LS Fest Hits NCM Motorsports Park this Weekend

Holley LS Fest features the best-performing LS-powered vehicles in the world of drag racing, road racing, drifting and more.

The 10^th annual LS Fest comes to Kentucky on September 6, 7 and 8, with most portions of the program being held at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park while the rest of the program is held at Beech Bend Raceway Park, and whether your Chevrolet Corvette is built to tear up the drag strip, the road course, the dyno or the show crowd, LS Fest has something that will make the trip to Kentucky well-worth your while.

As you would expect, Beech Bend Raceway hosts the drag racing program while massive road racing facility of NCM Motorsports Park handles the rest of the event, making LS Fest one of the most unique automotive festivals in the world while being the ultimate experience for anyone who loves modern General Motors performance.

LS Fest X Competitors

While LS Fest is only open to vehicles powered by an engine from the LS or the modern LT engine families, it is not restricted to General Motors vehicles that came from the factory with one of those powerplants. Sure, the vast majority of newer models are Camaros, Firebirds, Corvettes and other cars that rolled off of the assembly line with an LS or LT engine, but the competition field includes a huge spread of classic GM muscle with modern power, along with imports and non-GM American models which have been graced with an LS engine.

As a result, attendees will see far more than just General Motors vehicles, but every single competitor in attendance is relying on LS or new LT power.

Big Power

If your Corvette has been made to produce monster power, there are several competitions at LS Fest which may be of interest. Of course, the drag racing competition is one of the best in the world, with many of the quickest LS- and LT-powered cars in the world going head-to-head and while the field is large, we know that Corvettes will be among the quickest cars in attendance.

Of course, if you would rather show off all of your power sitting in one place, there is the Dyno Challenge, but that is only open to competitors who are also in another class. In other words, the dyno competition isn’t open to dyno queens, but anyone who brings their car to race in any other class can take a shot at the title of the most powerful car on the premises.

Also, if you prefer to put on a vulgar display of power without any goal other than destroying a set of tires, the LS Fest Burnout Competition is a great option. Unlike most American burnout competitions, the smoke shows at LS Fest take place on a big, open skidpad rather than in the tight confines of a burnout box, allowing competitors to go crazy while slaying their tires. The video below provides an example of what to expect from the LS Fest Burnout Competition.

Finally, the invitation-only Drift Challenge showcases some of the greatest LS-powered tire slayers in the world in the growing sport, but this is more of an exhibition class than anything.

World Class Handling

The Chevrolet Corvette is one of the greatest all-around performance cars in the history of the automotive industry, but it has always shined brightest on a drag with turns. At LS Fest, there are four different competitions in which attendees can show off the handling prowess of their GM-powered machines. This begins with standard racing formats including Autocross and the Road Course Time Attack, but it also includes the unique competitions of the 3S Challenge and Track X.

The 3S Challenge focuses on speed, stop and steering, so competitors have to quickly slalom through a series of cones, cut through a 180-degree turnaround and carefully negotiate the stop box. A cone down is an instant disqualification, so this event is all about precision.

Next, Track X starts with the layout of a road course race and adds gates from the world of autocross, effectively creating a more intricate road racing format. It offers a bit more speed than autocross, but it also requires more technical focus to hit each gate as quickly as possible.

A Chance to Relax

If you have a high performance machine powered by an LS or LT engine, but you aren’t really into racing, LS Fest has a chance for you to enjoy yourself as well. In addition to the massive car show with awards, there is also the “Countryside Cruise”, which gives folks from out of town a chance to view the scenic roads of rural Kentucky with a huge group of LS- and LT-powered machines.

Also, if you want to show off your ability to tear down and modified an LS engine, the Bolt-On Challenge gives teams and individual competitors a chance to show off their mechanical skills by starting with a stock engine and adding things like headers, an intake manifold, an oil pan and other external engine bits.

So, if you are within driving distance of Bowling Green, Kentucky and you would like to have some high performance fun with your LS- or LT-powered Corvette this weekend, set your navigation for the National Corvette Museum and prepare for an amazing event. Also, if you don’t have a car with which to compete or if you live too far away to take your car, LS Fest is well-worth the price of a flight to Kentucky.

Click here for more information on registration, the competitions and more.

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