Not Just Eye Candy – Optima Street Car Invitational

Posted by GreaseGirl on Nov 1, 2010 in Racing, Shows & Events | 0 comments

From SEMA Car Show to the Race Track

SEMA is starting and I can hardly wait for all the fun! Since most of you can’t make it to Vegas for the biggest aftermarket automotive event of the year, you can rely on catching all the coverage here at MyRideisMe.com! Not only will you see some of the baddest cars, new products and tools from the showroom floor… at the end of the week we’ll serve up an extra treat of street racing – the Optima Batteries Street Car Invitational.

The spirit of the OPTIMA Invitational is unite the performance automotive aftermarket industry while exhibiting the true potential of the vehicles showcased at SEMA, proving they are built for speed and performance, not just for looking good on the show floor.

Last year, there were 51 cars competing for the title of “Ultimate Street Car” out at the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, NV. Everything from a 1927 Tucci Roadster, 1966 Cobra, 1969 Camaro, and even a modern Bentley were seen on the course! This year will be no different. All 50 racing entries must be street legal cars. Some of the invitations will be given during SEMA and others have already gone out to racers; including a ’32 Roadster, 1955 F100, 1970 Nova, and 1960 Mercedes. Something for everyone! Optima says:

The selections represent a variety of industry-leading muscle cars, pro-touring cars, hot rods and street trucks, from both import and domestic manufacturers. While many are new to the Invitational, a few returning vehicle entries will help set the stage for a fun, yet fierce competition as the performance automotive aftermarket industry unites for this annual, action-packed race event.

While you might have seen last year’s race covered on SPEED TV or caught the 2009 Race coverage or the pictures from the race on MyRideisMe.com – this year’s race is stepping it up a notch by adding a couple of things. To start with, the entries will be doing a road rally from Vegas to Pahrump Friday evening at the end of SEMA. Also, competition is bound to be a little more fierce with some entries winning invitations during select races across the country this past year. Such as Paul-Avrid “Polly” Blytt of Norway and his 1986 TransAm who’ll be returning for the Optima Street Car Invitational. This car and driver won the Unlimited Division in the 2010 Silver State Classic Challenge open road race with an aveage speed of 183+mph!

Word has it that I might find a seat in one of the entries for Friday night’s road rally… I’m not gonna miss this and neither should you!

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