Last week in Los Angeles, the gaming industry gathered for the annual E3 Expo, and as we hinted at recently, this year's show proved to be overflowing with racing titles all scheduled to come out later this year or early next — with everything from hyper-realistic simulations to narrative-driven arcade games on the way.

Now that the dust has settled, here are five standouts that should have game lovers and gearheads getting ready to empty their wallets.

1.  Forza Motorsport 7

Let's start with Microsoft, who not surprisingly used E3 to debut the latest title in the Forza franchise, "Forza Motorsport 7." Although it will be released on the existing Xbox One platforms as well as the PC, "Forza 7" was used as one of the titles to show off the upcoming Xbox One X console.

"Forza 7" will be optimized for the upcoming high-powered Xbox One X with improved visuals, true 4K rendering with HDR and some of the best looking details we've ever seen in a racing game.

But regardless of which machine you play it on, "Forza 7" promises to deliver on the series' reputation for stuffing tons of content into a game, with new tracks to race on and a launch day car list which will include over 700 models. "Forza 7" will launch worldwide October 3, with the Xbox One X hitting stores November 7.

2.  Gran Turismo Sport

Sony meanwhile continues to put the finishing touches on its flagship racing game, "Gran Turismo Sport," which was initially supposed to launch in fall of 2016.

While most of the details about "GT Sport" are already known at this point, E3 did finally bring confirmation that the game will launch this fall. This will become the first "Gran Turismo" title on the PlayStation 4 since the release of the console back in 2013.

There will have already been five full releases in the rival "Forza" franchise on Xbox One by the time "GT Sport" is released in the fall, and "Gran Turismo" fans are hoping that the game will be worth the extended wait. We will know soon.

3.  Project CARS 2

Whether you game on a PlayStation, XBox or a PC–Slightly Mad Studios' "Project CARS" series has quickly taken a spot near the top of the sim racing pyramid. "Project Cars 2," their second game in the franchise, was put on prime display at E3 this year.

Along with the series debut of Porsche (also appearing in "Forza" and "Gran Turismo"), "Project CARS 2" will also feature the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a selection of both modern and classic Indy machines to race with.

"Project CARS 2" will be released September 22 and, like the original, on PC the game will be compatible with virtual reality headsets for sim Racers to achieve maximum immersion.

4.  Need for Speed Payback

While the previous three titles had either already been announced or strongly hinted at prior to the show, E3 also saw the first showing of a couple different big racing games from the arcade genre. One of them is EA's "Need for Speed" series, which returns this fall with "NFS Payback."

Set in an open world and featuring a plot that puts you in charge of taking down a powerful cartel, the game seems to be heavily inspired by a certain series of automotive action films — and the initial trailers promise plenty of vehicular mayhem.

Along with that, the deep visual customization system from 2015's "Need for Speed" game returns — this time with the addition of off-road vehicles to help traverse the game's desert setting.

5.  The Crew 2

Last, but not least, is Ubisoft, who showed "Crew 2" — a follow-up to 2014's ambitious open world racing game that features a massive map covering an abbreviated version of the entire United States.

The sequel will also include the entire U.S., and players will be able to race across it not just in cars, motorcycles and off-road vehicles, but now in aircraft and boats as well.

(All photos courtesy of respective games.)

While the original game suffered from a lack of polish, its premise was very promising, and if Ubisoft can improve on that original formula, they may have a hit on their hands. "The Crew 2" is scheduled to be released in early 2018.

Whether you like your racing games wild and over the top or highly realistic, this year's E3 Expo only further demonstrated that racing fans are going to have many choices when it comes to spending money over the next several months.

Anyone have any favorites?

Nissan is an interesting car company. They have slapped their Datsun/Nissan/Infiniti badges on everything from the common Altima to the legendary GT-R and 510, as well as the questionable Murano CrossCabriolet.

While popular models such as the 240SX, 350Z and 510 have achieved cult-like status, less popular models continue to have modest followings — and they finally got their chance to shine at the 2017 Nissan Jam.

At an event where R32 Skylines are so common that one might assume they were sold at U.S. dealers, you'd think it would be pretty difficult to stand out from the crowd. Fortunately there were a variety of forgotten but loved Datsun/Nissan/Infiniti models on display at Orange County's La Palma Park.

1.  B210

The B210 never reached the popularity of the 510 and Sentra with which it shares its lineage, but there were a few examples present.

One standout was this unmodified, mint condition B210 coupe.

2.  NX2000

The B13 Sentra SE-R-based NX2000 never saw the same following, although they shared many of the same parts. Not only is the NX2000 rare, but this one had a mint condition set of rare SSR Chevlon Mesh wheels and one of the few body kits available for the NX.

3.  Maxima Wagon

Another forgotten version of a popular car is the Maxima Wagon — from the days when boxy wagons filled mall parking lots.

4.  M45

It wasn’t just older models that jogged my memory. Who remembers the first-gen M45 with its 340 hp V8?

5.  Juke

How about the Juke, which is still available in dealers? It's hard to forget a slammed Juke with a huge intercooler and front splitter, canards and more.

6.  R33 GT-R

The R32 GT-R is now 25 years old and eligible to be legally sold and registered in the United States. Though there were a dozen R32s at Nissan Jam, they seemed common enough to make the R33 GT-R look extremely rare at the event. On white TE37s, this R33 looked straight out of the original Gran Turismo.

7.  S12 200SX

Everyone knows of the S13 240SX, but long before that was the S12 200SX. This S12 featured period correct mods such as a body kit, sound system in the trunk and mesh wheels.

8.  260Z

Speaking of period correct, this 260Z looked as if it came straight out of the '80s. Molded Kaminari wide body, 3.2-liter engine with triple Mikunis — not extreme by today's standards, but the 8- and 10-inch wide wheels must have been insane by '80s standards.

9.  Datsun 521 Pickup

The Datsun 521 pickup truck was one of the first imported trucks to arrive on American shores in the late '60s. This light green example had been given new life, 50 years later.

A closer look under the hood revealed the stock L16 motor had been swapped with power from Toyota’s 3S-GE Beams motor with color matched valve cover.

10.  Hardbody

Speaking of trucks, the Datsun 720 and Nissan D21 Hardbody was one of the most iconic trucks of the '80s. Nissan Jam had a few flavors to choose from, like this SR20-swapped Hardbody and 720 Sunrader RV, complete with all the creature comforts one would need for a life off the grid (a bed, kitchen, fridge, microwave, TV and solar panels to power it all...).

And my favorite: this Hardbody lowrider straight out of the '80s.

Vinyl roof, air brushed paint, wire wheels...

Check out the full sound system and engraved metal work. The attention to detail was immaculate. They definitely don’t build show cars like they used to.

11.  240Z Sport Wagon

The 240Z Sport Wagon was never put into production but was something envisioned by Yoshihiko Matsuo, the designer of the original 240Z.

Z car restoration expert Jay Ataka finally put the design into reality in 2014 by using a 1978 260Z, three rusty shells and a lot of custom fab work.

12.  240SX Hatchback

Oddly enough, of all the GT-Rs and Z cars at Nissan Jam, the one that I was most surprised to see was a pristine S13 hatchback. Although it wasn’t the sportier SE model, this base 240SX hatchback looked as if it had just rolled out of the dealer lot — no signs of wear on the driver seat, no mismatched body panels, not a single eBay “performance part” and no stickers. In this day and age, with so many S13s being chopped up and trashed as drift cars, this might be the rarest example of a 240SX in existence.

The stock model makes the slightly lowered S13 with JDM Type X parts next to it look extreme.

Of course, that's not all there was to be seen at Nissan Jam! Check out the photo gallery below for more of our favorites.

A bit of a surprise in my recent news feed: The FIA announced it will be holding its first Intercontinental Drift Cup at the end of September right here in Tokyo.

From the article, the FIA states that it chose Sunpros as the promoter. If you didn't know, Sunpros is the organizing body behind D1 Grand Prix, so they know how to run a competition. But, does that mean that they will actually be organizing the event, or will they just be the promoters?

There are many questions that accompany the news of FIA running a drifting competition. Here are the top five:

Question 1: How do they decide on the drivers?

If this is supposed to pit the best "intercontinental" drivers against each other, will they pull the top drivers from the various series around the world? That we would love to see.

Question 2: How will they judge?

D1GP uses computers to judge qualifying runs and humans to judge the tandem battles. Overall this principle works well, but critics argue that some cars take advantage of that scoring system. Perhaps a mix of computer and human judging during qualification would resolve some of those criticisms.

Question 3: What will the vehicle regulations entail?

The FIA is well known for their regulations. Their regulations help to even the playing field, ensuring that the motorsport competition is about drivers' skill and not a technology arms race. If they implement power and weight restrictions in addition to manufacturer limitations, the Intercontinental Cup may be very interesting.

Question 4: Will this just be an annual event?

It would be OK with us if this were just an annual event pitting the best drivers against each other. I think it would be a shame and also budget-unfriendly to have a year-long series. Unless we are missing the budget of drifting these days, it just feels that it would not be feasible.

Question 5: What other venues will it be held at?

Odaiba is a nice, central venue within Tokyo — easy access but a bit disappointing because it is not a circuit. We would have loved to see the inaugural event held at Tsukuba Circuit, Fuji Speedway or even some of the smaller circuits that have a long history of drifting. We do concede that Odaiba does allow them to put on a bit of a bigger production. (Think motocross.)

After Odaiba, it will be interesting to see where it goes. If you follow D1GP, we suspect it may end up in China. If it follows D1 history a bit more closely, it would be in the U.S. We will just have to wait and see.

Naturally, with this exciting news come many questions. Check out the video above to see the FIA's take on drifting and let us know what you think.

When it comes to Ultra4 Racing, the premier 4400 cars typically get most of the notoriety. While there’s no question that rigs like Erik Miller's solid-axle buggy and three-time KOH champion Shannon Campbell's Dragon Slayer are exciting to watch, the restrictions in some of the lower classes have bred some incredible innovation. With a wide variety of rules, the 4500 class has become one of the most creative from a builder's standpoint in the Ultra4 series.

