In 1964 a group of passionate and slightly rebellious men at General Motors' Pontiac Motor Division lead by John Z. Delorean built a car that not only launched an entirely new market, but started an automotive revolution. The car was the Pontiac GTO, and it quickly became a thing of legend. The GTO is the car that's widely credited as the first true American muscle car and it was built with a formula that hot rodders and racers had already been using for decades – a bigger engine in a lighter car.

At the time General Motors had a rule that didn't allow engines over 330cubic inches in midsize cars, but that didn't stop the Pontiac guys from building a few test mules based on the new 1964 Tempest. The subterfuge was made easier by the fact that all Pontiac V8s had the same dimensions and fitment regardless of their displacement.

Stuffed with the larger 389 cubic inch V8 from Pontiac's full size line, the guys knew they had something special on their hands.  Eventually they got the go-ahead to produce the GTO – starting out as an option box on the standard Tempest rather than its own model.

Driven partly by its performance and partly because of a very effective marketing campaign, the GTO quickly become a sales success and thus launched the journey of one of America's most iconic automobiles. Soon, other brands, both from within General Motors and all across Detroit, wanted to get in on the action and the muscle car era was born.

The GTO would go on to have a journey full of highs and lows over a period that spanned (not continuously) from 1964 until 2006. Here's a breakdown of some key highlights from each model year.

1964 Pontiac GTO

The original. All '64 GTOs were powered by a 389 cubic inch V8 and could be had with an optional tri-power setup for a total of 348 horsepower. Transmissions were a standard 3-speed manual, along with the more commonly ordered 4-speed manual and a two-speed automatic. A convertible was also available.

1965 Pontiac GTO

The overall body shape stays the same, but the GTO gets new styling with stacked headlamps, a new rear fascia and a new hood scoop – while both the standard and tri-power-equipped 389s get a horsepower bump.

1966 Pontiac GTO

1966 was an important year for the GTO. The styling was all new, and not only did the car become its own model, separate from the Tempest line, '66 also saw the highest sales numbers for any year the GTO was produced.

1967 Pontiac GTO

Only minor differences separate the exterior of the '66 and '67 GTO, but there were significant changes underneath. The 389 V8 increased in displacement to 400 cubic inches and, while the tri-power option was dropped, three different single carb versions were available, with the hottest producing 360 horsepower. The old two-speed automatic transmission was also replaced with a three-speed TH400.

1968 Pontiac GTO

For the 1968 model year, the entire GM A-body platform got a complete redesign and the GTO was no exception. With a sleek new shape that featured a body-colored Endura front bumper, the '68 GTO was awarded Motor Trend Car of the Year and 1968 marked the second highest year ever for GTO sales.

1969 Pontiac GTO

The big news in 1969 was the addition of the "The Judge", a special edition of the GTO that featured unique striping, a rear spoiler and other goodies to set it apart from the standard issue car. In terms of engines, the top-of-the-line Ram Air IV 400 was rated at 370 horsepower – although that figure is said to be significantly underrated compared to its actual output.

1970 Pontiac GTO

For 1970, the GTO saw significant styling changes with quad headlamps and more aggressive body lines. The Judge option continued and the big change was the availability of a 455 cubic inch engine that produced a staggering 500 foot pounds of torque.

1971 Pontiac GTO

By the 1971 model year, the muscle car era had peaked due to increasing pressure from both insurance companies and environmental agencies. New styling included dual hood scoops directly over the front grilles and this marked the final year of the Judge option.

1972 Pontiac GTO

Cosmetically, a '72 GTO does not differ much from a '71 – but this year there were even more signs of a fading popularity of the muscle car. The GTO went back to being an option package rather than a stand alone model and the Judge was discontinued, as was the GTO convertible.

1973 Pontiac GTO

The GM A-body got a significant redesign with all-new styling for 1973 and the GTO continued as an option for the Pontiac Le Mans. A 400 was standard with an optional 455 still available, but both compression ratios and horsepower ratings had dropped significantly compared to a few years earlier.

1974 Pontiac GTO

For 1974, the GTO moved on to the compact GM X-body platform, becoming an option package on the Pontiac Ventura, itself being a close relative of the Chevy Nova. The 400 and 455 were no more, with a 200 horsepower 350 cubic inch V8 being the sole engine option. The car had become a shell of its former self and this marked the end for the GTO's 10-year run as well as the end of the first muscle car era.

1999 Pontiac GTO

The Pontiac GTO made a reappearance in 1999, albeit as a concept car that was more design study, heavy on retro styling, than a preview of an actual production vehicle. Nonetheless, it got people thinking about a possible revival of the iconic vehicle.

2004 Pontiac GTO

Low and behold the Pontiac GTO did eventually return in 2004, this time as rebadged Holden Monaro imported from Australia. It packed independent rear suspension, a 350 horsepower LS1 V8 and a standard six-speed manual transmission. Reaction to the car was mixed. Some disliked the conservative styling, which stood in stark contrast to the retro-styled Ford Mustang, while others praised the car's excellent performance and comfort, along with fit and finish that was a cut above other GM products of the time.

2005 Pontiac GTO

For 2005, the GTO got a few upgrades including a pair of hood scoops, dual exhaust outlets in the rear, bigger brakes and a larger LS2 V8 that made 400 horsepower. All of this improved upon the car's already impressive performance while also giving it a dash of extra curb appeal.

2006 Pontiac GTO

The GTO continued into 2006 with minor changes, but with the end of Monaro production in Australia this also marked the end of the Pontiac GTO's three year revival. In 2009, General Motors decided to shut down the Pontiac brand as a result of the economic recession –and this meant there would never be another GTO produced.

It may be gone not to come back, but the Pontiac GTO is a car that's rightfully deserving of a spot on the list of America's greatest automobiles. In its prime, it was a car that perfectly mixed performance, affordability and a sexy image. Without it the history of the American muscle car would look a whole lot different.

Tropical beaches, drinks with little umbrellas and really big Toyotas. The Hawaiian islands are full of unique and intriguing trends, but none more in-your-face than a solid-axle swapped Tacoma, jacked to the sky, skating on some really wide wheels wrapped in mud terrains. This island style of building Toyota trucks has been around since the '80s, and it isn't going anywhere soon.

Chris Santos, a small engine shop owner on the big island of Hawaii, has been performing solid-axle swaps on Toyotas for years on local trucks and his own alike. But his crown jewel is his 2008 Black Sand Pearl Tacoma. We caught up with Chris for a quick Take 5, but you can see more of his builds on his Instagram page.

Chris Santos  |  @therealmccoy808

2008 Toyota Tacoma

1. Best mod to your vehicle:

The suspension. I built a custom parallel 4-link design with 2.5-inch diameter Fox coilovers up front and a custom rear triangulated 4-link system with 2.0 inch Fox coilovers in the rear. I also like the Nitto Trail Grapplers because they look and ride best on my 16-inch wide wheels.

2. Favorite driving music:

Lately, it's been classic rock. AC/DC is the first that comes to mind.

3.  Favorite car movie:

The Fast & Furious movies.

4. Favorite road to drive:

"The Country Road," or Hamakua Coast. It's a road that runs over 100 miles from one side of the island to the other.

5. Next truck adventure:  

I'm going to build a full-blown Toyota "truggy" with either a tube chassis rear half or flat bed, dedicated to rock crawling. 

Do you have any suggestions for new Take 5 questions? Let us know! Leave a comment or email us: editor@drivingline.com.

Reigniting the unique swaps flame, we’ve got five more hand-picked diesel re-powers to show you. From a Deutz-powered trike to an 8-second Mustang stuffed with a 7.3L Power Stroke, the builds range from mild to wild. And while there are three Cummins-powered vehicles on this list, they are extremely unique. Trust us, one Cummins occupies the same spot a Duramax once resided in an ’03 Silverado 2500 HD, another one makes in excess of 1,900 hp and propels a ’66 Nova through the eighth-mile in 4-second intervals, and the last one represents an 8.9L QSL Cummins that’s been punched out to 10.4 liters.

Intrigued yet? Keep reading!

1.  THE “DEMENTED” MUSTANG, P-PUMPED 7.3L

Maniacal Mustang

Matt Kubik might not be the first enthusiast to drop a diesel into a fourth-generation Mustang, but he’s the first person to do it with a P-pumped 7.3L Power Stroke. Backed by a Bruno’s Automotive-built Lenco transmission with a billet Neal Chance converter — and fed just under 100 psi of boost courtesy of a 98 mm Garrett GTX5533R Gen II turbocharger — Matt’s goal is to eventually get this pony into 4-second territory in the eighth-mile. On its quickest test hit to date, his Mustang went 5.24 at 134 mph through the 660, with a 1.2-second 60-foot and coasting to an 8.61-second quarter-mile.

Mechanical 7.3L

Under the hood, you’ll find a full Hypermax Engineering 7.3L. While the factory architecture of the original 444 ci V8 is the foundation, virtually nothing on this engine is OEM. The oil-fired HEUI injection system has been scrapped in favor of a mechanical one that employs an inline 8-cylinder Bosch P-pump off of a DV800 International. The forged connecting rods, low-compression pistons and camshaft are all from the Hypermax catalog. Heck, even the crankcase is aftermarket: a compacted graphite iron (CGI) block, also from Hypermax. Without a doubt, it’s been built to handle the 1,700+ hp it’s capable of producing.

2.  1966 CHEVY NOVA, COMMON-RAIL CUMMINS

The Green Reaper

When you live and breathe drag racing, it pays to build a vehicle you can race anywhere in the country. With this train of thought, Hardway Performance’s Ryan Milliken put this ’66 Nova together to compete on 275/60/15 drag radials or 28x10.5 slicks — which meant he would be able to line up next to some of the quickest cars in existence on a regular basis. As one of the premier tuners in the diesel industry, it was no surprise when Ryan dropped a common-rail Cummins between the framerails. The swap garnered a storm of attention from diesel heads, muscle car fans and veteran drag racers alike. The car’s best eighth-mile pass of 4.88 at 150 mph, achieved just this past April, did even more to stir up conversation about the lime green, Cummins-powered Nova.

1 Turbo, 2 CP3s, 6.8 Liters

Gone is the ProCharged big-block previously in the car when it was being campaigned by its former owner, Mickey Tessneer. Built by Freedom Racing Engines, the inline-six that’s now under the cowl features a solid, cast-iron block from Hamilton Cams, billet steel rods and a billet-aluminum head from Wagler Competition Products, Diamond Racing pistons, S&S Diesel Motorsport dual 12 mm CP3’s and 400-percent over injectors and a Garrett GTX5533R bolted to a T6 flange, Stainless Diesel exhaust manifold. The 88 mm version of Garrett’s new GTX5533R keeps Ryan legal in the ultra-competitive X275 class and crams 65 psi of boost into the engine.

3.  2003 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 2500 HD, DURAMAX DELETE

The “Chummins”

With two blown head gaskets, a set of injectors going south and 350,000 miles on his LB7 Duramax, Tyler Rabbage did the unthinkable: he yanked the GM V8 in favor of a ’96 model year 12-valve 5.9L Cummins. You see, swapping a Cummins into a Ford is perfectly acceptable to most folks in the diesel community, but ditching the 6.6L Duramax in favor of one defies the laws of tradition. Luckily for Tyler, he wasn’t worried about ruffling a few feathers. “I put one set of injectors in the Duramax — and I wasn’t gonna put a second set in it,” he told us.

8-Day Swap

Thanks to a helping hand from Outlaw Diesel in Miami, a shop notorious for its off-the-wall diesel conversion projects, Tyler completed the job in just eight days. He plucked the Duramax engine and Allison transmission out of the Silverado, refreshed the 120,000-mile Cummins, beefed up a 47RH sourced from a donor Dodge Ram, dropped them both into place, installed a compound turbo arrangement and had a running, driving truck in a little more than a week’s time. While the 12-valve Cummins is one of the most commonly swapped diesel engines, this is the only ’01-’07 Silverado we’ve seen with a B series under the hood.

4.  2011 RAM 3500, BIG-BLOCK (DIESEL) SWAP

“Super-Size Me”

A Cummins swapped into a Ram? You bet. But in this case, the 6.7L B series was replaced with a big block (diesel): the QSL9. After shoehorning the commercial-grade Cummins into their ’11 Ram 3500, the folks at Calibrated Power Solutions effectively super-sized their fourth-gen dually. The immense low-end torque created by the QSL engine is harnessed by a Competition Stage 3 47RE from Firepunk Diesel, complete with a manual valvebody that takes its cues from a pistol grip TCI Automotive shifter. So how much power do they plan to make? Well, enough that they felt the need to install a full roll cage, which is to say this behemoth will be legal to run quicker than a 10.99 in the quarter-mile.

Big Cube QSL           

Between the triple BorgWarner S591 turbo’s, their corresponding piping and the overall mass of the QSL9 engine, you could say the engine bay of Calibrated Power Solutions’ Ram is “full.” In fact, real estate was so hard to come by under the hood that the Wehrli Custom Fabrication water-to-air intercooler has to protrude through the front grille in order to fit. The Cummins itself began life (in an M2 106 Freightliner) displacing 8.9L, but was bored and stroked to 10.4L, or 640 ci. A common-rail fuel system on steroids includes dual 14 mm CP3 injection pumps from Exergy Performance and the aforementioned triple-turbo arrangement produces 100 psi of boost.

5.  3-WHEELED FUEL SIPPER

Diesel Trike

This one-off, diesel-powered trike stemmed from the mind of Glenn Russell and features a little bit of everything — even Harley Davidson parts. It’s powered by a 236-cubic-inch four-cylinder Deutz engine. The air-cooled, German mill is turbocharged, turns out 65 hp and 245 lb-ft of torque and is mated to a Muncie SM465 four-speed transmission. The drive axle came out of an ’03 Chevy S10 (selected primarily for its disc brakes), and up front you’ll find Harley Davidson FLH suspension. Fully licensed and insured, Glenn regularly drives it on the street and even takes it on extended road trips. In fact, back in 2013 Glenn drove it from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Diego, California, and back as part of a biker ride to support disabled American veterans. We’re told the trike sips fuel to the tune of 40 to 45 mpg while cruising at 75 mph.

