Holley has announced September 5-7, 2014 are the official dates for the 5th annual Holley LS Fest. Once again Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky will host the largest all-LS celebration in the country. 2013 saw record numbers of both participants and spectators and there was already excitement in the air about 2014 being the 5th anniversary of the event.
LS Fest continues to be the only event in America where you can bring your custom LS powered vehicle and participate in the following events: autocross, drag racing, dyno challenge, engine swap challenge, show-n-shine, the 3S Challenge, countryside cruise, drifting and more. All of these performance disciplines can be enjoyed in one venue over the course of the three day event.
While a good portion of the competitive field is always bolstered by late model F-bodys and Corvettes, they are not the only vehicles at LS Fest. The event is for any vehicle with a GM LS engine installed between the frame rails. The 2013 LS Fest brought in everything from LS swapped rock crawlers, import drift cars, street rods, trucks and much more.
As the 2013 LS Fest unfolded, it was Danny Popp who emerged Grand Champion in his C3 Corvette Stingray, atop the 97 cars competing for the Grand Champion title. Grand Champion participants compete in the largest variety of events at LS Fest looking to be crowned the best all-around street machine. Competition was fierce as only seven points separated first from second place. Brian Finch took second with Kyle Tucker nabbing third.
LS Fest would not be the same without serious drag racing, and the classes continued to grow in numbers for 2013 with well over 200 cars competing. David Adkins took home the win in the brand new 1/8th mile Pro LSX class with an ET of 4.54 seconds at a speed of 162.86 MPH with Mike Brown winning the exciting Drag Radial class and running 7.074 at 209.04 MPH. Drag racing results for all classes are available for viewing on the LS Fest event website.
LS Fest has held a Drift Challenge for the last three years and 2013 was the most action packed yet. Several drifters with lightweight, caged LS powered imports as well as a drift prepped Pontiac GTO competed in tandem competition for a cash prize. This year Dan Savage, an LS Fest veteran, piloted his LS powered Nissan S13 to the top podium spot.
The autocross is a great place to test your technical driving ability behind the wheel of your performance car. Danny Popp laid down the best autocross time of the weekend with a 35.851 to be the autocross champion while Johnny Cichowski and his home built LS powered 1999 Mazda Miata emerged the victor in the exciting Autocross Shootout.
The Car Craft Engine Swap Challenge introduced new rules in 2013, increasing the amount of time it took two teams to shoehorn LS engines into two identically prepped, never before seen cars. Teammates Adam Leigh and Pete Eskew from Missouri had what it took to complete the job in just one hour and forty seconds to beat out Kelium Griffin and Mike Edwards from Alabama on the opposing team. 2014 Engine Swap Challenge rules and entry details are yet to be announced.
While LS Fest is definitely focused around performance driving, it would not be the same without a Show-N-Shine. The 2013 Best of Show went to Gerry Kerna and her 1962 Chevy Nova.
For more information on the 2014 Holley LS Fest visit www.lsfest.com.