Some of the 4500 Class restrictions include:

• 37-inch DOT-compliant tire
• Mechanical steering
• OEM-style chassis

Since there are a limitations in the 4500 series, it has evolved into an excellent place for drivers to showcase their skillset and for builders to roll out some slick, out-of-the-box ideas. One rig that’s a great example of this is Kevin Stearns’ #4502 racer. The BDS Suspension-sponsored Tilden Motorsports car went from a CAD drawing to the track in just 90 days. Since Stearns stays booked with his Pacific Fabrication shop in Gilroy, California, the car could only be wrenched on at nights and on the weekends. Thankfully, his shop foreman Jason Howerton, along with Rick Baker, Christian Gardner and Rob Llanes, all chipped in to make this race car become a reality.

Its first time out would be the 2017 King of the Hammers race where, despite battling a few new-car blues, Stearns locked in an 18th-place finish. Currently, he has locked in two podium finishes (third place at the Vaquero 212 and second at the MetalCloak Stampede).

While the video above offers insight into the 4502 car direct from Stearns, we're diving more into the details in the feature breakdown below.

Tilden Motorsports is known for building incredibly reliable and powerful LS-series GM engines. The 4502’s 367ci LS2 is belting out 650 horsepower and 585 lb-ft of torque, partly thanks to AFR CNC ported heads, stainless steel equal length headers with 1 7/8-inch primaries and a host of Tilden Motorsports components and machining magic. Bolted behind the hot V8 is a 4L80e built by Maximum Offroad Transmissions. Going with a four-speed transmission allows Stearns to take advantage of the NP205 transfer case’s 2:1 low-range ratio. Where a three-speed transmission would typically require an exit out of low range in faster sections of the course, the fourth gear allows him to stay moving with the extra torque of the lower ratio. 

When it’s time to tackle more technical rockcrawling sections, Stearns can increase his crawl ratio thanks to a Magnum Box from Offroad Design. The underdrive box bolts to the gear-driven NP205. Fit with a 2.72:1 low range, the box can be engaged when more gear reduction is needed. When multiplied with the 205’s 2:1 (technically 1.96:1) low range, you end up with a 5.33:1 ratio, which is perfect for ‘crawling.

Sitting behind the T-case is a Torq Super 14 third member, which is bolted to the RuffStuff Specialties housing. Inside, the 10.5-inch ring gear is locked to a spool feeding 300m RCV Performance 40-spline axleshafts. For stopping power, the full-float axle also uses a ¾-ton GM disc-brake conversion.

Up front, another Torq Super 14 third member was used; this time it was locked in a Torq housing. The 5.13:1 gear set works with an ARB Air Locker, which sends power to the RCV Performance 300M axleshafts and drive flanges. Hiding behind the gates of what used to be of a GMC grille is a Warn 9.0 competition winch using Warn’s Spydura synthetic rope.

While you can run two shocks per corner in the 4500 class, the bodies of the shock cannot exceed 2.65 inches, nor can they have more than 14 inches of stroke. Since the shocks also have to be connected to the axle assembly and chassis, Stearns had to get creative when looking to squeeze out more travel from his Fox 2.5 race series coilovers and four-tube bypass shocks. He accomplished this by sweeping the shock mounting position back, which nets him a total of 14 inches of suspension travel (6 up and 8 down).

One of the most calculated and unique parts of the 4502 car is the steering system. Since mechanical linkage is required for the 4500 class, simply placing on a fully hydraulic steering ram isn’t an option. Needing strength and bump-free steering, Stearns' team engineered a custom steering system that starts off with a side-mounted manual steering gear box from a Jeep Wrangler YJ and placed at Stearns' feet in the cab. The YJ box then feeds the custom steering direction changer (shown below).

From the direction changer box, a PSC Motorsports steering servo and steering column gets its marching orders. The pitman arm actually pivots at the upper control-arm mounting point, which sends a link to the axle.

At the axle, a bell crank was added to the WFO high-steer arm. Given the PSC steering pump runs off of an XR series pump, it’s able to direct fluid to the PSC Motorsports double-ended hydraulic steering ram. The end result? A steering system that retains the mechanical requirement of the class, but has the added strength of the double-ended hydraulic ram. Even more important, since the steering system was paired with a four-link suspension (triangulated lowers, straight uppers), there’s no bump steer during travel.

The chassis is primarily a mix of 2-inch, 0.120-wall DOM tubing, with a few spots of 1.75-inch, 0.120-wall mixed in. Under the modular belly pan is a substructure that’s a mix of 1/8-inch and ¼-inch plate and 3x2-inch framerails. Weighing in around 5,200 pounds, the car has a 118-inch wheelbase with a 96-inch track width. The belly pan rest 18 inches off the ground.

To secure the rear axle, a triangulated four-link suspension was comprised using aluminum lower links and chromoly uppers. Each adjustable link is fit with 1.25-inch FK rod ends. Like the front, the rear of the car uses Fox 2.5 coilovers and bypasses to net 16 inches of vertical wheel travel (8 up, 8 down). Helping to keep the car stable is a PAC Racing Springs rear sway bar, while Fox 2.0 bumpstops prevent the shocks from bottoming out.

Fueling the rig is a 32-gallon Jazz fuel cell using Tilden Motorsports fuel filters and regulator. Since the drivelines are so close in matching length, Stearns only hauls one extra of the Southbay Driveline 1350 double-Cardan ‘shaft.

Special care was taken to keep the weight and overall height of the vehicle very low. Since cooling in the desert is critical, Stearns fabricated a mount for the Ron Davis radiator that would keep it low, while still retaining plenty of air flow. When they were building the mount, they crafted the custom tool box to keep not only essential tools onboard, but recovery gear as well.

Inside you’ll find a quick-release Grant steering wheel along with a Samsung tablet used to display a running diagnostics app. Stewart-Warner mechanical gauges sit on the passenger side along with a Lowrance GPS and Magellan TRX7 navigation system. Keeping occupants riding in comfort are suspension seats from Twisted Stitch.

As one of the most dominate tires in Ultra4 Racing, the Nitto Trail Grappler has proven time and time again that it has what it takes to survive the brutality that is off-road racing. Stearns is running a 37x12.50R17 Trail Grappler, which is mounted on a 17-inch Trail-Gear creeper beadlock wheel. While this rig could definitely handle the more common 40-inch Trail Grappler of the 4400 class, the rules limit the tires to 37 inches for all 4500 vehicles.

BDS is known for building suspension systems for Jeeps and fullsize trucks alike. To let this rig stand out from the pack, it was dressed using a stock GMC hood and fenders. The doors and side panels are all composite and formed in a way to help it resemble the look of a heavily modified S-10 pickup.

HARD FACTS

2016 Tilden Motorsports Chassis

(Photos courtesy of BDS Suspension)

See more photos in the photo gallery below — and if you like this one-off GM buggy, be sure to check out this Killer K30.

When it comes to cars, you can build them and then put them in a protective bubble for the rest of their days, or you can build them to drive, as many of the greats in this industry have intended. For Bryan Wenger of Cheyenne, Wyoming, there has never been a question about which type of automotive experience he's going to have. He builds them to be driven, because why else would you own a performance car?

Bryan's passion for muscle cars is no secret along the Rocky Mountain Front Range. A member of the Cheyenne Rods and Customs club, as well as the Camaro Club of the Rockies, Bryan can be found wrenching on his own projects or those of his friends and family members just about every free weekend and evening–that is, if he's not at some sort of car event, most likely one with an autocross.

Growing up around performance cars can give anyone a leg-up on an automotive passion for life, and for Bryan, it started early. Cars have always been an interest of his and he's owned a number of classic and modern muscle cars since high school, but it was one car in particular that shaped Bryan's automotive enthusiasm over the years–the Chevelle.

“My first car was a '72 Chevelle in high school and I always wanted to build another one,” Bryan told us.

So when life put him in a position to take on that dream build, he took full advantage! Six years, and a lot of time, money, planning and tweaking later, and Bryan's '71 pro-touring Chevelle is a dream come true. Although, in true gearhead fashion, he admits the car may never be completely done.

Building the '71 Chevelle of his dreams

When it comes to pro-touring cars, handling is everything and Bryan's Chevelle is aptly equipped. Underneath the car, you'll find a full Global West suspension system complete with adjustable arms in the rear, QA1 adjustable coilovers on all four corners, and a 600 series steering box up front.

Planting the car to the pavement are 18" Rushforth Super Spoke wheels wrapped in sticky Nitto NT555 G2 tires.

“I choose the 555 G2s because I like the look of the tire and they are available in the sizes that I wanted,” Bryan explained. “They handle great... I feel Nitto is a great tire and plan on using them for a long time for all my performance tire needs.”

With superior handling comes the need for superior stopping power as well, which Bryan took care of by outfitting his Chevelle with Wilwood 6-piston calipers matched with 12.88-inch rotors up front, and Wilwood 4-piston calipers matched with 12.25-inch rotors in the rear, all powered by a hydroboost CPP adjustable master cylinder.

“The car stops amazingly well,” Bryan told us. “Better than any car I have ever driven.”

What is a pro-touring car without a boost in power? Well, for one, not nearly as much fun! Luckily, Bryan has that taken care of too.

Powering the Chevelle is a GM Performance Parts ZZ383 V8, which is equipped with goodies ranging from a GMPP roller camshaft (duration: 222/230; Lift: .509 intake/.528 exhaust), GMPP forged crank, PM rods and 9.6:1 hypereutectic pistons to Fast Burn GM aluminum heads, a Holley Terminator EFI system and an Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap EnduroShine intake. With additional components like a BE COOL radiator, MSD small cap HEI and 6AL-2 ignition system, TANKS EFI fuel tank and Doug's mid-length headers attached to a 2 ½-inch Flowmaster exhaust system, this bad boy supplies the Chevelle with 425hp and 449 lb-ft of torque.

Backing the GM Performance engine is a Bowtie Overdrive 200R4 Stage 2 transmission with a 2400 stall. This pushes the V8's power to the rear wheels via a Denny's 3 ½-inch driveshaft tied to a GM 12-bolt/Eaton Positraction rearend with 3.73 gears, flanked by Moser axles.