Why did 680 Jeeps cross the Mackinaw Bridge? To get to the other side, where 117 miles of glorious trails and some of the most challenging off-roading terrain in Michigan awaited them on Drummond Island for the 2nd Annual Jeep the Mac. The gathering entailed a weekend of festivities for loyal Jeepers that hopefully wouldn’t Just Empty Every Pocket. In fact, the fee for participating was nominal at $35, which included passes to drive over the bridge, along with a round-trip ferry pass for those who chose to continue their weekend on Drummond Island. For the more daring folks, there was also a pass for free entrance to the Turtle Ridge Off-Road Park.

Jeeps spanning all production years and models arrived in rows, and then proud owners hopped out of their 4x4s to gather for a meet-and-greet and the mandatory driver’s meeting. While a deep voice echoed over the loudspeaker, the herd of patiently waiting rigs posed a distraction for my wandering eyes. I was awestruck.

This angry Jeep JK parked on the outskirts of the lineup was fully equipped with plenty of body armor and ready to tear through terrain with 35-inch Nitto Mud Grapplers.

I may not have Just Emptied Every Pocket to join in the Jeep celebrations; however, when there are hundreds of rigs modified to individual owners' personal tastes, needs and specifications, it’s easy to walk away with new ideas for your own build. Some rigs had more personal touches than others. One that stood out above the rest for its uniqueness factor was Jessica Thurman’s 2006 Jeep TJ, decorated with a solid metal breast cancer awareness ribbon for a push bar and fabricated by Trudeau’s Metal Work of Grayling, Michigan. #SaveTheTatas

This time-honored early-1940s Willys Army vehicle made a presence for the bridge crossing and worked as a reminder of Jeep’s significance in American history.

The crowd’s light and cheery vibe was met with a side of excitement and anticipation before crossing the mighty 26,372-foot-long Mackinaw Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere, with two towers between anchorages and the only road connecting Michigan’s upper and lower hemispheres.

The massive group of Jeepers crossed the bridge in a single file line, looped back around and then crossed again, exchanging meaningful waves with fellow enthusiasts who were making their first drive over in the opposite lane.

After the crossing, some Jeepers stayed behind to socialize while others, such as myself, opted to get a head start on the trails. The ferry to Drummond Island was a quick 45-minute drive. It is a dorkishly heart-stirring experience to be in your Jeep, on a boat heading with hundreds of fellow Jeepers towards over a hundred miles of amazing island off-roading.

Melting glaciers, which left behind massive rock deposits, formed Drummond Island. This is apparent when exploring the trails. The expansive rocky areas were an urgent reminder to upgrade the rear sway bar and rather weak aftermarket springs on my heavyweight expedition-prepped Jeep WJ. A gas tank tuck and some skid plates wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. Several trails were flooded from spring rains, but none too deep for the Jeep. Caution was used against any rocks hiding under water. After all, this is a slow and curious type of event — fast and furious, not so much.

Trails were splattered with Jeeps exploring the woodlands, and the iconic Jeep wave was exchanged with a smile at every passing. Complete strangers became family that weekend.

A group of Jeeps emerged from the woods as I headed to Marblehead, the easternmost point of the island, to see some rock climbing action. The scattered array of colors resembled a spilled bag of skittles, until each splashed through the mud and earned their off-roading camouflage.

Helpful guidance and spotting were necessary for some of the larger ledges. The opened steps on Marblehead can be treacherous, and no proud Jeep owner wants to wreck their rig, especially when the trail is a slow and twisty 30-mile maze of rock, water and mud just to get back to base camp.

Who said going downhill was easier? Whether heading up or down the rock mounds, navigating the best line according to driver skill and rig setup is a challenge.

It was a weekend for fellow Jeeples to bond with each other, their rigs and nature. It’s an event to reminisce about for years to come, and the numbers have already grown since its first year in 2016. These Michiganders are on to something, and it didn’t take long for surrounding states, including Canada, to catch wind of the annual festivities.

Gorgeous views, endless trails and Jeep love: It’s a Jeep the Mac thing. Unless you’ve been there, you wouldn’t understand.

But maybe you will once you creep on through the photo gallery below.

As the majority of car guys can relate to, inspiration for a build can strike at any moment for any given reason. For Jeremy Pate, the blank canvas was a seemingly benign 2004 V6 Silverado. While most people staring at a 4.3L half-ton don’t really envision power numbers in the thousands, Jeremy saw the potential for a fully-built street truck that will one day carry the highest bragging rights in the Midwest.

I first met Jeremy at the Street Car Takeover Friday night meet at the Twin Peaks in Indianapolis. The SCT team set up a mobile dyno for participants to run their cars on, and after a few cars got their numbers, a little blue truck backed its way onto the rollers. I watched a few screaming runs on the dyno, and knew this truck wasn’t your run of the mill street truck. After the dyno runs, I caught up with Jeremy, and he showed me exactly what makes his Silverado a serious force to be reckoned with.

Under the hood is where most of the magic happens. Replacing the V6 is a fully built LS-based 388CID 5.3L motor built by ERL Performance, featuring Callies Magnum crankshaft and connecting rods, along with Wiseco pistons. Slapped on top are Frankenstein Engineering Dynamics CNC ported heads, Holley Hi-Ram intake manifold and a BTR Stage 3 Turbo camshaft.

But the real performers for the LS-platform powerhouse are the twin Borg Warner S371 turbochargers with billet wheels. Keeping them cool is a massive front-mounted intercooler made by Shearer Performance. Having all this capacity for forced induction means nothing without a stout fuel system to back it up, so Jeremy went with a Motion Raceworks system including 200cc injectors, and a Magnafuel fuel pump and pressure regulator.

The rest of the drivetrain is equally as impressive, including a 4L80E transmission fully built by Bilbrey Automotive, a custom aluminum driveshaft, PEM Racing spooled 9-inch rear end and staggered Billet Specialties wheels front and rear. Jeremy opted for a shorter exhaust system, with side exits cleverly located in both sides of the front bumper.

On the outside, this sleeper looks like a clean lowered truck on some nice shoes, but definitely doesn’t scream 1500 horsepower. Jeremy runs a combination of Nitto Motivo tires up front, and NT555Rs out back.

“I bought these after trying numerous drag radials. For a half-ton truck that makes over 1500 horsepower, I need all the traction I can get, and I feel the Nittos stand up very well.”

Jeremy has spent eight months on this build, totaling 1,546 man hours, but he declined to tell us how much he’s spent on it due to his desire to stay married to his wife (I don’t blame him). His goal of becoming the fastest street truck in the Midwest is now within his sights. The truck put down an incredible 1503 horsepower and 1,210 foot-pounds of torque on the most recent dyno run, and is said to have the highest numbers on a stock ECM setup.

As I watched Jeremy give a solid run down the drags, I had to remind myself that the boost wasn’t turned up, and he was running the truck on a mild setting. I can’t wait to see this thing turned all the way up, running at full-tilt, against a worthy competitor. I guarantee anything that goes up against Little Blue is in for a surprise.

Despite being an automaker that's long been on the edge of technological progress, BMW is also a brand that is very aware of its heritage. And both of those attributes can be seen in BMW's latest concept car, which debuted recently at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy. Say hello to the Concept 8 Series.

The concept is inspired by BMW coupes of the past, including the original 8 series which was produced between 1989 and 1999 and is considered by many to the one of the most beautiful cars of the 1990s. That means that in terms of both style and performance, the car has some big shoes to fill.

Best of all, the Concept 8 Series wasn't just built for fun. It's a very real preview of an upcoming production model due to launch within the next year, a new flagship which is equal parts sports and luxury.

BMW hasn't released any details about the car's drivetrain, but the original 8 Series included both V8 and V12 options — and rumors suggest the new version will feature turbocharged twin V12 power, along with a twin turbo V8 for the high performance M8 model.

And speaking of the M8, BMW has already confirmed existence in both production and race trim. At the same time the concept was being shown in Italy, a camouflaged prototype of the M8 was shown at the Nürburgring 24 hour race in Germany. Developed alongside the normal 8 Series, the M8 is said to use the new M5's 4.4 liter biturbo V8 making over 600 horsepower along with its advanced AWD system.

On the motorsport side of things, BMW has also announced the development of an M8 GTE race car to spearhead BMW Motorsport's return to Le Mans. The plan is for the M8 GTE to make its debut at next year's Daytona 24 Hour race before attacking Le Mans itself.

Whether it's the stylish luxury coupe, high performance flagship or new race car, we can't wait to see the finished versions of the new BMW 8 Series on the road and the race track. From all accounts it sounds like this will be worthy sequel to one of BMW's all time greats.

Out of the box, the Ford F-150 Raptor is an incredible truck. While the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon may rule the rocks, there’s no other factory 4x4 that works as well in the desert out of the box than the Ford Raptor. For this reason, it’s become a go-to build platform for competitive and recreational enthusiasts. For Ron Stobaugh, his 2012 Raptor was built to use as a pre-runner to plot out serious long-distance races such as the Baja 1000.

Since Stobaugh also owns a desert racing school, the truck often acts as a support vehicle, learning tool, and even serves as a daily driver. While we’ve seen the truck in action in the NORRA Mexican 1000, we wanted to know more about what components help keep this Raptor a reliable machine.

For wheels, the Raptor is running a KMC XD127. The 17x9 cast-aluminum Bully series wheels has seen plenty of abuse over the years, but has never been a point of failure.

Since this truck is often blazing rough terrain hundreds of miles from civilization, it hauls an assortment of tools and spare parts to keep going. Speaking of spares, there are two 37x12.50R17 Nitto Ridge Grapplers secured in the bed thanks to an Alpha 1 tire rack. Despite thousands of miles of pre-running and race chasing, Stobaugh hasn’t had to use either of his spare tires.

The Raptor’s front suspension is pretty good from the factory, but everything can be improved. To ensure the truck can handle hours of rough terrain, an SCV Offroad dual-shock suspension was installed. This kit uses a 3.0 Fox coilover and 3.5 triple-bypass shock, along with new upper and lower control arms. To upgrade the steering, a Baja Tested tie-rod kit was installed.

Out back, the frame was boxed and upgraded with more durable shock mounts and adjustable Fox bumpstops from SVC Offroad. Controlling the suspension cycle are a set of 3.0 Fox bypass shocks.

Inside, most of the Raptor’s creature comforts are still intact. To help find his way, a HDS-7 Lowrance GPS was installed along with a long-reaching race radio.

Clearing out more room in front of the Grappler treads is a SVC Baja series front bumper. When the sun goes down, this truck doesn’t stop. Ensuring the Raptor has plenty of forward vision are 30- and 40-inch Baja Designs lightbars along with two six-inch Baja LED fog lights.

Powering the Raptor is the stock 6.2L V8, which packs just north of 400 horsepower. Given reliability is the name of the game when doing long-distance pre-running, Stobaugh choose to keep the majority of the powertrain stock. With the truck fit with a selectable rear locker and off-road friendly calibration from the factory, the Raptor doesn’t need much help powering through the open desert.

Hard Facts

Check out this Ford Raptor that's pure Truck Candy.

When it comes to hot rod, classic and muscle car events in the United States, there's no name bigger than Goodguys. The organization has been around since 1983 and currently holds about 20 car shows across the U.S. every year, each drawing thousands of vehicles and even more specators.

While their calendar includes events in every corner of the country, Goodguys' home base is in the San Francisco Bay Area and their events at the Alameda County Fairgrounds are a big tradition for NorCal gearheads. Over the weekend we headed to Pleasanton for the 24th Summer Get-Together and came away wowed by the number and sheer variety of cars on hand. We've got detailed coverage coming up on the autocross portion of the event, but for now enjoy this gallery of everything from lowriders and street rods to pro touring muscle cars.

What show are you headed to next? Look out for more car show coverage here on Driving Line.

Six years after the first Pro Street truck soared into the 8-second zone, the diesel industry has hit a new milestone. On May 20, Lavon Miller’s ’06 Dodge Ram broke into 7-second territory, running a 7.99 at nearly 175 mph. Instantly, social media was ablaze with the news and anyone even remotely associated with the diesel community saw at least one video of the ground-breaking pass come across their news feed. History was definitely in the making at the 2017 NHRDA Oklahoma Diesel Nationals.

But that wasn’t the whole story. Side-by-side 8-second passes were par for the course in both the Pro Street and Super Street fields, with a nail-biting final round in Pro Street. In Super Street, a new world record would be set by Phillip Franklin in the form of an 8.85-second pass at just under 159 mph. Beyond that, a diesel vs. gas shootout was held, in which a diesel took home the trophy and dozens of dialed-in trucks duked it out in the always-interesting Sportsman class. Read on for a full recap of this record-breaking weekend.

Breaking the 8-Second Barrier

While many Pro Street competitors have gradually been delving deeper and deeper into the 8’s over the last several years, we weren’t surprised that Lavon Miller and the Firepunk Diesel team were the first ones to dip into the 7’s. Lavon blasted onto the Pro Street scene (a class with a 4,500-pound weight minimum) in 2016 with his ’06 Dodge Ram and immediately began collecting 8-second time slips. In just over a year’s time, he and his team’s relentless drive to be the best landed them in the record books. The record-setting, 7.99-second pass in qualifying was made possible thanks to a strong back-half effort. With a 1.32-second 60-foot and a 5.21-second eighth-mile, the truck was on pace to click off a low 8, but the truck picked up an impressive 33 mph between the 660 and the 1320, which effectively knocked two vital tenths off of Lavon’s projected elapsed time.

See the record-setting pass for yourself:

Undefeated

Meet Dustin Jackson (middle), owner of the triple-turbo’d, Cummins-powered ’94 F-150 Lightning that’s been shaking up the Pro Street field for the last nine months. Thanks to a quicker reaction time, Dustin would beat out Lavon Miller’s 8.12-second pass in the finals with an 8.14 and collect his third trophy this season.

To date, he remains undefeated at any NHRDA event he’s attended thus far in 2017. Now with a few 8.1’s under his belt, it’s been rumored that Dustin will be gunning for a 7-second pass very soon (and he may have already broken into the 7’s by the time you read this…). Between Dustin’s Lightning and Lavon Miller’s Ram, these two are setting the Pro Street world on fire in 2017 and they will be the trucks to watch as the racing season comes down to the wire.

Watch the awesome heads-up race:

Luck Had Nothing to Do With It

Showing that his 8.98 at the Texas Diesel Nationals was no fluke, Phillip Franklin proved his 6,000-pound, Super Street Dodge could run 8’s, consistently, at the Oklahoma Diesel Nationals. After running an 8.85 at 158.89 mph during qualifying, Phillip backed it up with a second 8.85-second pass in the semi-finals, which earned him the new world record for the Super Street class.

