2009 Summer Nationals - Coverage Of Our Annual Three-Day Musclecar Event

Three days of cool cars, burnouts, bikinis, cruising, and competition-is this heaven? No, it's the Car Craft Summer Nationals presented by GM Performance Division, and if you weren't there, you're gonna wish you were. We took over the Minnesota State Fairgrounds July 19-21 for a three-day celebration of everything automotive. Hundreds of gallons of race gas were burned, millions of calories of fairground food were devoured, and in spite of the unusually cool temperatures and ice-cold economy, we all had a blast. If you want to join us next year, log on to CarCraft.com for details.

It's impossible to ignore the supersized 6-71 supercharger jutting out of the hood of John Friel's '03 Mercury Marauder. Until then, we'd only seen grainy photos of and heard legends about people fitting traditional Roots blowers on Ford's Modular engine. It took a custom adapter plate to mount it to the stock 4V long-block. Behind it is a TH400 with a transbrake and a 9-inch rear.
It's impossible to ignore the supersized 6-71 supercharger jutting out of the hood of John
Camaro Craft.
Overheard in the crowd from a sarcastic non-Camaro owner while this picture was being taken: "Looks like I need to own a Camaro to get in the magazine."
Overheard in the crowd from a sarcastic non-Camaro owner while this picture was being take

We had to look twice at this '74 Buick Apollo when we saw the GSX lettering on the nose and decklid. It is one of the earliest examples of badge engineering, as the GSX package in '74 didn't include a Stage 1 455. Instead, the car was equipped with sport mirrors, rubber mouldings on the door, and "specific ornamentation." We liked it anyway.
We had to look twice at this '74 Buick Apollo when we saw the GSX lettering on the nose an
This is the original interior of the GSX. According to the owner, the car has 43,000 miles on it.
This is the original interior of the GSX. According to the owner, the car has 43,000 miles
The deluxe wire wheels were also optional on the Buick Apollo.

One of our favorite cars at the show was this '63 Impala SS.
It has a homebuilt 468-inch big-block and a TKO five-speed. It's a great cruiser that is likely fast, too.
It has a homebuilt 468-inch big-block and a TKO five-speed. It's a great cruiser that is l
Seen one of these before? This Monte Carlo is not factory; it is a combination of Monte Carlo and Chevelle convertible parts assembled to look stock. We've seen a few of these around, and if the work is good, they look great.
Seen one of these before? This Monte Carlo is not factory; it is a combination of Monte Ca

There is always a cool barn find at the Nats. This is a '71 big-block Corvette with a lot of original parts still on the car. According to the owner, the paint is more than 30 years old and the car still has the original LS5 engine and TH400.
There is always a cool barn find at the Nats. This is a '71 big-block Corvette with a lot
We're about as far from Corvette resto guys as you can get, but it looks like all the parts are there except for the distributor shield. In 1975, the 385hp LS5 454 was a $295 option.
We're about as far from Corvette resto guys as you can get, but it looks like all the part
Part of the Real Street Eliminator event this year held in conjunction with the Summer Nats was a new event we called the Launch Box, sponsored by Rust-Oleum. The contest is simple: launch the car into that little box about 120 feet from the start and stop without mowing down any cones. The quickest car wins, but it's much tougher than it looks.
Part of the Real Street Eliminator event this year held in conjunction with the Summer Nat

At most car shows, you dust off the folding chair and swap stories. But at the Summer Nationals, the hip participants brought their tire pressure gauges and assaulted the QA1 Autocross Course. This was open to all participants, but the really serious guys were the Real Street Eliminator competitors. This is Keith Anderson's Viper that competed in the Late Model class. We'll tell you who won next month.
At most car shows, you dust off the folding chair and swap stories. But at the Summer Nati
If wall-to-wall cars were not enough to satisfy your horsepower hunger, there was also the Mobil 1 Dyno Challenge to find the car with the biggest gun. Jim Plimpton is a perennial player in this league and stole the show with his 1.429-rwhp feat. According to dyno operator Andy Wicks, "I shut if off at 7,600 and the power was still climbing."
If wall-to-wall cars were not enough to satisfy your horsepower hunger, there was also the
We spotted this E85 badge on Mark Gjavenis' ProCharger-blown '65 Chevelle. His current best on corn squeezin's is a mellow 1,233 hp using an F2 ProCharger to blow through a carburetor on a 540ci Rat motor.
We spotted this E85 badge on Mark Gjavenis' ProCharger-blown '65 Chevelle. His current bes