Aesthetically, the Chevelle maintains nearly all of its classic muscle car looks and lines, with the exception of Clayton Machine Works door handles and Fesler hood hinges. Painted by Gary's Paint & Restoration of Cheyenne, the Chevelle features a unique Dupont Dark Carbon Effect, Mineral Gray and Viper Blue paint scheme.

Inside, the interior has been treated to a nice upgrade thanks to both Bryan and Stitch Headz, featuring black TMI seat covers with blue stitching, as well as door panels and a center console that match. The car's original dash has been upgraded with aluminum inserts, Auto Meter gauges with a GPS speedometer, and a Billet Specialties tilt steering wheel. The plush interior also features creature comforts like a Vintage Air conditioning and heating unit, Clayton Machine door handles and window cranks, and a full Alpine stereo system.

There's no beating a classic muscle car built to perform–something Bryan knows plenty about. Over the years, his Chevelle has received many awards and recognitions at events like Goodguys and Super Chevy shows, as well as competed against some pretty big hitters in the autocross world. But while the awards are nice and the honors appreciated, it's not about winning for Bryan. Rather, it's about friends, family and having a car he can drive and enjoy on a daily basis that he built with his own hands!

To that note, he'd like to thank all his family and friends for all their support and help on the car over the years, especially his brother Donnie, who ironically also owns a performance-built 1971 Chevelle he autocrosses alongside Bryan.

SPECS

Bryan Wenger’s 1971 Chevrolet Chenille

In the world of automotive enthusiasm, there’s serious business (engine building and tuning, professional motorsports, legality, etc.), and there’s fun (hooning); and nowhere do the two mix in an enjoyable and relatively safe manner quite like they do in drifting. Even in the professional side of things, where image, reputation and corporate partnerships are every bit as serious as the business of building and tuning competitive machines, at the end of the day you’re still sliding sideways, next to guys you’re probably friends with, in front of thousands of adoring fans, with billowing smoke and ear-piercing engine notes in tow.

But alas, wherever the passionate endeavor to be the best, emotion and stress will follow. Touring the nation in a series of events where professional and amateur drifters can enjoy the spirit of drifting, free from serious business, is what Street Driven Tour is all about. So, when picking a venue to launch their season each year, Hyperfest’s annual bash at Virginia International Raceway has for three years in a row proven itself to be perfect.

The Street Driven Tour base recipe is simple: Start with a full day of bash-style, non-competitive drifting open to professional and amateur driftmen alike, and sprinkle in some added complementary elements to taste. Usually this consists of things like a car-show component, Drift Mini Games, Drift Ride-Alongs and the Tire Massacre; but within the context of Hyperfest hijinks, added debauchery and an entire extra day is needed — along with a few hours the night before — for the Barbie Car Challenge.

Hyperfest Hijinks

Remember the plastic, battery-powered Big Wheels of your childhood? Remember the soapbox derbies that were likely part of your Shop or S.T.E.M. classes a little later? Well, the Barbie Car Challenge combines the worst of both of these in a downhill race for grown-ups.

Engines, motors, brakes and tires are strictly prohibited, cheating is frowned upon, sobriety is subject to “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, crashes are more common than finishes, and after a long day of serious NASA/UTCC racing business, it’s just what the boys and girls need to take the edge off and ready themselves for the main event to come.

Anti-Serious, Serious Drifting

Hyperfest has routinely featured some sort of drifting component, but things have really picked up in the past two years that Street Driven Tour has joined forces for its season-opening event.

The format is simple: bash-style drifting, all day long (this year for two days, part of Friday and all day Saturday), open to pros and ams alike — provided they pass a U.S. Drift tech inspection.

The fun, non-competitive event pulls more and more of the East Coast and mid-Atlantic region’s talented ams each year, with plenty of crazy machinery in tow.

Saturdays are typically the day for Street Driven Tour, but this time around the early birds got to kill tires a full day early, as well.

What’s maybe the coolest aspect of Street Driven Tour stops is the professional involvement. Seeing your favorite pros compete at FD stops is awesome, but there’s something equally as cool, in a completely different way, in seeing and being able to drift with them at recreational events like Street Driven — sort of like seeing live music in a small club.

If you’re a fan but your car’s under the wrench (or if you want to give a friend or special someone a treat they’ll never forget), you can buy ride-along passes that put you right in the passenger seat of your favorite pros’ machines. Try to guess which pro's vehicle we'd be most excited to Gittin' into?

Tuner Evolution x Street Driven Tour

What would any automotive festival be without a show? Street Driven Tour always brings one along, and taking those reigns at VIR this year was Tuner Evolution.

Packing the designated show area with dozens upon dozens of the area’s cleanest makes and models spanning the import, domestic, foreign, late-model and vintage spectrum is a tall order, and the Tuner Evo crew proved themselves to be among the best to fill it.

While you won’t see as many vendors in rural Southern Virginia as you would at, say, a show in SoCal or New York, Street Driven and Tuner Evo brought them out as well, catering to today’s automotive enthusiasts like only they can.

What the…?

HyperFest always includes some silliness in the schedule. Years past have hosted everything from three-legged races and petting zoos to car “rollover challenges,” where competitors see how many times they can roll their cars after hitting an off-angle jump. Really.

This year’s show brought along events like the blind golf cart race, PRS Guitars Air Guitar Contest, monster truck rides, lawnmower racing (rural Virginia, remember?), Exedy Rally Rides, off-road driving and more.

While Street Driven Tour tended to the business of drifting throughout the day, lots of drifters and showgoers took part in some of this along the way.

Hallmark of Street Driven Tour are their signature “drift games,” and after everyone had had just about all the drifting they could handle, the last bit of energy and enjoyment was happily spent on such sophisticated contests of skill as the hard park challenge...

...drift soccer...

...and 360-degree drift.

Out With a Bang!

Normally the event-ending Tire Massacre burnout content would fit into that last bit, but it’s becoming so popular at Street Driven Tour events that it warrants its own chapter — doubly so this time.

This year saw not a single bad attempt at sustaining a burnout through each participant’s 90 seconds on stage, i.e., the “crater” at VIR (what was this thing built for, anyway?).

Everything from Miatas to Supras, RWDs to FWDs, even a brand-spanking-new Mustang spinning donuts within the very tight confines of K-rails put on an absolutely killer show.

But without a doubt, top honors went to the driver of one V8-swapped Mazda Miata, who grenaded his clutch and flywheel mid-sixth-gear burnout, shooting glowing red shrapnel from the poor little roadster in all directions (including straight through its windshield), engulfing it in flames when one piece pierced a fuel line and ignited. It was, as the kids call it, "LIT."

Surprisingly (miraculously?) no one was hurt, and the driver escaped the inferno, cracked open a beer and celebrated having put on one of the most awesome closes to a HyperFest and Street Driven event ever seen... and hopefully not seen again (seriously, that was crazy).

Miss out on the action?

Catch HyperFest at VIR next year, try to make it out to any of Street Driven Tour’s remaining three nationwide stops this year (St. Louis, Las Vegas and Atlanta), and hit up Tuner Evolution’s site to catch an event near you.

Check out the gallery below for more photos from the event.

When it comes to drag racing spots on the West Coast, Auto Club Famoso Raceway near Bakersfield is a sacred place. Not only is it the site of historic events like the March Meet and California Hot Rod Reunion, Famoso has also stood the test of time–continuing to thrive long after most of Southern California's other drag strips have vanished.

But last Saturday it wasn't Funny Cars or vintage nitro machines that were running deep into night - it was street cars, hundreds of them to be exact. Welcome to Street Tuner night.

Rather than full purpose-built race cars, Street Tuner night is all about cars wearing license plates, with domestics, imports and even motorcycles welcome to do battle down Famoso's 1,320 feet of sticky pavement.

The track has been hosting monthly Street Tuner events for a while now–but in the summer months, when temperatures in Bakersfield regularly top 100 degrees, the events are held at night, with racing beginning at 8pm and going until 2am.

Even on an abnormally hot Saturday night where the temperature hung around 90 degrees well after sundown, the pits and staging lanes were still packed with racers - and at 11pm they were still lining up at the gate to get in.

Rather than being a "real" race competition, the Street Tuner series is about as close as you can get to sanctioned, legal street racing. Some drivers simply came out to see what their cars could do, while others came to settle a grudge match.

And at just $40 to enter your car and race all night, nobody can use the excuse of legal racing being too expensive. That's less than the price of a dinner for two at most decent restaurants, and your date might end up having more fun at the drag strip.

Racers could choose to have their ETs displayed on the timing boards, or they could elect to simply have a light go on to show which car got to the quarter mile mark first.

This secrecy was necessary because some of the racers who came out had money on the line - just like at the the street races where there are no timeslips to be found.

In terms of the vehicles themselves, there was everything from showroom stock daily drivers to serious street machines packing big power adders, and a couple of thinly disguised drag machines that were just streetable enough to have license plates and registration.

Despite the scorching weather, spectators also came out in big numbers. And with so many different types of cars taking to the track there was something for everyone.

Whether it was front-drive Hondas or over-boosted Evos and WRXs, imports were well represented.

There were also vintage American muscle cars - like this Oldsmobile 442 which was putting down ETs in the 11.4 second range despite the less than ideal temperature.

Other racers went with more of a homebuilt approach, like this Mazda RE Pickup which was forced to retire early in the night due to mechanical trouble.

The largest numbered group though were the late model American machines. The LS-powered Camaros and Corvettes, Coyote-powered Mustangs and plenty of modern Mopars. Some were sporting light bolt-ons, while others, like this Charger, were quite serious in their approach.

There were several pickup trucks getting in on the action as well, with powerplants of both the gasoline and diesel variety.

One of the most crowd-pleasing vehicles was this boosted Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 from MPR Motorsports. There's just something about seeing a boxy SUV screaming down the quarter mile at speeds that would put most sports cars to shame.

It's impossible to overstate the consequences of illegal street racing for both drivers and spectators, and that's why it's great to see tracks like Famoso stepping up and hosting a monthly event like this.