First Trip Into the 8’s

Breaking into the 8’s for the first time was Chris Buhidar’s Super Street ’00 F-350, nicknamed “The Mick.” The triple-turbo, Cummins-powered Ford has been in the hunt for the 8’s since last season’s string of bottom-9-second passes. In the semi-finals, Chris would edge out Phillip Franklin in the quickest side-by-side Super Street race in NHRDA history, with both trucks making 8-second passes.

Super Street’s Top Spot

Thanks to an 8.96-second pass at 158 mph in the final round of Super Street, Wade Minter laid claim to his first victory of the NHRDA season. In case you were wondering, yes, this is the same truck that took Third Place in the 2017 Ultimate Callout Challenge. Back in its natural environment, Wade’s triple-turbo Duramax (coined “Ill Tempered”) picked up right where it left off as one of the quickest and most consistent Super Street trucks in the country.

Diesel Beats Gas

While Chris Perales’ win streak in the NHRDA’s 10.90 Index class would come to an end at the hands of William Ellington in Tulsa, Chris would take First Place in another category: the diesel vs. gas shootout. In the final round of the eighth-mile, 7.0 Index diesel vs. gas class he would be on the better half of a double breakout scenario against Bryan Walker’s nasty fox body Mustang.

A-Game in the Sportsman Class

The Firepunk Diesel name is quickly becoming synonymous with winning, no matter the class or the competition within it. This Firepunk-backed, 12-second ’07 Dodge piloted by Larson Miller would battle its way through a very competitive field to take home the win in the Sportsman (E.T. Bracket) category.

Up-And-Comer

Competing in just her second NHRDA race, Bailey McKinstry (daughter of former NHRDA Sportsman champion, Scott McKinstry) cruised to the Sportsman class finals in her ’17 Chevy Silverado. Although she would break out in the final round, it looks like a bright racing future is in store for Bailey. And yes, that’s a 15.08-second dial-in written in the rear window. For those unfamiliar with the current crop of diesel trucks rolling out of Detroit, bone-stock Duramax-powered Chevy’s and GMC’s are running high 14’s and low 15’s in the quarter-mile!

On the Right Track

Taylor Manning’s Super Street Dodge made a couple passes in the mid-9’s before being eliminated during qualifying. And while lady luck wasn’t quite on his side in Tulsa, the info he collected via his new RacePak data logger will be used to steer him in the right direction going forward. We look forward to seeing this old Dodge join the 8-second ranks of Super Street very soon.

Let ‘Er Eat

After Friday night’s truck pulls were rained out, the action in the dirt took place on Saturday, following the drag races. In the Limited Pro Stock class, Jenna Lempka would put her “Lights Out” ’05 Dodge Ram out front with a 320.09-foot effort. Current points leader, Amalee Mueller would wind up two feet behind Jenna in her “Save the Racks” Dodge.

Tough Competition

Jesse Knight piloted his Mud Grappler-equipped second-gen Cummins into the fifth spot in Limited Pro Stock with a 314.07-foot pull. It was a tight field for sure, with just six feet separating First Place through Fifth Place.

(Photos courtesy of the National Hot Rod Diesel Association)

 For full results, visit NHRDA.com

“Whatever you’re into, the LS is like Legos for motors,” Jeff Kay explained after lighting up the burnout contest in his LS-equipped Mazda B2000. The sentiment sums up why this building-block of an engine is seen in such diverse builds and why all the activities taking place at Holley’s LS Fest are the perfect pairing for it. From drift to autocross, drag to off-road racing, Holley LS Fest West had it all.

This was the inaugural West Coast event, adding to what started in 2010 and has continued each year at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Over 7,000 attendees dropped in to spectate during this three-day event held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with 430 LS-powered vehicles showing up to shine, race and just have fun.

Nitto Off-Road Challenge

A new component to LS Fest, and fitting for the West Coast, is the Off-Road Challenge. As seen in many off-road series, certainly Ultra4, LS engines are the powerplant of choice to give these competitors the 800-or-more horses they need to be competitive while staying reliable.

Three different categories were run, Unlimited Truck, Limited Buggy and Unlimited Buggy. Three former Ultra4 Kings took the podium in the Unlimited Buggy class, including Loren Healy, Randy Slawson, and Jason Scherer — with Jason Scherer taking first and Loren Healy winning the “Dash for Cash.” Seeing both buggies and trucks bash their way around the dirt course at the Speedway offered a nice variety from an Ultra4 event and the rest of the LS Fest asphalt-based motorsports.

Car Craft/MSD Drag Racing

Numerous classes kept the strip hot during LS Fest West drag competitions including Street Outlaw, Truck/SUV, Street King, True Street and Rumble, with everything from Camaros to Fox-body Mustangs (*gasp) and even a ’41 Dodge Power Wagon. The fastest of the weekend on the Speedway’s quarter-mile track was Brian Manske with a 4.962s ET in his ’98 Trans Am.

Nitto/Hoonigan Tire De Fryo Burnout Contest

There’s certainly not much better way to smear a smile on a driver’s face than giving someone the keys to a car that can lay down some serious rubber.

The “Tire De Fryo” burnout contest may not have been judged very precisely, but amidst drift cars, pre-runners and hot rods it was 17-year-old Max Gould who took home the trophy, and a new set of Nitto tires. Working with his father since Christmas to get his 1970 Nova ready to drive, the LS was a powerful component propelling Max on to a win (that and his baby-faced smile).

Show-N-Shine

The majority of LS Fest participants were there to race in some form or another, some raced and showed, and still others just shined. Vintage to modern, a little bit of everything showed up — crediting the LS powerplant with advancing their builds to meet each individual builder’s specification. Price, accessibility, aftermarket support and reliability have launched the LS on a trajectory sure to eventually surpass the small block’s saturation in enthusiast builds.

19 different Show-N-Shine awards were given out, but Dermie Close’s ’48 Chevy 3100 Pickup took home the cake with Best of Show.

Lucas Oil Drift Challenge

Drift competitors honed their skills and ate through tires during both single and tandem runs. Much less polished than watching a Formula Drift PRO level competition, the crowd was on the edge of their seats waiting for what would happen next! Rome Charpentier came out on top in his BMW E36.

Lateral G QA1 Autocross / 3S Challenge / Racepak Grand Champion Road Course Results

Pro-Touring builds took the spotlight in the autocross, 3S challenge and road course segments of LS Fest West, keeping the blacktop busy all weekend. It was Rich Willhoff’s ’06 Corvette Z06 that ruled the road course and autocross, but Mike DuSold — all the way from Texas — edged out the others by winning the drag portion and 3S Challenge in his ’67 Camaro, coming off last year's LS Fest Grand Champion award.

“I wanted something unique, something different that would stand out in a crowd," DuSold said about his 1,000 hp Camaro, built at his shop Dusold Designs. "Something that would give the Corvette guys ulcers." 

We don’t know any other event where $150 bucks in registration money will get you three days of such diverse racing and track time! Get your car ready — LS Fest will take place next in Bowling Green Sept. 8-10, 2017. Visit www.lsfest.com for more details.

A full LS Fest West gallery, along with car features, is coming shortly–check back soon!

Wall Speedway in New Jersey has been a mainstay on the Formula Drift schedule since 2005, falling off the schedule only once since then during a period when the track was under an ownership change. The 30-degree banking is the steepest on the series schedule, and the transition from the banking to the flat-bottom that happens right in front of the main grandstands and judging station is one of the trickiest transitions for the drivers to handle. Many drivers have special suspension setups that they bring to Wall which have substantially more shock travel than what is typically required for drifting.

In addition to that, the judges require that the drivers push their rear bumpers close to the guard rail which lines the top of the banking. While that may seem fairly straight forward, the guard rail is far from straight after many incidents over the years. Drivers who push too close to the rail may get snagged by a section which can destroy bumpers and may even cause the car to swap ends and end your weekend.

All in all, fans love the threat of carnage that New Jersey brings to the Formula Drift circuit, and we always expect a sold-out crowd. We had a rain shower roll in overnight, but the rest of the day looks dry from a precipitation perspective.

(Photos: Andrew Jennings)

QUALIFYING

Friday’s qualifying session brought some very high scores, showing that the tandem battles should be amazing. Nine drivers put up a score of 90 or higher, with the top five drivers separated by two measly points. Chelsea DeNofa topped the qualifying charts with a score of 96 — his first pole qualifier of his career.

Three drivers tied with a score of 95, with Ryan Tuerck besting Justin Pawlak and Kristaps Bluss by virtue of the tiebreaking secondary run qualifying score. Tuerck’s score of 94 pushed him ahead of Pawlak’s score of 91, while Kristaps Bluss had an Incomplete on his secondary qualifying run which left him in fourth place. Current points leader James Deane earned a 94 on his top qualifying run, which put him into fifth place and gave him the final bye run. Only 28 drivers made a qualifying pass, but Taylor Hull’s double Incompletes in qualifying meant only 27 drivers would be slotted into the tandem bracket.

TOP 32

Chelsea DeNofa – Bye Run

DENOFA LEAD – After his teammate took the top qualifying spot in Atlanta, Chelsea DeNofa earned his first top qualifier honors this weekend. DeNofa has had a love/hate relationship with this track, as he has had several major crashes in previous seasons. He pushed the limits of his Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR, but came out ahead on his qualifying run. Unfortunately, DeNofa had a major crash at the end of practice this morning, so the bye run came at a good time. We will see how well the car is repaired come time for Top 16 introductions.

Dan Burkett vs. Dai Yoshihara

BURKETT LEAD – Burkett has a good initiation, Yoshihara is right behind him. Both drivers are about a car length away through the bank, Burkett taps the Black Magic clipping point on the switchback out of the way, Yoshihara has very consistent proximity through the first half of the track. Steering angle from both drivers is also similar through the second turn on the apron, both drivers finish the last turn cleanly. Yoshihara closed the gap down especially around the final turn, so perhaps he will have a slight advantage, but both drivers had clean runs.

YOSHIHARA LEAD – Yoshihara has a good initiation and is very high on the bank, Burkett is on a much lower line. Yoshihara opens up a big lead across the switchback, Burkett cuts the line entering the second turn to try and close the gap but then overshoots the apex and is way offline through the rest of the turn. Yoshihara exits the second turn with around a four car gap, but overshoots the transition around the second switchback and has a very funky line through the final turn. Both drivers with some substantial mistakes, this was a much sloppier run. Two judges vote for Yoshihara to move on, one judge wants to see a “One More Time” but is outvoted. Yoshihara will face DeNofa in the Top 16.

Michael Essa vs. Ken Gushi

ESSA LEAD – Essa with a good high line on the bank, Gushi starts lower on the bank but closes the gap shortly after initiation. Gushi has to back off to avoid contact, then keeps consistent proximity through the second sweeper. Essa opens up a brief gap after the second switchback but Gushi closes it down again. Essa again opens up the gap towards the end of the run. Overall, that was a strong run from Essa, while there were some mistakes from Gushi

GUSHI LEAD – Gushi again is lower on the bank than the judges want to see, Essa stays very close to Gushi and keeps good proximity through the entire bank. Gushi had better steering angle, but the proximity from Essa was very close and consistent through the bank and the entire second turn. Gushi finally opens up a bit of a gap around the final turn, but it might be too little too late. All three judges vote for Essa to move on to the Top 16.

Vaughn Gittin Jr. vs. Dean Kearney

Gittin Jr. had a major collision with Juha Rintanen at the end of practice that caused some suspension damage. The team was already working on DeNofa’s car, but was pulled off to try and fix Gittin Jr.’s car prior to this matchup. The Ford Mustang RTR is at the line and ready for battle; hopefully the car is repaired back to 100 percent.

GITTIN JR. LEAD – Gittin Jr. with a manji entry, Kearney stays close behind him and runs a high line around the bank about a car length behind Gittin Jr. Coming off the bank, Gittin Jr. opens up a two car gap in proximity after the switchback but Kearney slows late into the second turn to close the gap down. Looks like there might have been contact between the two cars, then Gittin Jr.’s Mustang spins out. Judges look at several replays and don’t deem fault to either driver. That means that the situation may be determined to be a spin from Gittin Jr.

KEARNEY LEAD – Kearney with a great initiation and high on the bank, Gittin Jr. is hot on his tail and keeps the gap between the cars down to less than a car length for the entire banking. Kearney opens up the gap to around two car lengths across the switchback, Gittin Jr. closes down the gap again and stays close to Kearney through the rest of the run. This was a good chase run from Gittin Jr., but the decision will likely come down to how the spin on the first run is interpreted. Judges have come to a conclusion: Two judges vote for Gittin Jr., while one judge wants to see the drivers run “One More Time.” Gittin Jr. will be moving on to the Top 16.

Judges explain that there looked to be contact as there were rubber marks on Gittin Jr.’s car, and the start line official indicated that he believed he saw contact as well. Replays were very hard to decipher as the camera angles were poorly chosen to try and see contact in that particular area of the track.

Kristaps Bluss – Bye Run

BLUSS LEAD – Bluss is coming off of a podium finish in Atlanta, and has looked strong all weekend. Entering the weekend, he was tied with Heilbrunn for seventh place in the standings, but moves ahead by a point based on qualifying. Bluss is running a special livery this weekend to promote the HGK Drift Challenge which takes place in two weeks at Bikernieki Racetrack in Latvia. Chris Forsberg and Daigo Saito will be joining Bluss in the competition, which should be exciting to watch.

Nate Hamilton vs. Pat Goodin

HAMILTON LEAD – Hamilton high on the bank, Goodin is three or four car lengths behind Hamilton through the bank. Hamilton has a good line through the track, Goodin is a bit sloppy and off several of the clipping points. Hamilton stays consistent on his lead run while Goodin can’t make up much proximity through the entirety of the run. Across the finish line, Hamilton has plenty of smoke and looks to have an advantage while Goodin looks like he was struggling to try and keep up, sacrificing his line and style to try and close the proximity.

GOODIN LEAD – Goodin initiates close to the wall, Hamilton is around two car lengths behind Goodin through the big bank. Goodin opens up the lead to around four car lengths across the switchback, Hamilton closes the gap midway through the second sweeper to around two car lengths and stays close across the second switchback and the final turn. Overall, there was noticeably better proximity from Hamilton in chase than on the first run. Two judges vote for a “One More Time." We’re going to see these two run again!

