined racer improved upon last year’s 2nd place finish with a win in Extreme Street N/A. Running an 11.397 in qualifying was enough for the Number 1 qualifier spot and that speed kept him going rounds, taking the trophy in the finals with his sick Firehawk.  Make sure you keep your eyes...  Make sure you keep your eyes glued to a future issue of GMHTP for more on this engine bay…  Think you need a serious,...  Think you need a serious, high-dollar setup to win races? Brian Liles showed up to the LTX Shootout with a hot-cam, bolt-on, stock bottom, stock headed LT1 in a convertible third-gen Camaro and qualified Number 1 in the Extreme Street P/A class with a 10.610 at 118 mph. He would drive all the way to the finals, bowing out with the Runner Up trophy on an aborted 11.6-second pass.  Truer words were never sp...  Truer words were never spoken.  In between tuning cars and...  In between tuning cars and helping racers, Moe Bailey had time to finally finish his turbocharged LT1, which had issues all weekend, but still managed to set the top speed in the Extreme Street P/A class with a 132-mph run during qualifying. If Moe can get a handle on the first half of the track, the rest of the class may be in trouble.  Moe Bailey’s high trap speeds...  Moe Bailey’s high trap speeds didn’t seem to bother Tony Karamitsos who ran consistently and fast all day, eventually finding himself on top of the field, taking home a golden Opti for winning the Extreme Street P/A class with a 10.764 at 130.20-mph run.  There’s just something about...  There’s just something about a four-door monster doing wicked burnouts on slicks that never gets old!  One of GMHTP’s favorite “all...  One of GMHTP’s favorite “all class” racers, Darren Poole-Adams, was on hand at the LTX Shootout (as always) and had the ol’ LT1 back between the shock towers of his IHRA record holding ’bird. With big wheelstands and great power, Darren took the Second Place spot in Modified N/A with a 10.821-second pass in the final round.  Mike Verdolotti knew he had...  Mike Verdolotti knew he had the LTX Modified N/A field covered, but he still put on a great show throughout the event and gave the crowd and his Camaro everything he had, round after round. Qualifying with a 10.299-second pass, Mike laid down a 10.408-second run in the finals against Darren, in a nail-biting race to the finish.  Calm down, it’s not an actual...  Calm down, it’s not an actual LS1 car at the LTX Shootout, just some updated plastic on a healthy LT1-powered Camaro.  Chris Smith rolled into Bowling...  Chris Smith rolled into Bowling Green ready to make a statement and entered his supercharged LT1 Camaro into both the Outlaw and Modified Power Adder classes. Capable of running 9-oh’s, Chris qualified in Mod P/A with a 9.212 at 153 mph, but a starting line stumble in the final round kept him from taking the Number 1 spot.  “CALL911” drove to the LTX...  “CALL911” drove to the LTX Shootout from Fort Wayne, Indiana, in his supercharged LT1 pushing over 614 rwhp, did massive burnouts, went rounds in competition, switched tires and drove home happy. What more could you ask for out of an event?  Kyle Kline was on his A-game...  Kyle Kline was on his A-game in the finals, winning the Mod P/A class with a 9.570-second run, beating Chris Smith’s 9.547 on a holeshot. Both cars looked incredible heading down track and the fans were literally on the edge of their seats watching the final round go down.  Stefan Destito brought his...  Stefan Destito brought his Ty Tech Racing built ’93 Trans Am, which basically shut down the pit area as soon as it was unloaded from the trailer. With a 401 cubic-inch LT1 under the hood, fed by an F1-R ProCharger, Stefan looked (and sounded) like the car to beat in Outlaw. Unfortunately a pulley issue forced Stefan’s TA back on the trailer before qualifying was over.  Laying claim to the first...  Laying claim to the first ever 8-second pass in LTX Shootout competition and taking home the Outlaw trophy yet again, Tony Shepherd was on fire all weekend. An 8.853-second pass set him up as the top qualifier and took him all the way to the final round where he took home the Golden Opti with a 9.171-second pass at 140.30 mph, down from his 157.03 mph in qualifying.
|
|
|
|
2010 Third Annual LTX Shootout - Event
It's hard to believe it has been over a year since the last LTX Shootout, but we are happy to report that the third annual LTX Shootout, which took place on September 4th, 2010 at Beech Bend Raceway...
more
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2009 LSX Shootout - Memphis Burns
The 3rd annual GM Performance Parts LSX Shootout, October 15-18, proved to be the year when the event became too big for its britches, so to speak, where the LSX scene boiled over like a pot of...
more
|
|
|
|
|
|
NMCA Auto Show - LSX Shootout
Check out the NMCA LSX Shootout at the NMCA Auto Show & Shine with Pontiac GTO's, WS 6, Chevy Camaro's and many more, Featured in the ...
more
|
|
|
LSX Shootout
Come check out the LSX shootout this october in memphis - GM High-Tech Performance Magazine...
more
|
|
|
|
|