Based simply on the number of cars in the staging lanes and the number of spectators sitting in the grandstands, it's safe to say that these Street Tuner events have been quite successful for Auto Club Famoso Raceway. They even broadcast the racing live online for those who can't make it out.

For a responsible car enthusiast and speed junkie, it's impossible not to approve of and enjoy this legal, safe and affordable way for racers to put their machines and driving skills to the text.

Famoso, you've got a good thing going.

Racing at 5,800 feet can be challenging. The air is thinner, turbochargers don’t spool like they do at sea level, and many vehicles fail to live up to their full performance potential. But, if you can run fast up here, you can run fast anywhere in the country. Welcome to Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colorado. Every summer, the NHRDA hosts a quarter-mile drag race here called Diesels on the Mountain — and each year a slew of oil burners make the call to compete. From elapsed time (E.T.) bracket racing to 7-second Pro Stocks, every level of diesel drag racing is on display.

New for 2017, the sled pull portion of the event was held onsite on a freshly-packed track that paralleled the drag strip. Pickup classes ranged from Work Stock to 2.5 and Limited Pro Stock to Pro Stock, with Super Farm and Hot Farm tractor categories also being run. Even semis were allowed in on the dirt slinging action this time around. Throw in a Show N’ Shine competition for both pickups and big-rigs, as well as a burnout contest, and you start to see why Diesels on the Mountain has become such a staple in diesel motorsports.

Mile-High Racing

Nestled at the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains and in existence since 1958, Bandimere Speedway is one of the more unique quarter-mile drag strips in the nation. Its racing surface represents just one of three all-concrete NHRA national event tracks in the country. The track itself sits at just over 5,800 feet above sea level.

Pro Street King

Mike Skinner’s gorgeous ’06 Dodge graced the Diesels on the Mountain event with its presence. Despite spooling issues, Skinner would end up taking the win in Pro Street after a competitive Jon Jacobs suffered mechanical gremlins in his 9-second Dodge.

Hard Luck in Pro Street

Sporting a triple-turbo Cummins under the hood of his ’06 Dodge Ram, Jon Jacobs’ Ram was flying at Bandimere Speedway. A 9.84-second pass at 140 mph during qualifying earned him the No. 1 qualifier position in Pro Street. And while Jon made it to the final round, unfortunate mechanical issues forced him to settle for the Runner Up position.

The Batmobile Takes Pro Stock

Despite Richard Mead’s ’32 Bantam clicking off a 7.85 at 176 mph during qualifying, Jarid Vollmer would pilot the G&J Diesel/MBRP Batmobile (a ’41 Willys) into the winner’s circle in the Pro Stock category. With Mead’s car unable to make the call for the final round, Vollmer cruised to a 9.14 at 148 mph and took the victory.

Another Super Street Win

Current Super Street points leader, Phillip Franklin grabbed another win in Colorado behind the wheel of his trusty, 5.9L-powered ’06 Dodge. In the final round of the class, he beat out his boss Chris Buhidar, running a 9.34 at 144 mph to Buhidar’s 9.75 at 141 mph.

Still in the Hunt

If it seems like Chris Buhidar’s name is becoming a common sight in our NHRDA event coverages, it’s because it is. The veteran drag racer and part-owner of Truck Source Diesel is adamant about attending as many NHRDA events as possible in order to secure another Super Street championship — even if it means traveling all across the country. At Diesels on the Mountain, Buhidar and his triple-turbo’d, Cummins-powered ’00 F-350 would take Second Place, finishing on the heels of the aforementioned Phillip Franklin.

Dishin’ It Out

Jim Disher of Disher Trucking is a regular competitor in the NHRDA Big Rig bracket class, and Bandimere Speedway happens to be his home track. Suffice it to say, he had his chopped ’71 Kenworth dialed in for the hometown show. Disher’s KW would run consecutive mid-15’s in the 92 mph range throughout the day, handily taking the win in the big-rig class.

Cummins-Power in a ’79 Ford

Another local Coloradan winner would be crowned in the Limited Pro Stock pulling class on Saturday night. Rocky Horn’s ’79 Ford F-350 would yank the sled 334.36 feet, putting an incredible 30 feet on Second Place. The old-school Ford is powered by a 12-valve Cummins and wears the name “Southern Cumferdt.”

Slightly Wild

Utah-based Steve Durrant made the call with his second-gen Cummins, coined “Slightly Wild.” The Limited Pro Stock Dodge would end up pulling just over 300 feet, which was good enough for a Third Place finish.

2.5 Class Dominance

In the 2.5-inch turbo class, Eric Whitmarsh and his regular cab Dodge would walk away from the rest of the field. His 308-foot effort would place his “Strictly Business” Ram some 27 feet in front of Second Place.

Trashing Tires

It’s hard to put a value on the entertainment folks get watching someone obliterate a set of tires. As always, the NHRDA burnout contest didn’t disappoint, with a handful of trucks partaking in minute-long burners for a chance at winning some cold hard cash. Joseph Lopez would take the win this time, following a thorough shredding of the rear tread under his ’09 Ram 2500 Mega Cab.

People’s Choice Award

Fitted with 24x14 American Force Wheels, 375/40R24 Nitto Trail Grapplersand a 6-inch Fabtech lift, the stunning appearance of Luis Chavez’ ’16 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD earned him the Show N' Shine trophy. When a truck looks this good, it doesn’t matter that a stock LML Duramax resides under the hood.

For full results, visit NHRDA.com.

(Photos courtesy of the National Hot Rod Diesel Association)

Miss out on previous NHRDA events? Check out our coverage of the NHRDA Oklahoma Diesel Nationals.

An 8-year-old asks you, "What's the best & worst car?" When I was asked this last week, I discovered that what sounds like a fairly simple question turns out to be a challenge to answer. Without further distinction on what characterizes an overall "best" and "worst," the Driving Line team make their choices and explain their qualifying factors —plus include what their 8-year-old-self dream car was. Watch the Facebook LIVE video below or scroll down to see our picks.

8-Year-Old Self Dream Cars

Kristin's Pick: VW Rabbit... err, I mean VW Cabriolet

Photo courtesy of Curbside Classic ("stickers" added by Kristin)

Philip's Pick: Lego Jeep

Matt's Pick: BMW 850

Photo courtesy of BMW.

Mike's Pick: Porsche 959

Photo courtesy of RM Sotheby's

What's the WORST car – answered to an 8-year-old

Kristin's Pick: 2015-17 Cadillac Escalade

Photo courtesy of GM.

Philip's Pick: Maserati Ghibli

Photo courtesy of Maserati.

Matt's Pick: Smart Car

Photo courtesy of Smart Automobile.

Mike's Pick: Dodge Neon SRT

Photo courtesy of Ten Wheel.

What's the BEST car – answered to an 8-year-old

Kristin's Pick: Tesla Model S

Photo courtesy of Tesla.

Philip's Pick: Porsche 911... any year

Matt's Pick: 1996 C-350 Bronco by Centurion

Photo courtesy of Motor1.com.

Mike's Pick: AMG Mercedes 4x4 Squared

Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz.

What would you answer to an 8-year-old? Comment below or join the conversation on Facebook!

Stay Tuned for our next Talking Shift, follow us on Facebook!

Most know Bimmerfest as the West Coast’s largest single gathering of BMWs and their owners. Behind this annual event stands an even larger and farther-reaching community of BMW owners, drivers and enthusiasts who cultivate a wealth of BMW knowledge and resources on www.bimmerfest.com. But today, we’re focusing on the show, specifically the coolest stuff we saw there this last time around.

Here's what to expect from the ultimate BMW experience:

1. The Size

Bimmerfest is huge. Lots of automotive celebrations and one-make shows take to the lots and tracks of Fontana’s Auto Club Speedway throughout the year (Porsche fan? There was the CA Festival of Speed) — but no one in recent memory has been able to pack the place like Bimmerfest. We were impressed by the size of the show, and maybe even more so by the volume and quality of fan involvement. 

2. The “Roval”

Car shows are cool. Car shows that incorporate track time are a higher level of cool, and car shows that incorporate track time on the Auto Club Speedway “Roval” course (proper name: Sports Car Course) are some of the coolest around — for racers and fans, alike.

A portmanteau of “road course" and “oval," the Roval is a 21-turn configuration that combines slow and fast turns, chicanes and straights of the Auto Club Speedway infield with about three-quarters of its 2-mile oval, for a course that’s both technical and flat-out fast.

Racers get to enjoy this, as well as full use of the property's pit garages and pit lane (also open to fans’ perusal) for a truly world-class experience, and almost the entire course can be viewed from seating atop the VIP suites.

Racing never stopped throughout the weekend, with Bimmerfest hosting Bimmer Challenge competition, BMW CCA club races and the Bilstein Road Course Challenge, managed by Speed Ventures.

There were even several parade laps and lots of complimentary hot-lap ride-alongs for fans, the latter of which were provided by BMW Performance Driving School.

3. Brecht Motorsports

Not only did Brecht Motorsports kill it on track all weekend with their BMW M235iR World Challenge machine, but they also put on one of the most memorable pit-garage presences by juxtaposing it next to a very clean BMW Isetta 300 in matching livery. There was no track time for the little guy, though.

4. The Vendors

The entire lower paddock section of the Auto Club infield was dedicated as “vendor alley” for Bimmerfest, and the cars, displays, products and models present attracted a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd all weekend.

5. Rolloface M3s

Topping our list of favorite cars from the event are the two E92 M3s present in Rolloface displays. The green one was the flashier of the two, but the red one now sits much more tastefully modified than we’ve seen it in past shows. We might even pick it as our single favorite car of the event.  

6. Rusty Slammington

Yes, the internet’s most infamous M5 reared its oxidized head at Bimmerfest, and attracted a crowd for 48+ hours straight. Love or hate this thing, there are two inarguable facts about it: It’s wildly different than any other M5 you’ll see, and it’s built really, really well. The amount of top-quality performance parts and fabrication in the car is only rivaled by its awesome rat-rod aesthetic. We’re fans.