With total aftermarket support, Jay Brown built this 504ci SOHC Ford Cammer with an original Hilborn manifold converted to EFI. It makes 800 hp on 93-octane pump gas, and to complete the image, Jay stuffed it into his '64 Galaxie 500. Now you know what to do with that case of cabin fever this winter.
With total aftermarket support, Jay Brown built this 504ci SOHC Ford Cammer with an origin

Cruising On University Avenue
Porky's Drive-in has been in the same location on University Avenue since 1953, and cruising has been part of the restaurant's landscape since the beginning. Though cars cruise there all summer long, after the Nats closes each day, the crowd lines both sides of the street for an entire block. There were almost as many police cars as muscle cars, and the tickets flowed as freely as the Coke from the soda fountain. Who knew a burger, onion rings, a shake, and just the slightest chirp from your tires could cost so much.

This guy drove by waving a newly written ticket, shouting something about $300.
That Mustang is about to get pulled over.

High-riser.

Burnout Contest
As usual, a burnout contest was held on Saturday and Sunday, and a couple dozen cars (and a few trucks) lined up each day to fry a set of tires.

Let's hope the EPA doesn't catch wind of this event.
Dyed rubber earned this guy major points with the crowd. The tires are probably Kumho Ecsta SPTs that are available in red, yellow, or blue.
Dyed rubber earned this guy major points with the crowd. The tires are probably Kumho Ecst
If you have to purge your interior Super Stock style, you know your burnout was good.

Bikini Contest

Without a doubt the most photographed event of the whole weekend was the bikini contest. Guys we didn't even know worked for us were at the Royal Purple Main Stage burning through the megapixels-not that you can blame them. This year's competition had more hotties per capita than we can remember.
Without a doubt the most photographed event of the whole weekend was the bikini contest. G
Hope this picture doesn't get us booted off the shelves at Wal-Mart.

OMG! I'm, like, way hotter than her!
The Car Craft Summer Nationals Bikini Contest was sponsored by Route 66 Exotic Coatings.
This year's winner was Chrissy Wood (center). Would you like to meet her?

Our Sponsors
Lastly, we'd like to give special thanks to our sponsors, without whom, this show would not be possible.

GM Performance Division presented the '09 Car Craft Summer Nationals.
We stopped by Tremec's booth to drool at cutaways of its mighty T56 Magnum transmission.
Rust-Oleum was a new sponsor of the show, and the company brought a big display complete with helpful employees who guided people through the myriad coating options it offers.
Rust-Oleum was a new sponsor of the show, and the company brought a big display complete w

Cherry Bomb brought its way-cool, Hemi-powered Dodge pickup. It had the kind of exhaust note that rattles your neighbors' windows. We'd drive this thing everywhere.
Cherry Bomb brought its way-cool, Hemi-powered Dodge pickup. It had the kind of exhaust no
Custom car builders the Ring Bros. were on hand as part of the Royal Purple sponsor display. The company brought its Razor Camaro to the show, along with displays of a new line of door handles and hood hinges for a variety of popular Chevy and Ford muscle cars.
Custom car builders the Ring Bros. were on hand as part of the Royal Purple sponsor displa
The Royal Purple Main Stage was the place to be to get freebies from the sponsors and participate in contests with our emcees Joe Pagano and Clarence Barnes.
The Royal Purple Main Stage was the place to be to get freebies from the sponsors and part