One More Time

HAMILTON LEAD – Hamilton is a bit lower on the initiation than Goodin, but Goodin is around four car lengths behind Hamilton again through the bank. Goodin uses a manji entry, which definitely looks to slow him down. Goodin takes out several of the Black Magic inner clipping points, Hamilton looks much more consistent around the course. Definitely feels like an advantage will be in Hamilton’s corner for the second run.

GOODIN LEAD – Hamilton again is closer to Goodin after initiation and keeps the proximity down to around two car lengths through the bank. After the switchback, Hamilton closes the gap down to a single car length through the second turn, this is definitely a much stronger chase run than we saw in the first battle. Goodin opens up the gap briefly before taking out another inside clipping point, Hamilton stays close again around the final turn. All three judges vote for Hamilton to move on to the Top 16.

James Deane vs. Bye Run

DEANE LEAD – Deane pushed his car into the final bye run slot on the last run of qualifications yesterday, and will earn a few extra championship points for the effort. Probably most impressive about Deane and his Worthouse teammate Piotr Wiecek is how many spare body panels they brought this weekend, already painted up and stickered in case of carnage. They’re clearly ready for multiple run-ins with the wall!

Alex Heilbrunn vs. Cameron Moore

HEILBRUNN LEAD – Big lead from Heilbrunn on initiation, Moore closes it down briefly in the bank by running a slightly shallower line. Heilbrunn has more steering angle around most of the track, Moore takes an inside line around both the second and third turns to try and keep the proximity close. Heilbrunn should have a small advantage going into the second run as that was one of the better lead runs we’ve seen all day.

MOORE LEAD – Moore has a major correction midway through the bank and loses drift. Heilbrunn adjusts nicely to avoid contact. Moore recovers nicely and continues drifting; this could be considered an Incomplete run for him despite doing very well around the rest of the track due to how much drift Moore lost. Heilbrunn kept around a car length or two of proximity behind Moore around the rest of the track, possibly leaving a bit of extra room in front of him in case there was another mistake from Moore. All three judges vote for Heilbrunn to move on to the Top 16.

Ryan Tuerck – Bye Run

TUERCK LEAD – Tuerck is looking comfortable in his Toyota GT86, and is one of only two drivers who had advanced to the Top 8 in each of the first three events alongside Dean Kearney. With Kearney out of the competition, Tuerck could become the lone driver to make it to the Top 8 in each round through the first half of the season if he can win his next tandem battle.

Odi Bakchis vs. Piotr Wiecek

BAKCHIS LEAD – Bakchis has a very good consistent lead run, while Wiecek has a very consistent, close chase run behind him. Wiecek was within a single car length of proximity around the entire big bank and again through the second sweeper. At times, Wiecek sacrificed some angle to maintain proximity, but it looked great. Shortly before the finish line, it looks like Wiecek lost drift and may have straightened out, which would be an Incomplete. Wiecek pulls off course and has to be towed to the pits, there may be a mechanical issue that was limiting him from completing the run. Wiecek had an issue yesterday when warming up his tires for his second qualifying run that caused him to miss the run, this could be the same issue returning for him.

WIECEK LEAD – Wiecek called his competition timeout, looks like the output shaft from the transmission is broken and the team was unable to fix the car within the allotted time. Bakchis will move on to the Top 16 after making a quick bye run.

Fredric Aasbo vs. Chris Forsberg

Forsberg is finally in the V6 twin turbo car that he was supposed to debut earlier in the year, but reliability problems kept the team from debuting the car until now. This is a battle between the past two Formula Drift champions, Aasbo has been the winner more often than not when facing Forsberg in the past. Let’s see how this battle shakes out.

AASBO LEAD – Aasbo is high on the bank, Forsberg is very close to Aasbo through the entire bank and across the switchback. Forsberg keeps the gap close entering the second turn, but goes a bit deep on the line while Aasbo is able to pull away midway through the turn. Aasbo doesn’t go deep into the touch-and-go at the exit of the second turn, Forsberg isn’t able to close the gap down through the rest of the course. Aasbo finishes with around a three car length gap, while Forsberg had a shallower line around the final turn. Perhaps a slight advantage to Aasbo, but not much.

FORSBERG LEAD – Forsberg with a good initiation, Aasbo isn’t quite as close to Forsberg on the bank but maintains much better proximity entering the second turn. Forsberg has a good line and angle around the second turn and switchback, although he leaves the second outside zone a bit earlier than the judges wanted to see, Aasbo is keeping good proximity in the chase run. Around the final turn, Forsberg’s car appears to grip up a bit and lose speed and angle. Forsberg maintains drift around the final turn, but nearly straightens out. Aasbo tries to adapt and nearly loses drift himself. Two judges vote for Aasbo to move into the Top 16, while one judge votes for a “One More Time.” Aasbo will be moving on.

Juha Rintanen vs. Jhonnattan Castro

RINTANEN LEAD – Rintanen initiates high on the bank and maintains the high line all the way around the turn. Castro has a big gap after initiation, but is able to close the gap down due to Rintanen having big steering angle and taking the higher line. Castro keeps the gap much closer around the second turn, Rintanen’s car looks much more stable than Castro’s and appears to be much more predictable. No major mistakes from either driver around the second half of the course, probably a slight advantage to Rintanen for how strong he was on the bank.

CASTRO LEAD – Castro has a much better initiation, Rintanen is also closer to Castro than in the previous run. Rintanen has a major correction coming across the switchback, Castro stays consistent around the second turn while Rintanen has another mistake midway through the second turn and loses drift again while on a shallow line. Castro is looking strong coming to the second switchback but Castro spins out before the final turn. Both drivers are determined to have an incomplete on this run, which means the drivers will be judged based solely on the first run. Rintanen earns all three votes from the judges and will be moving on to the Top 16.

Justin Pawlak – Bye Run

PAWLAK LEAD – Pawlak’s rear bumper looked like it had been pushed through an oversized cheese grater after yesterday’s practice and qualifying session. The team is on their backup motor after hearing a tick in the valvetrain on Thursday evening, but that hasn’t slowed Pawlak down. With Gittin Jr.’s win earlier, all three Ford Mustangs will be in the Top 16 drivers' introductions.

Matt Field vs. Jeff Jones

FIELD LEAD – Field with a big entry and stays high on the bank, Jones is around three car lengths behind Field through most of the bank. Field lost his rear bumper on the big bank, then his side skirt jars lose coming off the big bank. Jones closes the gap just before the second turn, then maintains good proximity around the rest of the course. Field is a bit off the line entering the third and final turn, but otherwise, Field has a very strong run overall. Jones didn’t have any major mistakes except the lack of proximity and lower line on the big bank.

JONES LEAD – Jones pulls to the line, but Field has to pull off course. We find out that Field de-beaded a tire, and he’s not allowed to re-bead the tire due to Formula Drift rules that states tires must last two full runs. Jones will have a bye run, and Field will miss the Top 16 tandems for the first time all season. All three judges vote for Jones — possibly the easiest vote they’ve had all afternoon.

Matt Coffman vs. Kyle Mohan

COFFMAN LEAD – We had a restart initially due to Coffman jumping the starting light, but have a good run after that. Coffman initiates high on the bank with tons of steering angle, Mohan is on a much lower line and is much later to initiate. Coffman keeps around four car lengths of lead around the bank, but closes it down to around two car lengths around the second sweeper. Coffman continues with big steering angle and smooth transitions across the second switchback, Mohan has shallow angle and line around the final turn. This will likely be a big advantage to Coffman as Mohan had several moments of low angle and poor line.

MOHAN LEAD – Mohan has a much better initiation on his lead run, but still a bit lower on the bank than Coffman was. Coffman is around two car lengths behind Mohan around the bank and maintains consistent proximity through the switchback and around the second turn. Mohan has a pretty noticeable steering correction midway through the second turn and is shallow again entering the final turn. Coffman looks calm and consistent around the track, while Mohan appears to be struggling. All three judges vote for Coffman to move on to the Top 16.

Alec Hohnadell vs. Robbie Nishida

HOHNADELL LEAD – Both cars are slow off the line; it looks like Hohnadell might be having some mechanical issues. Hohnadell finally initiates well past the normal initiation point, midway through the bank. Nishida waits for Hohnadell to initiate and then initiates behind him, but Hohnadell pulls out of drift before the end of the bank and drives off course. Nishida continues to drift the bank and slides across the switchback in front of the fans, then shuts it down himself. This will be an un-chaseable run from Hohnadell; Nishida is given a major advantage.

NISHIDA LEAD – Hohnadell pulls off course and doesn’t return for the second run, having previously used his competition timeout yesterday prior to qualifying. Nishida has a bye run and will earn his first Top 16 appearance of the season.

FORD TOP 16

Before we sing the National Anthem, seventeen young enlistees for the United States Air Force are sworn in by one of the most enthusiastic Air Force employees we’ve seen. The National Anthem was sang by a current Air Force member, and was one of the better renditions we’ve heard this season as well. The sixteen remaining drivers are introduced, Chelsea DeNofa is handed a "bag o' cash" with $500 in it for qualifying first overall, and we’re ready for battle! Unfortunately, due to tight quarters at the track, there isn’t room for the cars to do their normal donuts and burnouts to get the crowd amped up.

DeNofa vs. Yoshihara

DENOFA LEAD – DeNofa has a great initiation and stays high on the bank along the guard rail, Yoshihara isn’t far behind him but on a slightly lower line. DeNofa shows big steering angle across the switchback, and has much more steering angle around the second turn. Yoshihara is able to maintain good proximity despite having less steering angle, but has a pretty major steering correction near the second switchback. DeNofa finishes the run with more big steering angle and tire smoke, likely an advantage to Denofa after this run.

YOSHIHARA LEAD – Yoshihara has a similar entry and line around the big bank, DeNofa is a bit lower on the line but has good proximity. Coming across the switchback, DeNofa over-rotates and spins out, while Yoshihara continues on. All Yoshihara has to do is maintain drift around the rest of the course, and he does so smoothly. This is very unfortunate for DeNofa as he had all the makings of his first Top 8 appearance of the season before the spin. All three judges vote unsurprisingly for Yoshihara to move on to the Great 8.

Essa vs. Gittin Jr.

ESSA LEAD – Essa has a faint entry close to the guard rail, Gittin Jr. initiates not far behind Essa but shuts it down shortly after. Not sure if there was a mechanical issue for Gittin Jr. or just a mistake, but he will definitely earn an ‘incomplete run’ mark from the judges. Essa continues the run with plenty of tire smoke and steering angle, he will have a huge advantage entering the second run. Gittin Jr. returns to the start line ready for the second run, so whatever happened doesn’t appear to be terminal.  

GITTIN JR. LEAD – Gittin Jr. intiiates and continues drift this time, Essa is about a car length behind him. Essa has a steering adjustment on the switchback, but only a minor mistake. Gittin Jr. has plenty of tire smoke and steering angle around the course, Essa has a slightly shallower line and angle around the second sweeper but otherwise keeps around two or three car lengths of proximity behind Gittin Jr. around the entire course. All three judges vote for Essa to move on to the Great 8; both Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR drivers are knocked out in the first two runs of the Top 16.

Bluss vs. Hamilton

BLUSS LEAD – Bluss initiates high on the bank, Hamilton initiates close behind him but loses drift and crashes into the guard rail. Bluss continues through the course and finishes cleanly, Hamilton has to be towed off course. Hamilton still has his competition timeout remaining, but the car may not be repairable in the narrow five minute window.

HAMILTON LEAD – Hamilton’s vehicle is too damaged to continue, so Bluss gets a bye run. All three judges give Bluss a win into the Great 8.

Deane vs. Heilbrunn

DEANE LEAD – This is a rematch from the Long Beach finals. Deane initiates high on the banking; Heilbrunn is very close behind him with similar line and angle. There’s around a car length of gap between the two cars. Both drivers get through the switchback cleanly and slide into the second turn. Deane has an almost perfect line around the entire track, while Heilbrunn maintains a single car length of proximity from Deane but with slightly shallower steering angle. Looking at the replay, Deane really has more steering angle at nearly every turn around the track, but Heilbrunn’s ability to stay close to Deane means he’s not at too big of a disadvantage. If Heilbrunn can open up a gap on his lead run, he may be able to sway the judges to vote for him.

HEILBRUNN LEAD – Both drivers initiate almost simultaneously, Heilbrunn is very high on the brank again while Deane is a bit lower on the bank but quickly works his way to the high line behind Heilbrunn. Deane keeps close proximity around the bank, then leaves just enough room for Heilbrunn to transition across the switchback. Heilbrunn slides a bit off the line and finds his way on the wrong side of the transition into the second turn, sliding up onto the banking. Deane adjusts nicely and passes Heilbrunn on the apron, taking the lead and finishing the run smoothly. Heilbrunn effectively beat himself on this run. All three judges vote for Deane to move on to the Great 8.

Tuerck vs. Bakchis

TUERCK LEAD – Tuerck initiates on a good line with good tire smoke, Bakchis starts out lower on the bank but keeps less than a car length of proximity around the entire bank. Both drivers keep a good line and plenty of tire smoke around the bank, cross the switchback smoothly, then enter the second turn. Bakchis dumps a ton of steering angle entering the turn, which slows him down a bit but he is able to hold the steering angle without over-rotating and continue in chase. Tuerck has another smooth transition across the second switchback and rounds the final turn smoothly, with around a two car length lead on Bakchis.

BAKCHIS LEAD – Bakchis Tuerck is very aggressive across the switchback and looks like he’s going to collide with Bakchis but saves it before he hits Bakchis, taking out the front clip in the process. Tuerck is able to recover nicely and stays in chase behind Bakchis, albeit on a slightly shallower line. Tuerck stays aggressive, again surging ahead to try and close the gap to Bakchis as they enter the third turn, but is on an awkward line and misses the ‘touch and go’ area. Bakchis finishes strong across the finish line. The judges request multiple replays to try and understand whether Tuerck was over-aggressive with his move across the first switchback, or whether Bakchis was slowing earlier than he should have which caused Bakchis’ surge to look more awkward. This incident is in almost the identical area that the Forrest Wang vs. Chris Forsberg collision happened last season, it will be interesting to see how the judges play this out. All three judges vote for Bakchis to move on to the Great 8. One of the judges explains that Bakchis didn’t appear to be slowing down too much; Tuerck was too aggressive on the throttle to try and close the gap.