7. Wide Bodies

With each new show, it’s 100 percent evident that the wide body trend has yet to hit critical mass. Some may consider it a has-been at this point, but with tasteful flares from Liberty Walk, Rocket Bunny, Aimgain and the like looking so “right” on so many applications, what is there not to like?

8. Livery

Gaining steam in the show scene in 2017 are liveries. More an homage to vintage sports-car racers and less descendant from yesterday’s tribal-laden, neon-colored tuned imports, many examples of today’s emerging trend we saw at Bimmerfest were at once eye-catching and tasteful. 

9. “Barn Find” BMW M1

Ultra-rare BMW M1s are always cool to see in person, but when they’re shown in exactly the condition as one lucky picker found it — years of built-up dust and dry-rotted tires intact — they’re that much cooler. OK, now someone get a fresh set of Nittos for this thing! 

10. Top Drifters

Maybe it’s the loads of steering angle BMWs routinely have. Or maybe it’s all the powerful/durable engines put out over the years. Or maybe it’s that the prices have fallen (somewhat) on older models and replacement parts. Whatever the case, stateside drifters over the past few years have begun to realize something their European brothers have known for many years: that BMWs make excellent drift cars. It was rad to see some of today’s best competitors of the Top Drift series display their war machines alongside so many pristine show cars.

11. Dyno Challenge

Ever wanted to see just how much power and torque your BMW puts out to its wheels? Know those numbers full-well and want to show off for the masses? For a measly $80 (pre-sale cost) show-goers who registered for the Dyno Challenge got three chances to hit their best number on one of two mobile Dynojet machines present. The line for this never stopped.

12. BMW Z1

If you slept through car news during the three years that only a handful of the BMW Z1 were produced, you might have missed ever knowing it existed. One very clean example of BMW’s quirky little Z3 predecessor was on hand at Bimmerfest, wowing crowds with its retro Harm Lagaay styling and vertical-sliding doors.

13. Fan Involvement

There were more fans who turned out for Bimmerfest than we can remember seeing at any Fontana event in years past, and just about all of them arrived in BMWs ranging from clean and stock, to highly modified, to...well, enjoyed in one sense or another. Some of our favorites included some impressively resto-modded 2002s, and more 8-series in one place than maybe we’ve seen in our lives, cumulatively.  

14. Girls, Girls, Girls!

Whether driving, modeling, representing brands and enlightening the masses about the newest and freshest, or just enjoying the event as fans, the amount of talented and beautiful women who enjoyed the day with all us gearhead guys is something that can’t go unappreciated.

The amount of creepy dudes shoving cameras in their faces (among elsewhere) is something that probably can, however.

15. Bimmerfest East

Bimmerfest is over, but we’re betting it’ll be back for a 19th successful time in less than a year, and for BMW diehards on the East Coast (or those willing to travel), you’ll have your chance to partake in the festivities July 29-30, in Englishtown, New Jersey.

Until then, check our gallery below for more from Fontana.

My father was a Chevy man. And then he was a Ford man. I have no idea why he changed his religion. Maybe it was the Chevy Vega that did it. Who knows?

As for me, I’m not a Chevy or a Ford. I’m just a car guy. I don’t care what kind of emblem is stuck on the front of it. If it’s got four wheels and a steering wheel, I’ll drive it and, more than likely, I’ll try to figure out some way to make it drive better. In my mind, every car is a project car. There’s no fun in owning something that’s perfect right out of the box. A car isn’t really mine until I’ve stripped a few bolts and busted a few knuckles on it. It’s not owning a car that’s fun, it’s making a better car that really gets me going. That’s what really defines a car guy or car gal.

And like most car folk, no matter how many luxuries and digital bells and whistles newer cars have, there reaches a point when you just want to go old school. You want to get your hands on something made of steel and chrome and has no idea what a catalytic converter is. Something that vibrates the fillings in your teeth when it idles. Something that’s American and loud and…well, you get the idea.

(Photos: Jason Mott & Caitlin Andrews)

When I was a boy my father had a 1967 Chevelle Malibu. Deepwater blue. It was the greatest car I’d ever known. Maybe it still is now that my dad’s passed away.

I’ve spent the last few years trying to find a Malibu of my own as a project car. The problem is that a Malibu project car is a bit hard to get your hands on. The few you find on the market are either rusted out hulks or matching-numbers-restored trailer queens, the owners of which not only want an arm and a leg and your firstborn child, but thirty-percent of any and all future extremities and beloved offspring.

The classic car market can be brutal sometimes. Especially if you’re looking for a specific model and year and aren’t financed like Bill Gates. So at some point this spring when I got the resto-mod itch, I admitted to myself that I wasn’t a millionaire — imagine my surprise and then sadness — and that what I needed to do was stop looking for the exact car I wanted, for now at least, and start looking for a car I could have fun building.

For those of you who don’t know, I live in the South. The bottom right corner of North Carolina to be exact. It’s farm country populated with a few swamps and lakes that people pass through on their way to the beach.

Finding an old car in Swamp/Beach Country is a tricky business. You can’t get away from rust. No matter how good a car you find looks, no matter how rust-free it may seem — whether it rolled off the assembly line five years ago or fifty years ago — you’re going to have to deal with rust. Down south, finding a project car is about deciding how much rust you want to eat with your biscuits and gravy each morning.

I did what most people do nowadays and spent some time poking around online. I checked the usual sites, hoping to come across some amazing deal that everyone else had overlooked. But that came up empty. There were no deals and, even more than that, I’m just too old fashioned to buy a car without being able to lay my hands on the steel first. So I waited and kept my eyes open.

Then a few months back on my way home from my girlfriend’s house I came across a 1971 Ford Mustang with a "for sale" sign hanging in the front window like a new tooth. The Mustang was a faded black color with a nice pinstripe running down the side. No dents, no dings. All in all, it wasn’t bad. So I got a little excited, like a kid who’s gotten a peek at their Christmas gift while covertly snooping through Mom and Dad’s closet.

But, when I pulled up and finally got a good look at the car, I immediately knew it wasn’t for me. The Mustang — which had some damn fine body lines — also happened to have a rollcage installed in it. Now, I’ve got nothing against rollcages. Fact of the matter is I’m a fan of both cars fast enough to warrant a rollcage and of the safety rollcages afford. But, I also know that you can tell a lot about what kind of life a car’s led based on what type of aftermarket changes have happened to it. And one thing I know for sure is that any car with a rollcage has led a hard life.

A rollcage means the engine’s been driven hard and probably fed a consistent diet of ever-increasing horsepower, which means the transmission and driveline has also been force fed those same increases in horsepower. And when all of those things start adding up, you have to know a lot about the person who did the work to know whether or not that work was done right. Nobody wants to buy anyone else’s shoddy work. The last thing I wanted was to get the car home only to watch the rear end fall out onto the highway because Johnny Owner never got around to upgrading the differential and ground it into peanut butter just before selling it.

To make matters worse, there was a good coating of rust chewing through not only the quarter panels but, more importantly, the subframe. Yeah, all of that could be fixed, but that meant more money, time and headaches. I wanted a fixer-upper, not a fixer-everythinger. So, I left that one behind. But, I most definitely had the itch. So I sent out the old Bat-signal and started asking around to my friends. You know the line: “You know anybody with an old car they want to sell?”

All I knew for certain was that I wanted an American muscle car. Mopar, Ford, Chevy…it didn’t matter to me. I had an idea of a fast, agile resto-mod car in my head and the shape of the thing didn’t particularly matter to me. I just wanted to take an old piece of metal and refine it until it could carve up these windy, back woods, North Carolina roads better than anything this side SEMA. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long.

A college friend named Ramsey got in touch with me saying that she had a 1966 Mustang Coupe that she needed to get rid of. She loved the car, but she and her husband had a family now and the car, which didn’t run anymore, was taking up valuable garage space that could be used to hold toys, strollers — all that usual stuff.

I went over on a Saturday afternoon to check out the Signal Flare Red colored piece of Americana. Outside of car shows, you don’t see many classic cars on the road. We drive every day and get used to the lines and angles that make up cars the modern cars. But standing in front of that old Mustang, I was able to see why those cars age without ever getting older.

A first-generation Mustang truly is a piece of artwork. All those long, clean lines. That perfect flatness that somehow curves in just the right places. The car has a look of both practicality and economy, while still hinting at a secret desire to meet you on the playground and steal your lunch money. It’s a car that can be either a lazy loafer or the barbarian who rages at the castle’s front gate. In short, it was everything I wanted in a car.

And the best part was that it had been garage kept its entire life, so the dreaded rust that plagues cars in the American South was kept to a minimum. My friend took time to warn me about the presence of Bondo on the rear quarter panel, but I shrugged that off and kept my focus on the frame of the car. That’s where rust is truly dangerous. And, thankfully, it turned out to be rust free.

A week later a tow truck appeared and my new 1966 Mustang rolled off the back and found me grinning like a schoolboy. I always give my project cars names. My BMW M3 that I retooled the suspension and brakes on I named “Project Ocktoberfest.” The 1996 Mazda Miata that I dropped a Honda S2000 engine into, I named “Project Cooked Sushi.” And now, the first-generation Mustang for which I’ve planned chassis stiffening, brake overhauls, suspension redux and, perhaps most important, an engine and transmission swap, I’ve nicknamed “Project Robo-Horse.”

It’s a dumb name, I know. But it’s a fun name. And project cars were always meant to be fun.

Editor’s note about the author: Jason Mott is a New York Times best-selling novelist whose debut novel, The Returned, spawned the ABC show Resurrection. Jason's been a car and racing junkie ever since Petter Solberg flipped his first Subaru. When he's not banging knuckles and stripping lug nuts, he's visiting racetracks, writing books, bandaging the aforementioned knuckles and eating Twizzlers by the fistful.

In the grand scheme of automotive events, a good show should be a walk in the park. Track days are tough to organize, expensive to host and usually difficult to participate in, and there’s always an element of danger that — albeit adds to the excitement — is still dangerous. Ditto for drifting, off-roading (to an extent) and others, which require navigating a bit of stress in order to enjoy the fun.

