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Event: LTX Shootout Turns 5A tight-knit group of racers do battle in bowling green. From the February, 2013 issue of GM High-Tech Performance By Tommy Lee Byrd Photography by Tommy Lee Byrd
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For the past five years, a diehard group of racers has gotten together for a great time and awesome racing. They call it the LTX Shootout, and we’ve been lucky enough to follow along with each and every event since its inception five years ago. The early days were spent in Kansas City, but the move to Bowling Green, Kentucky offered a great, central location and the parts-killing traction of Beech Bend Raceway Park.  The Street Stock class is...  The Street Stock class is one of the more limited classes in the LTX Shootout, and that makes for some very interesting racing. David Black’s third-generation Camaro was a strong contender all day, and he would eventually runner up in the class.  LTX enthusiasts are a tight-knit...  LTX enthusiasts are a tight-knit group, so this event allows folks from across the country to hang out with like-minded gear heads. Here, the staging lanes begin to fill, as eliminations get started. Black F-bodies were quite common at this year’s Shootout.  Don’t be fooled by the ’98-’02...  Don’t be fooled by the ’98-’02 front end—this is most definitely an LTX car! It belongs to Carlos Saberbein, who competed in the Modified Naturally Aspirated class. Carlos ran consistent times all day, and took home the win with a 10.29 at 130 mph.  Colin Miller is one of the...  Colin Miller is one of the folks in charge of the LTX Shootout and his ’96 Z28 is super clean. He placed Second in the Extreme Street Naturally Aspirated class, and laid down some of his best passes to date.  Always a strong contender,...  Always a strong contender, Darren Poole-Adams leaves the line hard in his Firebird. Unfortunately, a bent valve would shorten Darren’s day significantly.  Before Darren returned home...  Before Darren returned home to Shelby, North Carolina, he removed the cylinder head out of curiosity. He knew it couldn’t be repaired in time to continue racing, but it gave him a head start on the rebuild!  It’s not often you see a car...  It’s not often you see a car with 17-inch wheels catch some air, but Andy Beane’s Z28 left the line hard enough to see a tiny slice of daylight beneath the left front tire. Andy would go on to win the Bracket class.  Although big and quite heavy,...  Although big and quite heavy, Frank Staton’s Impala SS left the line hard and laid down several great passes in the Extreme Street Power Adder class, including a number one qualifying shot of 10.109 at 131.97 mph, and the overall victory in the class.  Modified Naturally Aspirated...  Modified Naturally Aspirated proved to be a popular class for the LTX Shootout and it certainly had a strong field of cars. Larry Hamilton’s Camaro ran deep into the 10’s, but it wasn’t enough to hang with the big guns of the class. For 2012, a few changes occurred in the event organizers roster, but the event went smoothly, all things considered. One of the major hurdles to clear was out of everyone’s control—the weather. Hurricane Isaac made landfall earlier in the week, and its projected path included a wide sweep up the Mississippi River and a hard right turn, which positioned the cell on top of Kentucky. This major threat of torrential rain certainly kept a number of racers from making the haul. In fact, event attendance was down nearly 50 percent from last year. Despite the rain threat, the dedicated LTX guys came out and gave it all their Optispark could handle. The class layout was similar to years past, with a good spread to keep the playing field even. And for those who didn’t quite fit into a particular class or a racer who wanted to run more than one class, the bracket and index classes offered an alternative. After a brief test session, three rounds of qualifying determined the racing bracket, and then the clouds started moving in. A quick shower passed through the area, but the track crew at Beech Bend made quick work of the cleanup process. From there it was matter of running through the brackets, and weeding the field down to the top contenders.  Joel Voigt is another contender...  Joel Voigt is another contender in the Modified Naturally Aspirated class in his black Z28. His 414ci LT1 has run a best of 10.50 at 130 mph and it’s a pump gas street car.  The ’94 Firebird Formula in...  The ’94 Firebird Formula in the near lane is owned by Casey Kallhoff and launches hard in a first round battle with Tony Quadros in the Street Stock class.  Chris Smith made the trip...  Chris Smith made the trip up from Florida to compete in the Outlaw class with his wicked Z28. It made lots of noise all day long, and wowed the spectators with long burnouts and wheels-up launches.  All the way from Rhode Island,...  All the way from Rhode Island, Mike Verdolotti laid down the gauntlet in the Modified Naturally Aspirated class, and made it to the finals, where a broken shifter would prevent him from winning the golden Opti.  All the way from Rhode Island,...  All the way from Rhode Island, Mike Verdolotti laid down the gauntlet in the Modified Naturally Aspirated class, and made it to the finals, where a broken shifter would prevent him from winning the golden Opti.  And then the rain came!  Tony Quadros heats the tires...  Tony Quadros heats the tires in preparation for an eliminations pass. His bad black Z28 ran in the Street Stock class, where it propelled him to a number one qualifying position and, ultimately, the victory.  In the near lane is Justin...  In the near lane is Justin Gilman in a ’95 Pontiac Firebird, which is powered by a supercharged LT4. The far lane is Geramie Ingram driving Frank Staton’s Impala SS. Both cars ran in the Extreme Street Power Adder class.  David Collins brought out...  David Collins brought out his daily driven Firebird to compete in the Street Stock and did very well. The competition was very tight, and David laid down some great 12.90 passes in his clean and simple ’bird. Unfortunately, another round of storms approached the area, but the LTX crew asked its racers to hurry back to the staging lanes to hopefully complete the final rounds before the rain. Only the index class didn’t get to make its final round pass, but we’re sure the guys figured out a way to break the tie when they got back to the hotel for the after party. With the 2012 LTX Shootout in the books, we want to encourage anyone with an LTX-powered car to participate in this event. It’s run by a great group of guys, and its laid-back atmosphere makes for an awesome event, whether you like the racing aspect, or simply the camaraderie that goes with it.  Jeff Stark’s Firehawk carries...  Jeff Stark’s Firehawk carries the wheels on every pass and consistently runs 10.80’s. It’s yet another super clean car that really gets down the track well. Jeff took home the victory in the Extreme Street Naturally Aspirated class.  The LTX Shootout doesn’t have...  The LTX Shootout doesn’t have a huge purse, but it does have major bragging rights, and of course the golden Opti!  During the awards ceremony,...  During the awards ceremony, which was held at the host hotel because of rain, Larry Hanna surprised the crowd with this proposal to his girlfriend. It was a great way to cap off the weekend and send everyone home with a smile!
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