*UPDATE – After the Top 16 had ended, we hear that there was a protest around this battle. Ryan Tuerck’s team protested that Bakchis slowed down with a lack of tire smoke in an area that wasn’t a slowdown zone. After review, two judges reversed their decision and voted for a “One More Time,” while one judge was happy with the vote for Bakchis. This means we will require a “One More Time” battle to settle this.

One More Time

TUERCK LEAD – Tuerck initiates on a mid to high line, then uses the left foot brake briefly to get the car rotated. Bakchis uses his manji entry to suck in tight to Tuerck shortly after initiation. Both drivers slowly let the car carry up to the high line, riding the top of the bank near the guard rail by midway through the bank. Tuerck exits the bank around three car lengths ahead of Bakchis, Bakchis brakes late into the second turn and uses a slightly shallower line to suck in close to Tuerck’s door. Bakchis transitions early exiting the second turn to get even closer to Tuerck, both drivers have a smooth line around the final turn. Good lead run from Tuerck, a good chase run from Bakchis. Perhaps a slight deduction from Tuerck for his line in a few locations, and a slight deduction from Bakchis for the lack of proximity across the switchback and shallow line around the second turn. Overall, this is likely close to being an even run for both drivers.

BAKCHIS LEAD – Bakchis is high on the bank, while Tuerck is a bit lower on the bank. Bakchis takes out the inside clip on the switchback while Tuerck isn’t as close to the clip. Bakchis opens up a big gap through the second turn, Tuerck is unable to track him down. Overall, the lack of proximity from Tuerck will likely work against him. One judge votes for Bakchis, while the other two vote for a “One More Time.” We’re going to see this tandem again!

One More Time x2

TUERCK LEAD – Both drivers initiate almost simultaneously, Bakchis is hot on Tuerck’s door through the entire bank. Bakchis allows Tuerck to transition, then sucks in tight on Tuerck’s door again through the entirety of the second turn. Tuerck’s line around the track is very good, with tons of tire smoke, but the proximity from Bakchis is very impressive.

BAKCHIS LEAD – Bakchis is high on the bank, Tuerck again is a bit shallower on his line but only a car length behind Bakchis. Tuerck again leaves just enough room for Bakchis to transition, then stays on Bakchis through the second turn. Bakchis has a nearly perfect line across the second switchback and fills the touch-and-go nicely before finishing across the finish line. Tuerck didn’t have anywhere near the same amount of proximity as Bakchis did in chase. One judge votes for Tuerck; the other two vote for Bakchis.

Aasbo vs. Rintanen

AASBO LEAD – Aasbo is very high on the bank, Rintanen on a much shallower line around the entire bank, but only two car lengths behind Aasbo. Aasbo comes off the bank cleanly and transitions across the switchback, Rintanen takes out the inner clip on the switchback. Aasbo continues the run with a good line and tons of tire smoke, Rintanen transitions late on the second switchback and finds himself completely off course at the touch-and-go before the third turn. This will be an incomplete run for Rintanen, while Aasbo’s run looked like a high scoring qualifying run. There will be a big advantage for Aasbo after this run.

RINTANEN LEAD – Rintanen has a much better line on this initiation, Aasbo is only a car length behind Rintanen through the bank. Rintanen is much smoother on this switchback and avoids taking out the clipping point, Rintanen enters the second turn with around a two car length lead. Aasbo has shallow steering angle, but a good line and is never more than two car lengths behind Rintanen. Rintanen has the right line this time around the third turn, but it won’t be enough to overcome the mistakes in his first run. All three judges vote for Aasbo to move on to the Great 8.

Pawlak vs. Jones

PAWLAK LEAD – Pawlak is high on the bank, Jones is taking a bit of a more conservative line and falls back to around four car lengths behind Pawlak. Both drivers transition smoothly onto the flat bottom, Pawlak continues with good steering angle on the outside line of the second turn while Jones used a shallower line and shallower steering angle to try and close down the gap without much success. Pawlak has a super snappy transition across the switchback and into the final turn, both drivers finish smoothly. No major mistakes from either driver, but Pawlak had a much better line around the track and the lack of proximity from Jones will likely be considered a disadvantage.

JONES LEAD – There’s a false start due to Jones crossing over into Pawlak’s lane prior to initiation, which impeded Pawlak’s line. Both drivers drifted most of the course before this could be red-flagged, so they were given a chance to change tires to be fair to both drivers. On the restart, we have a clean initiation from both drivers. Neither is very high on the bank but there’s only around two car length between the two cars. Both drivers look smooth through the switchback and the second turn, Jones has around a two car lead going into the third turn when Pawlak throws a snappy transition again in the same area. The transition puts Pawlak off the line as he isn’t able to get out to the touch-and-go section, and he has to cut the third corner a bit shallow. One judge votes for Pawlak, while two judges vote for a “One More Time."

One More Time

PAWLAK LEAD – Pawlak has a good initiation and is high on the bank with tons of tire smoke, Jones is following on a slightly lower line around two car lengths behind Pawlak. Around the entire track, Pawlak has more steering angle while Jones maintains consistent proximity, if there’s an advantage for either driver it’s probably Pawlak. There’s a good chance that they’re close to even after this run.

JONES LEAD – Jones is a bit higher on the bank this time, Pawlak is only a car length behind Jones. Both drivers are smooth around the bank, Jones has a clean transition across the switchback while Pawlak over-rotates and can’t recover. Jones enters the second turn solo as Pawlak backs out of the throttle and coasts off the course. Jones finishes the final two turns smoothly and will take the win into the Great 8. All three judges vote for Jones to move on to the Great 8.

Coffman vs. Nishida

COFFMAN LEAD – Coffman with a good initiation, taking the high line around the bank with tons of steering angle. Nishida is around two car lengths behind Coffman but is on a lower line with much shallower steering angle. Coffman has a smooth transition across the switchback and a good line around the second sweeper, Nishida has a good chase but still around three car lengths behind Coffman for most of the run.

NISHIDA LEAD – Coffman is sideways as the chase car before Nishida can initiate, but both drivers have a good line in the bank. Nishida taps the wall at the end of the big bank, but powers through it and continues across the switchback. Coffman stays around two car lengths behind Nishida around most of the track. Nishida’s lap looks smooth, but a bit conservative on the line and steering angle while Coffman looks dialed in with his S13. All three judges vote for Coffman to move on to the Great 8. This is Jones’ first Great 8 appearance in his ninth season. He will be excited for the next round!

NOS ENERGY DRINK GREAT 8

Essa vs. Yoshihara

ESSA LEAD – Essa high on the bank, Yoshihara is on a much lower line around the bank. Yoshihara loses a lot of angle coming off the bank and might have completely lost drift through the switchback. Essa has good smoke and angle around the second turn, and keeps the proximity down to around two car lengths around the entire second turn. Essa finishes the final turn with plenty of tire smoke and steering angle, while Yoshihara is shallow around the final inner clipping point. This will likely be a major advantage to Essa.

YOSHIHARA LEAD – Yoshihara is higher on the bank on his lead run than in chase, Essa is around two car lengths behind Yoshihara through the bank. Essa has slightly shallower steering angle around the second turn but keeps consistent proximity to Yoshihara. Yoshihara looks much smoother on his lead run and has a much better line overall. All three judges vote for Essa to move on to the Final 4.

Bluss vs. Deane

BLUSS LEAD – Bluss is very high on the bank and taps the guardrail at least once if not twice. Deane was just a single car length behind Bluss, initially starting on a lower line but sliding into the correct line quickly. Deane is aggressive on the chase, sacrificing line a few times to maintain close proximity. Bluss gets out to the touch-and-go before the third turn while Deane takes a shallow line and ignores that touch-and-go to stay close to Bluss. Some small compromises from Deane to stay close to Bluss, but overall, the proximity Deane had is often promoted over the superior line that Bluss had.

DEANE LEAD – Deane is equally high on the bank, Bluss is equally close in proximity behind him. Both drivers have nearly equal steering angle across the switchback, Deane is on the outside line around the second turn while Bluss is a bit shallower in the second run. Deane gets out to the touch-and-go zone while Bluss stays close to Deane. All three judges vote for Bluss to move on to the Final 4. We get the explanation that the sacrifices Deane made in line were noticeable, and Bluss was able to maintain similar proximity in chase without sacrificing as much of his line.

Aasbo vs. Bakchis

AASBO LEAD – Aasbo has a nice high initiation, Bakchis initiates a bit later but sucks in very tight to Aasbo. Wow, it looked like there was nearly contact by Bakchis but he was able to narrowly avoid it! This was one of the most aggressive chase runs we’ve seen today, especially on the early part of the bank which can be one of the most inconsistent as far as how the drivers control the car getting to angle. Aasbo’s car really accelerates coming off the bank and across the switchback, opening up a three car gap. Bakchis uses shallower steering angle on the switchback and late braking into the second turn to close the gap down to less than a car length by midway through the second sweeper. Aasbo has a great line and steering angle, but the story of this run was clearly the proximity in chase from Bakchis.

BAKCHIS LEAD – Bakchis is high on the bank, but Aasbo is less than a car length away. Bakchis extends the lead to around three car lengths through the switchback, but has a slight steering correction transitioning back before the second turn. Aasbo uses that steering correction to suck in tight to Bakchis. Overall. we’re seeing Bakchis with a nearly perfect line around the course, while Aasbo has nearly perfect proximity. All three judges vote for a “One More Time.” We’ll see this tandem battle again!

One More Time

AASBO LEAD – Aasbo with a good initiation, Bakchis again closes the gap down to just inches with Aasbo midway through the bank and keeps similar proximity through the end of the bank. Aasbo opens up a slight gap to around a car length and a half across the switchback, but Bakchis stays tight to Aasbo around the second turn. Aasbo has a great line around the track, but the story of this run is really how magnificently Bakchis is keeping proximity to Aasbo in chase.

BAKCHIS LEAD – Bakchis has an initiation high on the bank, Aasbo isn’t nearly as close in proximity. Bakchis continues across the switchback cleanly, Aasbo continues to chase until midway through the second turn when Aasbo loses drift and cruises across the final switchback and final turn. Bachis finished the run smoothly, Aasbo will get an incomplete on this run. All three judges vote for Bakchis to move on to the Final 4.

Coffman vs. Jones

COFFMAN LEAD – Coffman has a good initiation while Jones is much later to initiate and on a shallower line. Jones is around a single car length behind Coffman for the entire second turn, leaving just enough room for Coffman to transition before sucking in tight to him again entering the third turn. Midway through the final turn, Jones slows and pulls off; this will be an Incomplete run for him. Coffman finishes cleanly, so this will be a big disadvantage for Jones.

JONES LEAD – Jones has a better initiation on this run, Coffman looks to be taking it a little conservative but still maintaining pressure. Jones has a good line on the bank and through the second turn, but takes out the inner clipping point at the second switchback. Coffman stays around two to three car lengths behind Jones through the course, but without any major mistakes. All three judges vote for Coffman to move on to the Final 4.

BLACKVUE FINAL 4

Essa vs. Bluss

BLUSS LEAD – Bluss high on the bank, Essa starts on a lower line but closes the gap nicely. Bluss has a good transition across the switchback, Essa transitions almost perfectly just inches from Bluss’ rear bumper and both drivers stay smooth through the second turn. Essa is a bit shallower on his line but stays close to Bluss through the turn. There’s a bit of a sacrifice in line for Essa, but the proximity looks great!

ESSA LEAD – Essa is much higher on his lead, Bluss has very shallow steering angle but is close to Essa. Essa has a great line with tons of tire smoke, but Bluss is noticeably shallower on steering angle in multiple areas around the track. Bluss takes out the inner clip on the second switchback, while Essa finishes his run cleanly with no noticeable mistakes. All three judges vote for Essa to move on to the Finals. Bluss will earn third place as he has outqualified both Bakchis and Coffman.

Coffman vs. Bakchis

COFFMAN LEAD – As Coffman is pulling to the starting line, his car is leaking fluids. He will call his Competition Timeout and be towed back to the pits. We see the countdown on the screen, and see Coffman’s car firing up nearly as the clock strikes 0 and pulling out of the pits. We find out that Coffman missed the cutoff by around 15 seconds. The work had completed, but the car was not running and on the way to grid, so he was not allowed to continue. Bakchis takes a solo lap and earns an appearance in his fifth career final, his first of the 2017 season. All three judges vote for Bakchis to move on to the Final Battle.

BLACK MAGIC FINAL BATTLE

Essa vs. Bakchis

It’s been nearly 30 minutes since we last had a tandem battle, and the track has changed considerably. The sun has completely set, and the lights are now on at the Wall Speedway track for the first time in Formula Drift history. Bakchis and Essa have met six previous times, with each driver winning three previous matchups. The most recent matchup happened in 2016 at Texas in the Top 16, and Bakchis earned the win. Both of these drivers are now back in championship contention, and the extra 20 championship points that can be earned in this round would go a long ways towards that contention.

ESSA LEAD – Essa initiates fairly high on the bank, Bakchis starts his manji entry even before Essa is sideways. Tons of steering angle and a good line from Essa, Bakchis is around a car length behind Essa through the bank. Essa has more steering angle across the switchback, Bakchis again uses a late braking technique to close the gap entering the second turn sweeper. Essa keeps around a two car lead ahead of Bakchis through the entire second turn sweeper and across the second switchback, which is more of a gap than previous drivers have had against Bakchis. This was a great run from both drivers, really no major mistakes from either driver.

BAKCHIS LEAD – Bakchis initiates a bit lower on the bank than Essa did, Essa is around a car length behind him through the entire bank. Coming off the bank, Bakchis takes out the front clipping point on the switchback, but behind him, Essa’s car washes out and he loses drift near the switchback clip. Bakchis continues into the second turn sweeper while Essa drives off course. This may be a mechanical issue from Essa, but will definitely be an incomplete run. Bakchis just has to keep it together to earn the win, and he finishes the final two turns in drift with plenty of tire smoke.

ROUND 4 FINAL STANDINGS

We have a winner! For the second consecutive event, Bluss will earn the third place position on the podium and has moved up to sixth overall in the championship. The winner of the Wall Speedway round is announced as Odi Bakchis — rather unsurprisingly due to Essa’s Incomplete run. During the winning interview, we find out that Bakchis has blown his motor as he was crossing the finish line, and would have been unlikely to continue if there was another run. This was the second blown motor from Bakchis as he also blew up his primary engine during qualifying. But he’s now holding the carbon fiber first place trophy, so the mechanical losses will be forgotten.