But a successful show can happen with little more than exhibitors who are happy to show the fruits of their labor, some vendors to promote and hopefully sell some of the latest related swag, and enthusiasts eager to bask in the glory of it all, free from concern. Bonus points if there’s free admission and parking.

Not surprisingly, that’s the exact recipe the creators of Nissan Jam applied to their recent 5th-annual bash, and all showgoers needed to do was stroll through Anaheim, California’s peaceful La Palma Park to enjoy some of SoCal’s cleanest vintage and modern Nissan and related builds.

If you’re familiar with any of SoCal’s similar events throughout the year — T.O.R.C., JCCS, etc. — you can probably guess how the turnout among exhibitors was. Late-model and vintage builds appeared to be present in equal numbers, as did the proportion of show/street/performance themes of build.

Sure, S13 and S14 Nissan 240SXs are still the hot platform among young, street-driven and drifting enthusiasts today, and there were plenty of them at Nissan Jam (though not a single S15, sadly).

However, collectively their numbers were dwarfed by vintage Datsuns, namely the venerable 510, 240Z and plenty of less commonly seen models.

One of those less-common models was the S12 Nissan 200SX, which more than a few showgoers mistook for AE86 Toyota Corolla party-crashers.

Nissan Zs outside of the S30 were also popular, with lots of clean Z31 and Z32 examples, and even more Z33 and Z34 350Zs and 370Zs. 

More a fan of the Skyline than the Fairlady? Nissan Jam had you covered there, with lots of clean examples from Hakosuka through their latest: the 2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO.

FWD fan? Not to worry. There were even more than a few Sentras, NX2000s, Altimas and more for you to lust over.

Oh, you said vintage FWD. You’re a picky one, but OK. How about this pair of slammed and very cool PU11 Nissan Maxima wagons? You’re welcome.

Our favs? Those PU11s for starters, or this 3SGE Beams-powered ‘71 Datsun Truck.

But Joel Tan’s ‘72 Skyline still wins our hearts with its retro race-inspired styling (with just a touch of Bosozoku style) and Mikuni-carb’d L-30 straight-six. Straight sex, and you can read more about it in our full feature here.

Click through our gallery below for more from Nissan Jam, and stay with Driving Line for more new and vintage show coverage throughout the year. We’re just getting started!

When it comes to finding that perfect summer body, we’re probably not the place to look... unless you’re looking to shed pounds from your Jeep! After putting new differential gears in our 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, we were finally getting the pep back in the JK we were missing. But, we were still looking for more ways to increase on- and off-road performance.

One area we knew we could shed some pounds was out back. Toting around our fullsize 35x12.50R17 Nitto Ridge Grappler is a must on the trail, but for daily driving, it’s not as critical. While just pulling the spare tire off is one way to shave some pounds, it still leaves the bulbous assortment of plastic out back. Thankfully, there’s an easy and lightweight solution for cleaning up the look, while increasing the departure angle.

Our new Jeep fitness pack came from EVO Manufacturing. With a few affordable and lightweight components, we were able to transform the rear of our Jeep in a couple of hours. While the video above offers insight into the install, we’re breaking down the details in the article below.

Since we plan to put our spare tire inside of the Jeep for ‘wheeling trips, we wanted to remove the stock rear tire carrier. Once you unplug the third brake light from the inside of the tailgate, you can unbolt the eight bolts that hold the carrier in place. After you remove it, you can pop out the tailgate vent, rubber plugs, and tire support bumpers. To fill the small holes left behind by the rubber bumpers, we picked up this plug set from eBay.

We’ve dislodged our stock license plate bracket on the trail on previous JKs in the past, so it was one part we knew we wanted to delete. To cover the hole left behind, we picked up this Mopar Delete Plate.

The EVO Mfg. Gate Plate Vent Delete gives us a new place to attach our plate and bolts in place of the stock tire carrier. Given it’s made of aluminum, there wasn’t a weight penalty associated with the upgrade.

We opted to treat the Gate Plate Vent Delete to a Krylon Flat Black finish. Since the Vent Delete comes with holes for the plate and tailgate, all we had to do is re-use the stock tire carrier mounting hardware and bolt it in place.

Our plastic rear bumper was starting to fade and didn’t offer much in the looks department, so we opted to pull it. To cover the now exposed rear crossmember, we order an EVO Mfg. Rear Fascia. The 3/16-inch aluminum bumper works perfect with the EVO D-rings we were installing as well.

While we like the look of the bare aluminum, ultimately we decided to paint the EVO Fascia black as well. The lightweight unit slide over the framerails without issue and was notched perfectly for our receiver. Since it stays tucked high against the crossmember, we don’t forfeit any departure angle.

To give us some extra recovery points out back, we used EVO Mfg.’s Bolt-On D-Ring Mounts. These ¾-inch steel D-rings come powdercoated and with the necessary hardware.

EVO’s D-Ring system is a completely bolt-on upgrade with no drilling required. However, if you would like your D-ring base to sit flush with the rear framerails, you’ll need to spend a little time with a Sawzall and grinder. It’s an extra step in the install process, but will creates a cleaner finished look.

While two of the stock bumper bolts are used on each side for the D-rings, two grade 8 through bolts are there to do the heavy lifting so to speak. The one at the very rear of the Jeep uses a flag nut, which you’ll need to clearance the back crossmember slightly to insert. Attaching the forward bolt’s nut is extremely easy as it sits just below the rear body mount.

Once you have all the bolts for the D-rings and fascia in place, secure them to the provided torque figures. Another item you may notice we removed is the stock rear muffler. Since our JK’s only running a modest 2.5 inches of lift, the muffler was often the first thing to get smashed when dropping off of steep ledges on the trail. We replaced it with a small inline muffler that sits just after the stock resonator. 

Overall, we’re extremely pleased with our new setup. We shaved weight, gained clearance and cleaned up the looks of the Jeep. When we do end up hitting the trail, we'll have plenty of space in the cargo area to toss our fullsize spare. The added rear visibility is also a major bonus.

Looking to EVOlve your TJ? Check out these new Wrangler Wares.

Any vintage car enthusiast has surely heard of Lions Drag Strip, but as it’s been closed since 1972, some of you Driving Line readers may not be familiar. Before we dive into the inaugural Spirit of Lions event, here’s a drag racing primer to catch you up…

Birth of Modern Drag Racing

As young soldiers returned to the U.S. after WWII with extra cash to spare, many found a hobby in hot rodding and modern car culture as we know it was born. Naturally, their modified cars needed to race — resulting in hot rodders quickly becoming seen as misfits and hooligans. Enter the drag strip. Across the country quarter-mile strips opened, allowing hot rodders a legal space to throttle down and let their engines loose.

Lions Drag Strip History

Lions Drag Strip opened in 1955 in Southern California, bordering Long Beach, and quickly became one of the premier drag strips in the country. It was the place to be, with crowded grandstands and the most cutting-edge race cars of the day. Lions track manager Mickey Thompson promoted night racing and installed lights to make it happen as well as replacing the flagger with the first “Christmas Tree” — all of which helped to catapult Lions’ popularity.

While the drag cars of that era aren’t going to beat the speeds, records and technology of the modern age, their engineering, innovation and raw danger keep them thrilling to encounter even today.

Inaugural Spirit of Lions event

The trucking warehouse that the inaugural Spirit of Lions was held at currently houses an impressive private collection and is being built out further to house a Lions Drag Strip museum. Sitting not far from the land that Lions used to occupy, on 223rd St. between Alemada and Sante Fe, the Spirit of Lions event gathered an impressive number of historical drag cars which all fired up at once for a few glorious minutes of mind-numbing cackle.

Watch our live coverage on Facebook.

Plans are to build a recreation of Lions starting line area in the warehouse, which already houses a good number of historic cars and Lions artifacts. We look forward to visiting the collection again for a more in-depth look and will definitely mark our calendars for next year's Spirit of Lions!

See more from the Lions Drag Strip in the photo gallery at the top.

Since 2010, AutoCon has been growing and picking up steam in California. The drive-up stage, interviews with car builders, giveaways and the quality of show cars in attendance has slowly cemented AutoCon’s place in the annual car show season. As if the North American debut of the Honda Civic Type R at AutoCon LA wasn’t enough, the show has now gone on the road, opening shop in Tri-State area for AutoCon NY.

Before the show, a "secret" invite-only pre-meet took place in Manhattan. The attendees were absolutely awe-inspiring, considering the traffic and road conditions the poor Autocon rental van endured.

The dark side-street quickly filled up with enthusiasts in some of the most iconic flagships — NSX, AE86, FD3S RX7, R34 Skyline — among multiple others that cruised through trying to find street parking.

As the street continued to fill, then overflow, the group moved to the streets around the original Halal Guys.

During the roll-in for ACNY the next morning, the hits didn't stop coming.

For even hardened West Coast car guys, the show didn’t disappoint. The attendees ran the gamut from RE Amemiya RX7s (one with a Porsche front-end swap) to a pair of bagged Odysseys.

Right in front of the main stage, the first Varis Kamakze 370Z in North America was parkerd (quite literally) on the red carpet.

Every row of the show included cars prepared with meticulous attention to detail, even if they were headed back along the Jersey Turnpike and through the streets of New York City after the show concluded.

Mark your calendar for Autocon at Formula Drift Irwindale, October 14.

To get just a taste of the cars the Northeast had to offer, make sure to look through our massive photo gallery at the top.

If you spend enough time on the rocks, it’s bound to happen sooner or later — you get off the trail and onto flat ground, and you notice that your ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System), BAS (Brake Assist System) and ESP (Electronic Steering Program) lights are on.  

As you continue to drive on pavement, you notice that your steering wheel isn’t centered. When you drive in a straight line, the Jeep logo across the center of your steering wheel is at an angle instead of straight across. Your steering wheel only needs to be off by 5 degrees to trigger the ABS and ESP lights, because your Jeep thinks the vehicle isn’t moving in the direction in which you are steering.

If you knocked it far enough out of whack, you may not even be able drive on pavement because the ABS is locked up. Your Jeep’s computer thinks the Jeep is in a slide, and it’s using the brake system to try to bring it back under control. If that happens, you’ll also notice that your brakes aren’t working properly because the ABS system is already applying the brakes. Technology is a great thing, until it’s not. There’s no way you can drive that Jeep home safely.

The first time it happens, you might panic because your Jeep isn’t drivable, especially if you don’t have much in the way of mechanical skills and you’re a long way from home. Fear not — there is a very simple trail fix to get you back on the road that even an absolute beginner can handle.

After verifying that you haven’t actually bent or broken anything, grab a 15 mm socket wrench and park your Jeep on a flat surface with the tires straight ahead. It’s important to make sure they are as straight as possible. If available, have a friend climb into the driver seat to keep an eye on the steering wheel while you crawl under the front of the Jeep.

Loosen (but don’t remove) the two bolts on the drag link adjustment sleeve.

Grab the sleeve between the bolts and twist toward the ground to move the steering wheel toward the driver side door, or toward the sky to move the steering wheel toward the passenger door. When the steering wheel is straight, tighten up the two bolts. Then take the Jeep for a test ride; you might have to make minor adjustments.

Now you can safely drive your Jeep home so you can check for further problems in the comfort of your own garage, or take it to a mechanic if you prefer. You probably hit your tie rod on a rock, but an off-center steering wheel is often a symptom of a bigger problem.

Here are some things you should check:

• Check that toe in is between 1/16 inch and 1/8 inch
• If you have an adjustable track bar, verify that your front axle is still centered
• Bent tie rod
• Loose track bar bolts, wallowed out bolt holes
• Worn control arm bushings
• Worn ball joints

This steering wheel re-centering adjustment is also one of the steps of a front-end alignment, and is something that all Jeep owners who take their Jeep off-road should learn how to do.

No matter what generation, when it comes to performance muscle cars, the Chevrolet Camaro has long stood its ground. Now in its sixth generation, the famed muscle car can be found in every form possible at car shows across the country. For those wanting to push their automotive adventures further, past standard shows and lawn chair parking, the popular F-body platform (and now the GM Zeta and Alpha platforms for fifth- and sixth-generation cars) offers the right amount of style, versatility and a flexible foundation to take automotive enthusiasts to another level.

Case in point: Joel Gonzales’ first- and fifth-generation Camaros.

Since being able to distinguish what put the “muscle” in muscle car, which Joel notes was around the age of eight or 10, he’s dug the performance-oriented street machines. His love for cars, especially of the Chevrolet muscle variety, has only grown since then. Now more than 30 years later, Joel is the proud owner of these two very special cars: one, a ‘68 numbers-matching RS/SS Camaro and the other, a ‘13 ZL1 Camaro ZL-850 Track Spec car.

The Old: 1968 RS/SS

“It has always been my dream to own a '67 or '68 Camaro,” Joel told us. When the opportunity came to purchase a clean, numbers-matching 1968 RS/SS in Butternut Yellow, he went for it. A rare find in great condition — who could resist? But don't assume this car has been “pampered” since Joel acquired it...

While many collectors would take their newly bought first-gen, numbers-matching Camaro and put it in a protective bubble to preserve it, Joel did almost exactly the opposite: He drove it, and he drove it hard. In fact, when we first met Joel, it was a few years back at the Goodguys Colorado Nationals, and not only had he brought the car out to be seen, but he had brought it out to autocross.

We can hear the sighs, gasps and noise of shaking heads from here, and this isn't something new to Joel. But, it doesn't phase him.

“I catch a lot of flack over the beauty of the car's originality when they see me beating on it on the autocross or driving it out to the job site,” Joel admitted. But ask him what the purpose of owning a muscle car is and he'll tell you — it's to drive! 

We tend to agree.

And drive it he does. To make the car more driver-friendly, Joel has outfitted it with single adjustable rear shocks for ride comfort, a Turbo 400 transmission for reliability and 3.08 gears fitted inside the stock Positraction rear end. Other than that, the car is bone stock. Err, sort of...

Under the hood of the Camaro is that healthy numbers-matching 396ci V8 we mentioned, which has recently been bored 40 over. Before the car went in for this latest tweak, it was producing just under 300 hp. The recent bore won’t be dyno-tuned until it’s fully broken in, so we can’t give you the exact horsepower, but we can tell you that it certainly seems a lot fiercer!

Of course, if you're going to autocross your Camaro, even a numbers-matching, first-gen RS/SS, you've got to have the right wheels and tires to get the performance to the ground. For this, Joel opted to go with 18x8-inch front and 18x10-inch rear Circle Racing 90SL Rally Series wheels wrapped in Nitto Invo tires, sized 225/45/R18 and 285/40/R18 respectively.

“On the '68, it was just a good fit and look,” Joel explained when asked why he chose Nittos. “They gave it a beefy muscle car look.” He also noted how Nitto’s price point, durability and drivability played a part in his decision.

For now, the '68 is going to remain mostly stock — so long as the original 396 under the hood keeps cranking along. If it were ever to blow beyond repair (and that’s a big “if”), Joel told us he'd put a LS in, backed by a new-age transmission and a whole new suspension system.

The New: 2013 ZL1 ZL-850 Track Spec Car

On the other hand, the 2013 ZL1 Joel has is fair game for whatever modifications his heart desires.

Joel's ZL1 has been set up with performance driving in mind. Featuring the supercharged 6.2L Chevy LSA V8 from the factory, the car has been significantly upgraded with a JDP Motorsports Track Spec package, which includes a LSX Positive Displacement Supercharged Stage II 3-bolt camshaft, VMAX CNC ported throttle body, Injector Dynamic direct injectors, Kooks long tube headers with race cats, Melling Performance oil pumps, a Ron Davis LSA heat exchanger and a D3 Performance High Capacity Supercharger Reservoir — just to name the big ones. In total, the engine now produces 850 hp, which translates to 734 hp and 707 ft-lbs of torque at the rear wheels.

Other upgrades to the car include a full Detroit Speed Engineering front and rear suspension system with added JDP Motorsports rear trailing arms, bushings and sleeves; a Roto-Fab air intake; Brembo brakes with Hawk brake pads; 19x12-inch Forgeline GT1 5-lug wheels wrapped in 30S/30R19/RE-71R tires; the aero package that comes with the JDP Track Spec upgrade, which includes a front splitter, side skirts and a Z28-inspired rear spoiler, as well as body graphics; and an RPM Stage 6 transmission with a Street Slayer triple-disc clutch.

“This car is built to tear up the track and be competitive, yet is driven daily and can get you 24 mpg when I'm being nice to it,” Joel said. Why'd he build it this way? Well, he wanted his car to be different than every other 600 hp modern muscle car out in the scene these days. And he wanted to autocross it, road race it and conquer speed stop challenges with it — all of which he does through the Optima Ultimate Street Car Association (OUSCA). 

Whether you're into old-school or new-school muscle, these two Camaros are certainly too cool to ignore — a fact that Joel at least partially attributes to his fellow Cheyenne Rods & Customs club and Camaro Club of the Rockies members Andy, Bryan, Donny and Doug.

“I don't like being behind,” Joel explained. He also gives credit to his wife Janaia for supporting his hobby. But ultimately, the real reason behind building the cars is that Joel believes in driving “the hell out of your rides” and that there's just no beating that “smile it puts on my face when it sits you back in the seat.”

We couldn't agree more!

To see more of this Camaro dynamic duo, view the photo gallery below.

One my favorite things about car events are the hidden gems found in the parking lots. A 2014 Mazda Axela (Mazda3, in the U.S.) may not be everyone's idea of a gem, but I found the clean lines and execution worth waiting around for the owner to show up.

While waiting, I had some time to look over the car. What stuck out to me at once was the fact that nothing stuck out at me; it was a well thought out, cohesive build, following Mazda's design philosophy called "Kodo."

Soul of Motion

Kodo means "Soul of Motion" and focuses on simplicity of form. Mazda describes that as "self-restrained dignity and sensuality." The Mazda Axela in front of me kept to this design principle even with its customizations.

The exterior was simple with only Mazdaspeed lip spoilers, side steps and rear lid spoiler. The car was perched with mere millimeters of clearance between the fenders and the 19-inch Work Ryver S005s. The Hyper Silver Mirror Cut finish complemented the body nicely, keeping with a very monochromatic theme.

Peeking inside, I noticed Bride seats. In fact, both front seats were Bride, and even the back seats were re-covered by Bride. Continuing with the Bride theme, all the door inserts were also covered in the signature gradient Bride pattern.

Best of Both Worlds

When the owner, Mr. Yatabe, returned, he told me that he is the owner of a tire and wheel distribution company called Deep Japan. The Axela serves as a rolling showcase but also doubles as a family car. As soon as I heard that, curiosity struck me, and I had to ask him if he drives it around at this height. To my surprise, he replied that the car is static (meaning, yes, he drives it at that height), but he did add air cups that raise the car up by 2 inches if needed. However, Mr. Yatabe prefers not to raise it, and I share the same sentiment.

His suspension is made up of Balance Static original coilovers plus Roberta air cups with a front rate of 21 kg and rear rate of 11 kg. Sorting out the camber are adjustable upper strut mounts and Balance rear adjustable upper arms. Rounding off the suspension and keeping everything rigid are Tanabe strut tower bars.

Perfect Balance

When running 19-inch Work Ryver S005s, the stock brakes would look pretty misplaced. To account for that, and of course help with stopping, is a full set of Wilwood 4-piston calipers mated with 2-piece 340π rotors.

The rear Ryver S005s are wrapped in Nitto Tire NT555s with a 40 mm spacer pushing them to +5 mm from the original +45 mm. Mr. Yatabe's favorite feature of his car is the rear fenders, which have been pushed out 15 mm to accommodate this wider stance. It is so clean that I would not have noticed if it had not been mentioned.

Monsters Inside

Earlier I mentioned the massive amounts of Bride goodies making up the interior. Besides the seats and all of the custom Bride covers, Mr. Yatabe proceeded to point to the headliner, which (you guessed it) has also been given the Bride treatment. Not only has virtually every fabric been replaced with Bride, but the Bride monster logo has also been custom embroidered in various areas.