The win is the third of Bakchis’ career, and he now moves up to fifth place in the championship standings, 87 points behind James Deane. Essa now sits in second place overall, just 56 points behind Deane. The top seven drivers in the series are separated by less than 100 points, with another six drivers less than 150 points behind Deane. We’re now officially halfway through the Formula Drift season, and the championship is still very much up in the air. No driver has made it to the Great 8 in every round, and only five drivers have made it to the Top 16 in each round.

The next round of the Formula Drift Series takes place at Autodrome St. Eustache in Montreal, Quebec, July 14-15. Stay tuned for more coverage from the Formula Drift series!

While it has become commonplace to add easy horsepower and copious amounts of torque to today’s diesel pickups, tripling the factory power rating can lead to rampant traction issues with the wrong tread on board. All-terrains and mud-terrains, while popular choices for trucks, don’t perform the greatest in situations where traction on pavement is paramount. In fact, with an aggressive tread in the mix, it can be a downright chore to keep a high-powered diesel truck glued to the road.

For the better part of a decade, owners of street-bound diesels have called upon Nitto’s NT420S to give their daily drivers and play toys the traction they need. Not only has the all-season tread been the key ingredient in getting countless 8,000-pound trucks off the line and through the traps as quickly as possible, it’s also provided superb ride comfort, wear characteristics and wet weather performance — all at an affordable price.

Read on to find out exactly why the 420S has become the go-to street and track tire for the diesel crowd.

All-Season Tires on Diesel Trucks?

All-terrains, mud-terrains or any other tread designed to excel off-road typically aren't always conducive to accelerating an 8,000-pound vehicle with upwards of 800 hp and 1,500 lb-ft of torque on tap. While traction in rear-wheel drive is virtually unheard of at these power levels, even four-wheel-drive traction can be compromised by an all-terrain or mud-terrain style tread pattern (usually in the form of spinning and/or hopping). This is precisely why the Nitto NT420S is so popular among enthusiasts that still want to drive their high-powered trucks on the street.

Trusted for Traction, On-Point Pricing

The Nitto NT420S has a reputation for helping highly modified diesel trucks find traction on and off the track. But why? For starters, its large outer tread blocks increase the amount of surface area in contact with the road. More contact area equals more grip. And as for its price point, that’s attractive, too. The 420S can be had in 305/50R20 (one of the most common sizes found on diesels) for roughly $150 to $170 a tire. Compare that to an all-terrain or a mud tire, and you could be paying as much as $350 apiece!

Stable Handling, Even Wear

Not that 4-ton diesel pickups are meant for cornering or high-speed maneuvers, but added stability in those types of situations is always welcome. With its incorporation of slanted, three-dimensional tread blocks, tire flex is vastly reduced on the 420S. And as for longevity, its utilization of an asymmetrical, non-directional tread pattern means cross-rotation is possible to ensure even wear.

Wet-Weather Performer

When it comes to wet weather, the 420S performs at the top of the all-season market. Nitto’s unique use of siping across the tread pattern provides additional biting edges, which helps preserve traction in rain and also effectively aids the tire’s grip in snow. In addition, the center tread pattern was designed to effectively disperse water away from the tire.

No Need for Slicks

One major advantage of running the 420S is that there is no need to swap to a set of slicks in order to get the elapsed time you’re after at the drag strip. The 420S truly is an all-around performer. Thanks to its do-anything nature, the owner of this ’08 F-250 is able to simply show up at the track wearing the same rolling stock it sported all week, air down a bit and enter the staging lanes.

Snappy 60-Foots

With nothing more than a free-flowing aftermarket exhaust, a 300+ hp tuning file uploaded to the PCM, a 100 hp shot of nitrous and (of course) a set of 420S tires, the 6.4L Power Stroke pictured above cut a 1.69-second 60-foot en route to a 7.55-second pass at 91 mph in the eighth-mile (right side of time slip). This translates into an 11.85 in the quarter-mile at roughly 113 mph.

WHAT ENTHUSIASTS THINK

Mike Satkowski: 600 HP, 12-Second ’97 F-250

As an avid drag racer, Mike Satkowski has put the 420S through its paces, and it has delivered where other tires let him down.

“I have not had any issues getting them to hook at the track,” he told us. “I just air them down to 30 psi, and they grip. And honestly [I bought them because] they’re affordable and provide a very quiet ride on the street.”

Dave Burton: 600+ HP, 12-Second LBZ Duramax

Another regular at the drag strip is Dave Burton and his ’07 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD. Affordability, availability, ride quality and traction all attracted him to the 420S tread, and he’s never looked back since switching from an all-terrain tire.

“I chose them because they were easy to acquire,” Dave told us. “They ride great, are quiet, handle well and coming from an all-terrain they were a huge difference for me. I ran them at the track several times and was able to cut a 1.64-second 60-foot. I was really happy with that.”

Justin Gerebizza: 1,000 HP 6.0L Power Stroke

Even with four-digit horsepower potential on tap, Justin Gerebizza never thought twice about driving his heavily-modified 6.0L Power Stroke to work every day. But to make sure traction was never an issue (and because he ran them with great success on his previous, 650 hp 6.0L), he chose 420Ss to get him from Point A to Point B.

“They are great tires," he told us. “They’re soft, hook great, are very quiet and they also perform good in the rain.”

David Petrick: 10-Second ’07 Dodge Ram 2500

A 10-second daily driver is nothing to scoff at — and traction can definitely be a fine art with 1,000-rwhp on tap. To get his compound-turbo’d 5.9L Cummins to grip and go at the track, David Petrick looked no further than the 420S tread pattern.

“One of the biggest reasons I chose the 420S was because it’s a soft compound tire that I hoped would hook decent at the drag strip — and you can’t beat the price!” With his ¾-ton Ram currently capable of running 10.70’s in the quarter-mile, David’s goal is to eventually squeeze a 10.2 or 10.3-second pass out of the Nittos.

“If the track prep is decent, the 420Ss will hook very good for a street-driven tire. I’ve cut a best 60-foot of 1.62 seconds on them so far,” David said. “But even on a non-prepped track they still average a mid-to-low 1.7-second 60-foot.”

Chris Hoover: 800+ HP 7.3L Power Stroke

One more vote for the 420S’s versatility comes from Chris Hoover, a devoted Ford fan with an 800 hp, compound-turbo’d Super Duty.

“They do great as an all-around street tire and they hold the road really well under higher horsepower,” Chris told us. “What I’ve also noticed is that the more they wear, the better they hook up.” Beyond that, Chris is convinced the 420S provides the best bang for the buck in the diesel segment.

“As far as I’m concerned, the 420S is the best tire for the price — especially for what I’m doing with it [drag racing and street driving].”

Brett Jones: 1,200+ HP ’07 Dodge Ram 2500

Even in the 1,000-to-1,200-rwhp range — where traction normally found during boosted, four-wheel-drive launches on street tires starts to become dicey — the 420S still holds its ground. Brett Jones can certainly attest to this, as his 5.9L Cummins-powered ‘07 Dodge Mega Cab packs a large set of compound turbos, 200-percent over injectors, dual (modified) CP3’s and more than 1,200-rwhp.

“They’re good for traction [even with big horsepower], ride nice and are very quiet,” he told us.

The great thing about Goodguys events like the 24th Summer Get-Together held last weekend in Pleasanton is that they are much more than car shows. Sure, it's a lot of fun to see the thousands of vintage and custom machines on display, but that's just the beginning. Aside from the main show, there's a huge area with cars for sale, a large swap meet full of new and secondhand parts, a burnout contest and more.

But for me, the most exciting part about the event was easily the autocross completion, something that most Goodguys events on the nationwide tour include.

When you think of a typical autocross event, you probably picture Miatas, BMWs, Porsches and other imported sports cars, but the Goodguys Autocross events are a different story. Around here, it's all about dodging cones in vehicles from the good old USA.

The West Coast in particular has an avid group of autocrossers who build and race a wide variety of American muscle cars and pony cars, and the Pleasanton Goodguys events are where you'll find veterans like Brian Hobaugh in his wide body '65 Corvette that was featured in "Fate of the Furious."

This particular event included the West Coast Muscle Car Shootout which featured an all-out battle for the fastest time of the weekend with a $1000 cash prize up for grabs. When the dust and cones settled, victory claimed by the 1972 Corvette driven by Mike Maier.

And while it's awesome to see the experienced drivers in battling it out in well-prepared cars, the Goodguys Autocross events are also very welcome to beginners. There's a certain "run what you brung" spirit that makes things a lot of fun.

Sure, it was cool to see the pros out there ripping it up, but there was also stuff like this bone stock Chevy 454 SS pickup out there having a blast.

Or if that wasn't enough, how about this completely stock Chevelle station wagon? The idea here isn't to set the fastest time of the day, but to improve your skills behind the wheel, learn your car and have a fantastic time while doing so.

Like most autocross events, the course was very technical with lots of extremely tight turns and short straightaways that kept most cars below 60 miles per hour so. While that might not be the ideal configuration for cars with tons of horsepower, it makes for a big challenge trying to get the power down out of the corners.

It also makes it incredibly fun to watch as drivers get sideways trying to navigate the course as quickly as possible. There were a few occasions where one might mistake things for a drift event.

As for the entry list, included it everything from purpose-built cone killers to brand new machines right off the show room floor, like this GT350 Mustang complete with the temporary registration tag still in the windshield.

It was the Mustangs, Camaros and Corvettes that were most plentiful in pits but they were also joined by a selection of less mainstream choices like this Mercury Capri powered by a 2.3 liter turbocharged four cylinder. Next time I'll be wrapping up my coverage with a more detailed look at five of the more unusual cars competing in the shootout.

In the meantime, be sure the checkout the bonus gallery below featuring scenes from both on the track and in the pits at the West Coast Muscle Car Shootout.

“If you could afford any car today, which one would it be?”

Chances are you have a quick answer — probably several — to that timeless question. Chances are also good that you rarely get to see one of these cars in person, save for through the windows of high-end dealerships or on the floor of the traveling auto show. Catching one on the road is a more distant possibility, let alone hearing one roar to life or watching it perform at full tilt.

Right? Not so fast. 

Unless you’re more a fan of luxury or utility than performance, or just really like cars like the Toyota Camry, the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor that your dream car is among today’s top-performing sports cars competing within IMSA-sanctioned sportscar racing. And seeing several of them modified to the hilt with today’s cutting-edge technology, battling their rivals in a shared quest for ultimate performance, is as easy as buying a ticket to a local event.

UNDERSTANDING THE SPORT

At its most basic level, professional motor racing can be divided into two categories: open-wheel (sometimes called “formula”) and closed-wheel (often called “sportscar”). Unlike open-wheel racing, where organizations like Formula 1 and IndyCar have led the sport for sometimes over a century with little change to their name or structure, closed-wheel racing has been a lot more confusing.

There have been more closed-wheel series than open-wheel, many have gone by their title-sponsors’ names too commonly and suffered identity crises when those sponsors change, and too much competition from rival series has sometimes spread the game too thin. Whatever the reason, closed-wheel racing today is a whole lot less complicated, and as a result, a whole lot more enjoyable.

At the top of the professional sportscar racing ladder in the U.S. today is the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). They’ve been around for nearly 50 years and were previously the organization behind the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), which merged with its very similar rival, NASCAR-backed Grand-Am Road Racing, in 2013.

IMSA racing series include the WeatherTech (series sponsor) SportsCar Championship (series name); Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge; Prototype Challenge powered by Mazda; Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge; Lamborghini Super Trofeo; and Ferrari Challenge; with classes for different types of competing machines therein.

Let’s take a closer look.

IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

IMSA’s premier competition series, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (previously called the “Tudor United SportsCar Championship,” when Tudor sponsored the series from 2013 to 2015), is often where you’ll find the quickest and fastest cars professional closed-wheel cars in North America.

Two styles of cars compete in this series: racing Prototypes and Grand Touring.

1. Racing Prototypes

At first glance, racing prototypes appear radically different from any road-going car. Their low and central center of gravity, massively wide tires and high horsepower (among a myriad of other features) put them ahead of the pack. Though they may not appear to bear any resemblance to road-going cars, often times their respective OEM teams will power them with tuned versions of assembly-line engines and other mechanical components.

Racing prototypes are sub-divided into two classes in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Challenge competition:

Prototype class (P)

When the sun’s shining and the track is dry, these are the quickest and fastest closed-wheel cars in North America. Speeds of around 200 mph are common on the fastest tracks. Engines vary from factory-backed team to team, and currently range from Cadillac 6.2L V8s to turbocharged Nissan V6s and Mazda inline-fours. Power output generally ranges from 500 to 600 hp, and disregarding the according weight penalties/advantages, a base weight of 2,046 pounds is standard among their fully equipped carbon-fiber monocoques.

Prototype Challenge class (PC)

Whereas many modifications found on Prototype-class cars can vary by manufacturer, the Prototype Challenge class is a “spec” class, meaning all cars must incorporate the same open-cockpit ORECA FLM09 body and Chevrolet LS3 V8 engine. Weight and horsepower are kept at 2,002 pounds and 485 hp, respectively. Though they’ll typically only reach speeds up to 185 mph, PC-class cars can be quicker through the turns than anything else on the grid. PC is also a pro-am class, which pairs professionals with advanced amateurs in the driver line-up.

2. Grand Touring

For most of us, this is where things get really fun. Products of factory-backed teams, Grand Touring cars can take the shape of the newest Acura NSXs, Ford GTs, Lamborghini Huracans, Porsche 911s, Mercedes-AMG GT S, BMW M6s, Lexus RC Fs, Chevy Corvettes and more, and are powered by tuned versions of each manufacturers’ respective engines.

Power output remains at about 500 hp and top speed at around 180 mph, but these machines can occasionally outpace their prototype brethren in inclimate weather. Though they appear similar to production cars, they’re still custom-built race machines, but most often serve as development testbeds for their respective OEMs.

Grand Touring Le Mans class (GTLM)

Though top speed is generally the same among machines of IMSA’s two GT classes, the GTLMs are a bit quicker around the track due to being allowed a little more power and aerodynamic enhancements. Like the P-class prototypes, GTLM cars display a red number card and have red mirrors and other accents, whereas GTD and PC-class cars display those items in green.