The driver's seat and the Momo Spider steering wheel have been custom painted a custom yellow to match the Bride monster logo. Fitted with yellow Karo floor mats and Momo shift knob, the interior follows the same design principle as the exterior.

The Road Less Traveled

The Mazda Axela is not a popular choice among car enthusiasts, so I was curious to hear why Mr. Yatabe chose it. He stated that he first saw the new Mazdaspeed 3 at the 2013 SEMA Show and thought it was really cool, but he also thought he could make it even cooler.

The following year, he started his Axela project, and after two years he completed it to where it is today. His goal was to be the first to customize this model Axela with original parts. I believe he has succeeded.

Mr. Yatabe would like to thank Body Make Paint Garage Sparkle and Suspension R.E.I for all their help and support.

Check out more of Mr. Yatabe's Kodo Mazda Axela in the gallery below.

Each year, hundreds of GM trucks and thousands of their fans descend upon the Canyon RV Park in Anaheim, California, for the largest summertime truck show in SoCal. Hosted annually by Brothers Truck Parts, one of the largest classic GM truck parts houses in the industry, the show expands each year with new entries and fans. You'll find all kinds of trucks built by people from all walks of life, including frame-off restorations, lowriders, resto-mods, 4x4s, overland rigs, daily drivers and even some cool tow trucks. With a hefty raffle prize list, great food vendors and plenty of shade to go around, there really isn't a better way to spend a sunny summer Sunday.

Just walking around the whole show will take at least a few hours if you want to see it all, but you can check out all the classics and some of the more interesting builds in the photo gallery above!

If classic Chevy trucks are your thing, check out this special C-10 with a feel-good story behind it.

Levi Shirley showed that his Stampede victory was no fluke as he notched another Ultra4 victory, this time at the RCV Badlands Brawl in Attica, Indiana. Team Nitto driver Wayland Campbell also saw his Stampede result repeated at Badlands, coming in strong in 2nd place.

(Photos: Doug Dienelt)

In true Badlands fashion, this course brings a little bit of everything. From rocks to mud, trees and elevation changes — this course is a 180-degree turn from the wide-open California short course of the Stampede two weeks earlier. True to the “be ready for anything” style of racing in Ultra4, Levi and his buggy were up to the task.

Team Nitto driver Bailey Cole also posted back-to-back victories, taking home 1st place in the 4800 Legends class. Matt Howell, 2016 Battle at the Badlands 4500 class winner, returned to form and took home 1st in the Modified class, while Shannon Campbell also brought his winning ways — this time in a UTV. All-in-all, it was a solid weekend of racing on a tried-and-true racecourse that still has a few surprises left.

If you follow Ultra4, you know that it wouldn’t be a Badlands race without a little mud; unlike previous years, the rain held off on race day, so the course was only wet from rain which fell the night before qualifying. This course’s great combination of forest, rock quarry and dirt truly tests the acceleration and handling of these purpose-built cars. Adding to the fun, Dave Cole made sure each driver tackled “the big climb” in the rock quarry at least once during the five-lap race.

Strategies differed from team to team, but the general approach due to attrition was “save it until the last lap, hit it a couple times, then winch if you have too." Fresh off their first Ultra4 victory in Oklahoma, Team Gilstrap's strategy had driver, Clay, leaving co-driver and wife, Lindsay, behind in a mad dash for the finish line if they were in contention for a win where seconds mattered.

Qualifying

Qualifying for this race consisted of a timed hot lap around a shortened version of the course. Adding risk-versus-reward to the qualifying course was a “short cut” down the big rock — the catch being you had to miss the cone or be assessed a penalty. Bailey Campbell notched another Ultra4 first by being the first woman to claim the pole position, which she accomplished with far less horsepower than what many of the 4400 Unlimited cars run. Her crushing pace was followed by Darrell Gray in 2nd and Levi Shirley in 3rd. Tackling two different classes, Bailey Cole surprised some by taking 4th in the 4400 class qualifying while also earning 4800 Legends class pole position! In the 4500 Modified class, Matt Howell took the pole on the way to his wire-to-wire class victory.

Qualifying was not without its drama, however. Multiple drivers, including the 2017 Clash at the Cross Bar Ranch winner Clay Gilstrap and two-time King of The Hammers champ Erik Miller, received one-minute penalties for hitting the cone on the “short cut,” putting them deep in the qualifying field on a course with limited passing opportunities.

Perhaps one of the biggest stories of the weekend, however, surrounded Casey Gilbert and his Gilbert Motorsports team. During pre-running, Casey suffered a back injury and was taken to the hospital. With this going on, his team and other Ultra4 teams worked on his Miller Motorsports production chassis car to get it ready to race. When it was determined that Casey couldn’t pilot the car, none other than the legendary three-time King of The Hammers Shannon Campbell stepped up to take over driver duties for the 4800 race. As Craig Vucich was feeding Casey chicken nuggets in the hospital, Shannon was trying on a new car. In typical all-or-nothing Campbell fashion, Shannon laid it on its lid during qualifying and started the 4800 race dead last. What would racing be without a challenge, right?

UTV Class 

While not typically covered in depth, it’s worth mentioning the UTV race at this event. The Campbell Crew came out in force at this February’s King of The Hammers, with all three racing UTVs for the first time. Shannon won the UTV class at KOH. Everyone tried to look surprised. As he’s decided not to race his 4400 5AZ car in this year’s East Series, Shannon brought the Monster Energy UTV out to race. After qualifying 2nd, he drove it to the checkers for a 1st place finish and a great kickoff to an afternoon of racing. Afterwards he hopped out and got ready to pilot the 618 Gilbert Motorsports car for Casey.

4800 Legends Class

The 4800 class was stacked with talent with Bailey Cole on the pole and other experienced drivers behind him, including Brandon Haynes, Kent Fults and Travis Hatchett. The course claimed three cars on Lap 1. Shannon Campbell learned his lesson from qualifying, keeping the Gilbert car on all fours most of the race. (He did not, however, put it on its lid again.) Shannon drove from dead last to 2nd in class — making Casey proud and gaining him championship points.

Travis Hatchett followed only a few minutes behind Shannon for 3rd place. Bringing in the victory of the 4800 class was Bailey Cole — again asserting that he’s a force to be reckoned with this year, notching his second victory in as many races. While Bailey’s winning luck wouldn’t hold for the 4400 race, his weekend was a success. Less than 10 points now separate Bailey and Casey Gilbert for the 4800 East Championship, with one race remaining.

4500 Modified Class

In the 4500 class, only three cars finished on the lead lap with Matt Howell taking home 1st, followed by Duane Garretson in 2nd and Cody St. Clair in 3rd. Roughly 25 points separate Duane and Matt for the East Series Championship, with only the Dirty Turtle race in Kentucky remaining to determine the East Series champion; it's going to be a thriller! Matt also has St. Clair giving him a challenge for the National Championship, with just 100 points separating them and three races remaining. Matt was the 2016 champ, but he’s getting tough competition this year to retain his crown.

4400 Unlimited Class 

It was 6:30 at night by the time the big boys lined up to do battle in the 4400 Unlimited class — with Bailey Campbell on the pole and Levi Shirley not far behind. Bringing up the rear, Wayland Campbell was buried back in 21st, with Clay Gilstrap and Erik Miller in 25th and 26th, respectively. The racers couldn’t get off the line fast enough to embark on the five laps they’d need to complete for a win. Underclassmen had already done their part in tearing up the semi-muddy track, combined with a tight course and limited passing opportunities, which made for a challenging day of racing.

Almost three laps in, Bailey Campbell fell off-pace with engine issues and had to call it day. Bailey Cole made it first. Course attrition in the 4400 class looked to already be taking its toll on drivers, including “Disco” Derek West on Lap 3. For the remaining two laps, however, the course demons seemed to settle down — over 60 percent of the field finished on the lead lap. For a race series that averages closer to 20 percent, Badlands challenges proved to be surmountable.

Hustling from deep within the pack was mad man Wayland Campbell. Clearly some of Shannon’s antics have rubbed off on his son Wayland, combined with his growing hard-fought skill as a driver — because by the time the flag dropped, Wayland was in 2nd place, finishing less than two minutes behind Shirley.

2017 KOH breakout success Josh Blyler pushed hard with another strong race finish — earing a podium spot in 3rd. Last year’s Badlands winner Jason Shipman, as well as Erik Miller, both finished in the top 10. Clay Gilstrap never got the chance to use the “deploy then leave Lindsay” strategy, suffering engine issues on Lap 1. 

When the mud cleared, Levi Shirley drove another strong race and stood atop the podium yet again. For the 2nd time in only two weeks, Levi held up the big trophy, and his contagious smile swept the crowd. The mud forced Levi to adapt to the “visor half open and squint when we hit mud holes” strategy as his fully caked-with-mud helmet testified to the challenge of this course.

Visit Ultra4's website to see complete, official Badlands race results.

2017 National Points Roundup

In a season that threatened early on to be a runaway season for Wayland, Levi has made the points race very interesting this year. While Wayland has been a model of consistency, bringing in his first Ultra4 victory and a string of 2nd place finishes, Levi’s winning streak is setting the stage for an ultimate showdown in Kentucky. Can Levi make it three in row?

Going into the final East Series race in August, only five points out of hundreds separate the two racers... Five! Kentucky will be a brawl. In the West Series, 20 points separate the two. So with more than half the season finished, Wayland and Levi have turned it into a head-to-head battle. Every race matters. And every point matters.

Making it even more fun — both cars are Campbell Enterprises single-seater IFS cars with young, talented drivers that are pushing the future of Ultra4 Racing faster and harder than ever before. Both are second-generation Ultra4 drivers. Both are determined to win. If they keep this up, you will not want to miss the Nationals in Reno this fall!

We would like to wish Casey Gilbert a speedy recovery, and we look forward to seeing him back out at the track very soon.

Next up in Ultra4 is the Dirty Turtle Race in Bedford, Kentucky, August 11. After the quick two-week turnaround of these last couple races, teams will be looking forward to the break and prep time. Head over to www.ultra4racing.com for more information about the race and details about attending.

See more photos from Badlands in our recap gallery.