Grand Touring Daytona class (GTD)

GTD cars are virtually identical to their GTLM brothers, despite the GTD class technically being a spec series. Unlike the spec PC-class prototypes, GTD machines can take the shape of the respective factory teams’ production cars, as well as a variety of their respective engines, but certain components (like tires and aero) are mandated to come from one “spec” manufacturer. Power tops out at 500 hp (usually less), and they’re usually just a bit slower around the track — but are every bit as impressive to watch.

IMSA CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTSCAR CHALLENGE SERIES

Almost always running in tandem with the WeatherTech SportsCar Challenge on IMSA race weekends, are the cars and competitors of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. In contrast to the custom-built GT and Prototype race machines of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, this series’ two classes field cars that were pulled straight off manufacturers’ production lines and then modified for race duty.

Grand Sport class (GS)

GS-class competition is where you’ll find modified versions of some of the top-performing import, domestic and European cars in showrooms today — cars like the BMW M3, Porsche 911, Ford Shelby GT350R-C and Mustang Boss 302 R, Nissan 370Z, Subaru WRX and even the McLaren GT4. Relatively minor modifications and engine tuning yield 400-500 hp and top speeds of 175 mph, preserving much of the same hardware as these cars do in dealerships. GS cars are easily differentiated from ST-class cars by their black windshield banners.

Street Tuner class (ST)

Also based on production counterparts, cars of the ST class are most akin to what we own or strive to build. ST-class cars get a yellow windshield banner, and popular platforms include the BMW 128 and 325, Porsche Boxter and Cayman, Honda Civic Si, Nissan Altima, Fiat 500, Mazda MX-5, and more. Horsepower ranging from 220 to 280 is common, as are top speeds in excess of 150 mph. Though the cars of the ST class are the slowest in IMSA competition, they most commonly serve as development opportunities for emerging vehicle tech and optional hardware, and under certain conditions, can actually outperform their GS rivals.

LAMBORGHINI SUPER TROFEO SERIES

For decades, Lambo guys have had to endure the taunting from Ferrari and Porsche guys about how their brand of choice did a lot of talking and showboating of its performance potential, but seldomly (at least, compared to Ferrari and Porsche) proved itself in racing. But as of the inception of Lamborghini’s Super Trofeo international competition, that’s no longer the case.

Super Trofeo is both a one-make series (open only to Lamborghini Huracan LP620-2 Super Trofeo cars) and a spec series (all competing cars are nearly mechanically identical). It’s also unique in that while it races alongside IMSA competition in North America, it also includes series in Europe and Asia. Championship competition in each region exists for teams, as well as professional drivers, amateur drivers and “youngsters,” and provides a World Final event for drivers in each region to compete for top honors.

Today’s Huracán LP 620-2 Super Trofeo competition car is an amazing machine. It features a carbon-fiber-reinforced aluminum body with aerodynamics developed in conjunction with Dallara Engineering. Powering the cars is the production Huracan’s 5.2L V10 engine, tuned by MoTeC M182 and PDM 30 electronics to output a rock-solid 620 hp, which is transferred to the rear wheels via an X-Trac sequential six-speed transmission. Ohlins TTX two-way adjustable dampers and rigid bushings help form the suspension, and spec 315-series (rear) and 305-series (front) is standard around the cars’ 18-inch forged monobloc center-lock wheels.

Top speed is limited to 202 mph, and lap times are fast and competition fierce. Contact is common, and while the lack of diversity in Super Trofeo races may seem dull to some, watching million-dollar supercars duke it out at 200 mph just never gets old.

PORSCHE GT3 CUP CHALLENGE SERIES

And finally, there’s IMSA’s second one-make spec series: the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge. There are two classes here: Platinum, for new-for-2017 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars; and Gold, for 2014-2016 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. A Masters Championship also is conducted in the Platinum class. Unlike most of the IMSA field, Porsche GT3 Cup competition is open only to semi-professional and amateur drivers.

Like the cars of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge series, Porsche GT3 Cup cars are also production-based and modified in terms of performance and safety for racing duty. At their heart is a naturally aspirated, 4.0L horizontally opposed Porsche six-cylinder boxer engine, generating 485 hp and mated to a Porsche six-speed sequential dogbox.

The new-generation Cup car presents a multitude of improvements over its predecessor that may bore anyone who’s not a true Porsche diehard, but let it be said that they are a bit faster and more durable on track.   

Sure, power output is nearly identical to production-model GT3s, and top speed is often drag-limited to be slightly lower on the race car, but where else can you see (and hear, and feel) 20 of Porsche’s greatest car running full tilt at once?

HOW IT ALL WORKS

A typical IMSA race weekend sees several of these series activate at once, and when we met the series at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, a few weeks ago (where these images were shot), all of them participated.

Each series was given dedicated track time to conduct the three main components of the weekend:

1. Practice

After teams set up, they’re given time during the first days of a typical four-day event to hit the track and log data, troubleshoot any issues, work on their pit and driver-change strategies and allow drivers time to familiarize themselves with the track. Typically, all classes of a particular series practice at once, and drivers are generally forgiving with one another in allowing passes and faster/slower paces.

2. Qualifying

This is where competition begins. Qualifying sessions last 15 minutes, and one is provided for  competing machines of each particular class of a series, and each class qualifies separately. The goal of qualifying is to clock the quickest and fastest single lap possible around the racetrack, and the order in which drivers do this by the end of the qualifying session is the order in which they’ll start the race, with the fastest driver leading their respective class.

Since all-out speed is of primary concern, teams may turn up power, run with less fuel or run on the most aggressive tires possible. Qualifying is a great place to see drivers push the limits, and with all cars of a series generally on track at once during qualifying sessions, the drama can be intense.

3. Race Day

Here’s where it all comes together. Festivities start with a brief period before the race in which fans are invited onto the grid to mingle with drivers and teams, and see their amazing machines up close.

Then, drivers and cars file in behind a pace car in their qualifying orders, and take to the track behind the pace car.

After the first lap the pace car pulls off, and drivers maintain their formation and speed until they cross the start/finish line under a green flag, and after that all bets are off. What ensues is very often a brutal fight to the finish, for as long as the race lasts.

IMSA races can range from sprint races that last under an hour to several hours, to endurance races as long as one full day (as is the case with the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona). Often times pit stops and driver changes are mandatory, and longevity, fuel consumption, tire and brake life, and driver fatigue all become important parts of a winning strategy. All classes of each series race at once (even though drivers are only competing among each other in the same class), so sharing the course with competitors of faster/slower classes presents yet another challenge.

Each car displays a number in its LED readout as it races; that number indicates the car’s position from the lead in its respective class. Once the duration of the race has passed, the chief starter will wave the checkered flag at the start/finish line, marking the end of the race for each competitor as their car crosses the line.

Race wins are awarded in each class to competitors who have logged the most laps or who has crossed the line first among competitors logging the same amount of laps. Season points are awarded for race wins and are tallied to determine Driver and Manufacturer championship standings at the end of the season.

At each stop, race winners celebrate their achievements...

...others reflect on what can be done better next time around...

...and everyone shares in the celebration of having concluded another awesome event.

WHY SPORTSCAR RACING ROCKS

Anything can happen in a race. Unexpected twists of fate can lead to the sure bets ending their race early, underdogs regularly come through for the win and there's a whole lot of everything in between — crashes and car fires included. The best way to watch all of the action is to stream the event online or watch it live on TV, but nothing compares to seeing, hearing, feeling, even smelling it all in person. Once that aroma of race gas, brake pads and burnt rubber fills your soul, you’ll never be the same. Guaranteed. Maybe so much so that you’ll wonder why so many others haven't gotten into it!

...yet, that is.

For more information on IMSA racing, including the full season race and broadcast schedule, visit www.IMSA.com.

Check out our gallery below for even more racing action. 

The engine that's been put in everything, the Chevy LS engine, is the perfect way to bring together... well, about everything. The Holley LS Fest West celebrated the perfect platform for building a car you can have fun with. So, this event is much more than just a car show–although they've got that too.

Drift competition, autocross, road racing, drag racing, dyno pulls, burnout competition, off-road racing–the Las Vegas Motor Speedway was burning up with all the action. While we covered the event in detail in our full story, we wanted to give you a better look at all the awesome fun. Browse the full gallery above (toggle the grid icon to the left to switch to a full gallery view) and get a better idea of the action in the video below.

Photos by Kristin Cline and Kyle Wells.

Jump over to the full article from LS Fest West to get more–we'll see you at the next event in September.

Competition was steep at New Jersey's Wall Speedway for Round 4 of Formula Drift, as nine drivers qualified with a score of 90 or higher. Chelsea DeNofa of Team Nitto and Mustang RTR snagged his first career pole qualifier but was unable to make it to his first Great 8 appearance of the season after an unfortunate spinout in his Top 16 run against Dai Yoshihara. Last year's FDNJ podium drivers Vaughn Gittin Jr., Chris Forsberg and Alex Heilbrunn were also eliminated before the Great 8 round, so competition proceeded without them, with Michael Essa and Odi Bakchis facing each other in the Final Battle for a tie-breaking seventh career matchup. Essa ran an Incomplete, and Bakchis earned his third career win, advancing in the Championship standings to fifth place.

See more Wall Speedway action in the photo gallery at the top.

(Photos: Andrew Jennings)

Formula D Pro Championship Standings:

1. James Deane - 297 pts
2. Michael Essa - 241 pts
3. Fredric Aasbo - 230 pts
4. Ryan Tuerck - 211 pts
5. Odi Bakchis - 210 pts
6. Kristaps Bluss - 207 pts
7. Dean Kearney - 204 pts
8. Vaughn Gittin Jr. - 179 pts
9. Matt Coffman - 174 pts
10. Alex Heilbrunn - 174 pts
11. Daijiro Yoshihara - 157 pts
12. Alec Hohnadell - 155 pts
13. Chris Forsberg - 155 pts
14. Piotr Wiecek - 138 pts
15. Matt Field - 124 pts
16. Nate Hamilton - 121 pts
17. Jeff Jones - 120 pts
18. Chelsea DeNofa - 112 pts
19. Justin Pawlak - 110 pts
20. Juha Rintanen - 107 pts
21. Jhonnattan Castro - 105 pts
22. Ken Gushi - 91 pts
23. Cameron Moore - 88 pts
24. Kyle Mohan - 86 pts
25. Dan Burkett - 74 pts
26. Pat Goodin - 72 pts
27. Robbie Nishida - 70 pts
28. Taylor Hull - 36 pts
29. Georgy Chivchyan - 18 pts

Visit FormulaD.com for more information.

See the complete FD New Jersey rundown in our Top 32 Play-by-Play.

When it comes to the Subaru BRZ, the front engine, rear-wheel-drive car is extremely impressive out of the box. Sure, the 200-horsepower boxer engine could benefit from a little forced induction, but there’s no denying that this is one well-balanced car. Possibly the one area that falls a little short are the stock wheels and tires. From a cosmetic standpoint, they’re pretty boring. In terms of performance, they are definitely underwhelming.

This is mostly due to the fact that Subaru understands that not everyone is looking to push their BRZ to the limits on the track. For our 2013 BRZ, we wanted to find a tire and wheel package that would work well for an assortment of spirited driving conditioning, such as autocross and track days. Obviously, they needed to be practical for street driving as well since this Subaru isn’t a dedicated race car by any means.

To get an idea for what was available, we spent some time cruising Discount Tire Direct. There, we were able to browse through an assortment of different tire and wheel configurations for our car. We ultimately landed on a set of 225/75R17 Nitto NT05 tires and 17x8 MB Wheels Revolts in a matte bronze finish. Since we were getting tires and wheels, we opted to have Discount Tire Direct mount, balance and fit them with new TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) sensors that were specific to our BRZ.

In less than a week, we had our tires and wheels delivered directly to our door—a service that anyone who’s ever tried to haul around tires and wheels in a car will greatly appreciate.

Admittedly, anytime we have something as large as this shipped to us, we are nervous about the condition it arrives in. Thankfully, Discount Tire Direct's shipping department didn’t skimp out on protective packaging.

The new wheels came balanced, aired up and literally ready to install. Given the MB Wheels Revolt wheel is cast aluminum, we didn’t add any unnecessary wheel weight to the car.

Since we opted for new TPMS sensors, we didn’t have to break down the old wheels. However, you will need to recalibrate your Subaru’s computer to recognize the new sensors. You can do this via the dealership or with a handheld downloader.

We went for the NT05 as it’s one of the most performance-oriented summer tires you can buy. It’s designed specifically for those who need a tire that can handle the extreme demands of a race track and be at home on the highway. From Formula Drift masters such as Vaughn Gittin Jr. to daily driven muscle cars, the NT05 is known for its incredible grip.

Since the NT05 is a directional tire, you’ll need to ensure that you have your driver and passenger tires sorted correctly. This directional tread design was the result of advanced computer simulation and real-world testing. While it makes rotating the tires a little more challenging, the performance payoff is well worth it.

Since the wheel bore of the MB Wheel is different from that of the BRZ’s hub, we needed to install a hub-centric ring set. We got ours (part #73-5615) from Discount Tire Direct and were able to simply press the rings in by hand.

Our new wheel set came with new lug nuts and splined lug key. Since the Subaru is mostly stock, we were able to use a standard floor jack and jack stand to swap on the new wheels. Be sure to torque the lugs down to 89 ft-lbs and re-check after a hundred miles or so.

The Revolt series wheel in the 17x8 has a 42 mm offset, which is ideal for our BRZ. This puts the wheel close to flush with the wheelwell and doesn’t require any type of wheel spacer or adapter.

Going with a slightly wider 225/45R17 tire provides us with a larger contact patch, which equates to more grip. It’s also important to note that we were able to run this size tire without having to do any suspension or wheelwell modifications.

Wheel choices can be very subjective, but we’re really digging the matte bronze finish with our Galaxy Blue Silica BRZ. While we could have gone with a slightly larger wheel, we prefer this balance of tire-to-wheel.

In the hot and humid southeast, it didn’t take long to warm up the tires and get them broke in. Without question, the NT05s stick to the road. From braking to cornering, the car is more responsive. While we haven’t had a chance to put them on the track yet, we have a mix of miles on them in good and bad (wet) weather. Thankfully, the NT05s keep composure in the rain. In fact, we haven’t experienced any white-knuckle driving conditions to deter our confidence in the tires.

While the BRZ is no powerhouse, it’s well-served with a set of treads that can actually deliver grip when you put the pedal down. We have some fun adventures in store for this car, so be sure to check back soon to find out how the NT05s are working.

To see the installation in action, watch the video at the top.

When we checked out the West Coast Muscle Car Shootout Autocross event at last weekend's Goodguys Summer Get-Together, we weren't surprised to find a whole lot of Camaros, Mustangs and Corvettes taking to the course. But these popular machines were joined by a group of more obscure vehicles that were also getting in on the fun. Here are five unusual choices that impressed both us and the crowd.

Fox Body Fairmont

Fox Body Fords, like this 1980 Fairmont, were included on our recent list of cheap and underrated American project cars–and it was cool to see this underdog out there ripping it up in the Autocross.

Given that most aftermarket parts made for a Fox Body Mustang will go right on to one of these, the Fairmont makes for a great Autocrosser or road racer–and this car proves exactly why.

With fully upgraded suspension, big brakes and a thumping Ford small block under the hood, this Fairmont is quite a sleeper. But more than that, the car is also incredibly clean for a track car, with a very nice attention to detail.

With clean and cheap examples of the 5.0 Mustang becoming a thing of the past, we might be seeing more seeing more racers move to these alternative Fox Body platforms in the future. And when the results can be this good, why not?

Turbocharged Ford Pinto

The Ford Pinto might not be one of America's most beloved models historically, but people have been racing and modifying the little cars with great success since they were new.

With its light weight and compact size, the Pinto is a car that can be quite adept at navigating a tight Autocross course–as this bright orange example showed.

This particular car has been swapped with one of Ford's 2.3 liter SOHC turbo motors, as found in the SVO Mustang and Thunderbird Turbo Coupe of the 1980s, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

Combined with big brakes and wide torque thrust wheels, the little Pinto was putting down some very respectable lap times while generating a lot of smiles from the crowd.

Corveep

As it's name suggests, this thing is one part Jeep and one part Chevrolet Corvette. More specifically, it's a 1968 Jeepster Commando body mated with the chassis and running gear of an 2004 C5 Corvette.

In fact, the only real Jeep that remains is the body itself. The interior is all Corvette, including the dashboard, center console and bucket seats.

The result is a vehicle that looks like a vintage Jeep (albeit one that's been lowered and stretched a bit) and has the reliability and performance of a modern LS1-powered 'Vette.

Best of all, it was awesome to see the owner out there driving it the way it should be driven and having a ton of fun at the same time.

LS-swapped Datsun 280Z

Of all the cars in this story, this one might be the most mainstream. The Datsun Z has long been a popular car among Autocrossers, but David Carroll's '75 280Z kicks things up a few notches. And this guy gets around, we also recently spotted him at LS Fest West.

An early Z Car is a rather lightweight machine to begin with, and a built, naturally aspirated LS3 instantly transforms the old Datsun into a very serious performance car.

Of course there's a lot more to it than just power, and the Datsun also has suspension, braking and aero upgrades to match. I especially love the big rear spoiler.

It may have been one of the only competing cars not built in the United States, but that certainly didn't stop David's Z from being a crowd favorite during the West Coast Muscle Car Shootout.

Galaxia De La Baja

Speaking of crowd favorites, there was no car that generated a bigger reaction than this lifted '64 Ford Galaxie - and that's because it looked so out of place in this environment.

Known as Galaxia De La Baja, this heavily modified and very functional Ford is actually a well known off-road racer campaigned by the Bay Area's Triple Nickel Racing and its competed in events like the famed Mexican 1000.

But here its mission wasn't to attack the dirt, but to attack the cones–and the car looked positively wild doing it, with comical amounts of body roll from the long travel suspension and plenty of three-wheeling action.

Obviously the car was a little out of its element in the autocross competition, but that's exactly what made it so entertaining. Because despite the prizes up for grabs for the really fast guys, all the participants were more interested in simply having fun.

See more from Goodguys Autocross here.

If you enjoy exploring old mines, a trip to the Reward Mine in Inyo County, California, should be on your list of Must Do Jeep Trails. The main tunnel of this mine is large enough to fit several vehicles and provides a unique opportunity to drive into the depths of a mine. This is undoubtedly one of the coolest things you can do in your rig. 

The Reward Mine is actually a cluster of several mines and claims that developed over the years. It was originally known as the Eclipse Mine, and later as the Brown Monster, before being purchased by the Reward Mining Company. The complex was a major gold producer while it was active between the 1860s and 1959.

Getting to Reward Mine

The Reward Mine is located on the western slope of the Inyo Mountains, 9.5 miles north of Lone Pine. The trail begins across from the Manzanar War Relocation Center, one of 10 U.S. concentration camps where Japanese Americans were incarcerated during WWII. It is now preserved as a National Historic Landmark and National Historic Site.

From US 395 we turned east onto the graded dirt Manzanar-Reward Road. To the west, the majestic Sierra Nevada Range towers over Owens Valley.

We crossed over the remains of the abandoned Manzanar International Airport. The airport was built by the military in 1941 and used to resupply the relocation camp. The government formally abandoned it in 1956. Thereafter it was used for special events, including automobile racing time trails on the 5,000-foot hard surface runway. When we visited, there were several massive weights of odd amounts scattered about. We couldn't figure out what they were used for. 

Past the airport, the road enters the Lower Owens River Project. Owens Valley has a contentious history with the city of Los Angeles. A 60-mile stretch of the Lower Owens River was left dry when the water was diverted to the L.A. Aqueduct in 1913 to provide water to Los Angeles. The diversion destroyed what had once been fertile riparian land.

It wasn’t until 2006, almost 100 years later, that a decision was made to restore the flow of water in the river. The river is beginning to recover now, and we spotted several people fishing along the banks. 

Stop Off at Brown Betty Mine

Beyond the river, we again entered desert terrain. It is about 6 miles from the turnoff to the base of the Inyo Mountains. We easily spotted the first section of mining remains on the slope. A sedan could make it this far, and there is room for parking at the bottom. We learned that even stock 4WD SUVs have a problem continuing on the trail, though, and must park at the bottom. 4WD isn’t required, but good off-road tires like my Nitto Trail Grapplers are needed for traction. Street tires won’t cut it, and this is the easy part of the trail.

There is a narrow plateau with a fantastic view of the Sierra Mountains. There are more mining relics higher up, as well as a short but steep, rocky trail leading to them. Some people refer to this section as the Brown Betty Mine.

After enjoying the view, we didn’t spend much time poking around here. We were too excited about reaching our main goal: the large tunnel of the Reward Mine. This section of trail loops back down and around to the parking area below, but it’s steeper than the climb up.

The trail leading to the Reward Mine is to the left of this mine. It is steep and rocky with embedded boulders — much more so than the earlier section of trail — and requires 4WD to reach the top. It was an easy drive for us, but we’ve read of many who weren’t able to make it. Do not attempt this section of trail if you do not have 4WD and good off-road tires.

Venturing Inside the Earth at Reward Mine

We reached another large plateau and the entrance to the main Reward Mine Tunnel. The netting above the entrance to catch any falling boulders had me concerned for a brief minute.

You can drive into the mine for more than a quarter mile. There are a few spots where a single vehicle can turn around, and the end is large enough for several vehicles to turn around. It’s probably a lot of fun with a group of vehicles lighting the way, but when you’re alone it gets a little bit spooky. There are several side tunnels and chambers to explore on foot, so be sure to bring flashlights.

TIP: A lifted Jeep does fit in the tunnel, but a roof rack or light bar above the windshield may prevent you from making it more than a few yards. We also learned the hard way that you should make sure to remove or tie down any antennas before entering.

The flat open ground near the entrance has plenty of room for a group to camp, making this trail good for an overnight trip. The view of the Sierra Nevada Range is amazing from up here.

Another trail leads further up the mountain. Although most of the original buildings here were destroyed in the earthquake of 1812, you can still find their foundations, ore bins, tramway towers, cables and other equipment. You could spend all day exploring the entire complex.

Getting home requires retracing your steps back down the mountain and out to CA 395.

Be sure to plan time to visit the Manzanar War Relocation Camp while you’re there. It’s something that everyone should experience for themselves.

SAFETY: Any time you enter a mine shaft or tunnel, there is some degree of risk. The responsible agencies usually close off mines that are at risk of collapse or otherwise too dangerous to enter. It is well known that people drive into the Reward Mine tunnel, and we believe that if there was any substantial danger of collapse, it would be closed. You are responsible for making your own decision to enter the tunnel, and your safety is not guaranteed. As with any mine, if you decide to enter, exercise common sense and safety precautions when exploring.

Being an off-road enthusiast means experiencing many different terrains, and there’s nothing comparable to cruising up a shoreline with the windows down and the fresh air blasting through your vehicle.

However, off-roading in the sand requires some know how–it's the only playground where, if you make the wrong move, your vehicle could roll sideways downhill like a tumbleweed, get swept away with the tide, or sink in quicksand. However, the experience is sensational and totally worth the challenge. 

The Silver Lake State Park is one of the few areas in the United States where drivers can still enjoy riding freely on sand dunes. It’s the only location left in Michigan, a state recognized for its beautiful, rolling dunescapes. During the annual Silver Lake Dunes Jeep Invasion, off-roaders from the area flood Mears, Michigan–this year upwards of 920 Jeeps showed up.

Since sand is such an ever-changing particulate force, it poses its fair share of challenges, but there are plenty of tips and tricks to keep you afloat. Here are are some sand driving basics:

Start out with tires.

The most important thing, hands down, is a good set of tires. Hitting the dunes with super skinny or dangerously old, less pliable threads won’t get you far. I recently upgraded the tires on my Jeep Cherokee to a set of P285/70 R17 Nitto Ridge Grapplers to pair with my 17” x 8.5” Method Race Wheels. After just one run up a dune, I knew I had made the right choice. 

Compared to my last setup, I was able to go places that my old tires were never able to get a grip on. Best of all, this wheel/tire combo tolerates being aired down to 10 psi, which allowed my 4,500-lb. expedition rig to seemingly float over unpacked sand.

Good tires, but still having trouble? Air down.

Once you reach the transition from pavement to sand, immediately let the air out of your tires. The lower the psi, the larger the tire's footprint–allowing the vehicle to, in a sense, "float" over the sand instead of digging itself into trenches. Enthusiasts drop tire pressure anywhere between 5-20 psi depending on the sand's softness and the wheel/tire combination being used. Beadlocks would be needed for the bottom end of that scale.

On the flip side, as soon as you get back to solid ground, the first thing to do is to re-inflate. Without it, your ability to turn and brake will be severely lacking on pavement. If you don't have an air compressor to use upon leaving the sandbox, keep that in consideration when airing down–just a couple of miles to the next gas station could peel a tire off a rim.

Know your limits.

If a front-wheel drive car is all you have, you should probably stay home. Rear-drive cars do better, but nothing beats 4WD. A proper part-time 4WD system with a low range and a locked center differential will surf through almost any beach. Even a full-time AWD road car can do a limited amount of sand cruising, but you won’t have the ground clearance needed for anything too heavy, plus you run a risk of overheating the transmission. The bottom line is, be aware of your vehicle’s limitations, and be honest with yourself regarding your own limits as a driver.

Safety starts with awareness.

Keep your eyes out for other drivers, especially the less-visible ATVs and dirt bikes. Most recreation areas will require for you to mount a 10-foot trail flag to your front bumper. Even if it isn’t required, it’s still recommended.

And this may sound like common sense, but when driving off-road, it is important to keep your thumbs outside of the steering wheel, especially in non-power assisted vehicles. If the wheels hit something under the sand, you will be unpleasantly surprised by a sudden, forceful jerk of the steering wheel.

Dunes are constantly moving and changing, which can result in drop-offs that weren’t there the week before. Always know what is on the other side of a dune. If unsure, walk the route to get a feel for the terrain and obstacles. It is often easier to stay inside of the ruts that other vehicles leave behind wherever possible, as this provides a clear track for your vehicle to follow. Of course, always carry recovery and safety gear, and know how to use it. Do not test your luck on sand without having another vehicle–friends don’t let friends wheel alone!

If you're new to wheeling and want some great beginner's basics, you've come to the right place. Visit Driving Line's off-roading basics page to catch up on all the info to keep you fun and safe.

Let’s get going.

Keep up your momentum, especially uphill, but not too much. Too much RPM could damage your vehicle, so you'll need to find the balance. Avoid making gear changes or rapid throttle inputs while climbing the dune. When climbing steep dunes, gain some speed, drive straight up without turning, and hold the pace until you reach the peak. If you have to back down a dune, never turn the vehicle sideways unless you want to turn your rig into a booming metal tumbleweed.

Slowdown in corners and accelerate out to avoid understeer. If there is too much acceleration too early, the turn will wider than intended. While exploring granular lands, avoid sharp corners. Turning wheels cause a lot more friction when pushing through sand compared to wheels that are pointed straight.

If you start to get stuck, straighten the wheels out to get rolling, and try again. This may require backing up and re-filling the trenches you made. Did I mention that you should have a shovel in your recovery gear kit?

All downhill from here.

Descending down steep dunes can be daunting. Before heading down, select 4WD-low (and 2nd gear if driving a manual). In less-steep or rutted declines, 1st gear may be acceptable, but it is typically too low of a gear–sand that travels faster than the vehicle can cause loss of control. Avoid applying too much brake if possible, because it can add traction against the sand, worsening the slide.

Some new vehicles with traction control will cause the vehicle to apply brakes to slipping wheels, which in turn can jerk the vehicle from side-to-side. If this happens, try applying a little throttle to end the vicious cycle.

Get a grip.

If you lose traction while trekking across sand, steer from side-to side using small, rapid movements while applying the gas to gain more traction. If you completely lose forward motion, don’t continue to dig until you’re halfway to the center of the earth. Stop immediately, back out gingerly, switch into a low gear, and try again. Or, if the spinning continues, use traction mats to climb out. If you don’t have traction mats, get creative: floor mats or some strategically laid branches may do the trick. On the rare chance that the sandy patch is short and there's a body of water nearby, wetting down the path will make the sand grains sticky, helping the tires to crawl over instead of digging deeper. If all else fails, you may have to find someone to pull you out.

Leave behind nothing but your tracks. 

Many dune areas have been closed to motor vehicles for preservation. Take your trash with you and abide by the location’s regulations. Be respectful to nature so the terrain and trails will remain accessible for many years to come.

Ready to join in? Sift through the gallery below to see some of the fun had wheeling on the dunes during the Silver Lake Sand Dunes Jeep Invasion!