2018 Team Shelby East Coast Grand Nationals
May 31st – June 3rd
The 2018 Team Shelby East Coast Grand Nationals are going to be better than ever, and you need to be there with us to enjoy four days of Shelby powered excitement!
The Northeast and the South Atlantic Regions of Team Shelby, in conjunction with Summit Point Raceway, Hooked on Driving, and Carlisle Events invite you to join us for an amazing weekend featuring high performance driving , a cruise/poker run, car shows, parade, go-carts, special guests, food, music, friends, and one of a kind automobiles.
Although our event ‘officially’ starts on Thursday, 31st, we have something special in store for those who arrive early in West Virginia on Wednesday. From noon to 5:00pm, Team Shelby will be the guests of Obsession Performance and have exclusive use of their chassis dyno for the afternoon. Stop by for some ‘bench racing’, then back it up with a dyno pull or two. No wagering please, as we battle it out for bragging rights as to who brought the most horse power for the weekend.
Wednesday evening, the Skybox Sports Bar at the Hollywood Casino has been reserved for Team Shelby. There will be drink and appetizer specials, and dinner will also be available. Because this is inside the Casino gaming area, you must be 21 to attend.
Do you feel the ‘need for speed’?
Our event formally starts on May 31st, at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia, with a High Performance Driving Event. Although hosted by Team Shelby, this event is open to all Ford powered vehicles, and maybe even a few Euro-exotics who want to test themselves against some good old American horsepower……Carroll would certainly approve of that!
First time ‘track rats’ as well as experienced HPDE aficionados are invited. There will be instructors available for both classroom and in car instruction, multiple run groups based on skill level, lunchtime parade laps, and a car show in the paddock for those attending but not tracking.
New for this year are Touring Lap sessions for Ford Performance Vehicles, which will bridge the adrenalin gap between the lunchtime Parade Laps and the all-out performance driving experience. These will be at “brisk” speeds behind a pace car, there is no passing in the Touring laps group. This is a great way to get a Taste of the Track without committing to a full track day.
A parade lap for all attendees is being scheduled, so even if you don’t take the corners at quite the same speed as those folks tracking their cars, you can still tell your friends that you ‘drove’ Summit Point (it’s okay with us if you keep the parade part of the story to yourself).
If you would like to attend Summit Point, but not track your car, spectators are welcome. There will be an ‘all Ford’ car show taking place in the Paddock while the track cars put on their own show at triple-digits. All paid attendees will get lunch, provided by the Summit Point concession stand. Lunch tickets for attendees not tracking a car, or not part of the Grand National event, can be purchased at track check-in/registration.
Shelby American will be in attendance, showing off the latest vehicles they have to offer. Play your cards right, and one of the Shelby factory drivers “may” invite you to sit in the passenger seat for a thrill ride like no other you have experienced. Take our advice, and hold on tight!
That evening we will be having dinner at the Hollywood Casino. The dinner program will include a buffet, cash bar, presentations and awards. Our dinner view will overlook a live horse racing track, and Team Shelby will be sponsoring a race that evening, combining “Horses and Horsepower”. We get to greet the winning jockey and his horse, present the trophy, and get our photo taken in the Winners Circle.
Friday morning, after breakfast at the host hotel, our cruise/Poker-run to Carlisle, Pennsylvania begins. This will be a leisurely 100+ mile drive, through some of the nicest scenery that the mid-Atlantic region has to offer. The route will wind through some of the same areas as last year, but on as many different roads as possible. The intention is to have all the cars stay together as a group (as best as stop signs and traffic signals allow). We will stop for lunch along the way, and may even have time for some quick sight-seeing. After lunch we proceed to Carlisle, arriving in time for the Team Shelby Grand Entrance to the Ford Nationals. All Team Shelby members, and Shelby vehicles are invited to lineup, then enter the fairgrounds in style. This has become an anticipated feature of the Ford Nationals, as the spectators crowd the entrance to watch, and hear, the Shelby’s make their way to the show field. Once you park, visit our hospitality tent, adjacent to the Shelby American display on the Manufacturers Midway. But don’t dally, as Shelby American will be presenting their latest vehicles on the main show stage shortly after the dust settles from our entrance.
Friday evening Team Shelby hosts our “Cars and Stars” celebration at the Ford Expo Center. It starts with a Shelby exclusive car show in the Expo center parking lot, then moves inside for live music, dinner, beer & wine bar, presentations, awards (including announcing the Poker Run winner), prizes, some special guests, charity auction, Shelby Girls, all surrounded by the latest Ford vehicles. We hope to change up the format of the evening this year, in order to keep the evening fresh and exciting.
After breakfast on Saturday morning at the host hotel, proceed on your own to the Carlisle Ford Nationals, taking place on the fairgrounds. Our hospitality tent, and the Shelby Girls, will be ready to greet you when you arrive. Don’t spend too much time enjoying the shade in our tent, with over 3000 cars on the show field, numerous manufactures, vendors, the car carrel, and an enormous swap meet, there is much to see. Shelby American will be on the main stage again, and the winners of Friday night’s car show will be presented with their trophies at noon. As soon as the applause from the award ceremony has died down, Team Shelby will be hosting lunch in our tent for all East Coast Grand National attendees. The afternoon brings the legendary burn-out contest (if you aren’t willing to smoke your ties until they literally explode, don’t bother entering), and the highly anticipated Ms. Carlisle contest…but our Shelby Girls may have something different in mind for us this year instead of appearing on the main stage.
Saturday evening brings the Carlisle downtown parade. If you have registered for it, stage your car, then parade to downtown Carlisle where they have blocked off the town square just for the parade cars to park for the townsfolk to enjoy. Restaurants, pubs, and bars are all open for your enjoyment. But, if you are joining us for our special Team Shelby Saturday night event, you best not dally, and head straight directly over to the Carlisle Sports Emporium……
Team Shelby will have exclusive use of the “Shamrock” Go-cart track and pavilion at the Carlisle Sports Emporium! With nary a straight section to be found, the track has you almost consistently turning one way then the other. Your track ‘line’ will be critical as will how well you can maximize the momentum of your cart. Who wants to challenge Gary Patterson for the title of King of the Shamrock? Please note this is an outdoor event, but we do have a “Plan B” in case of inclement weather.
Sunday affords you one last leisurely walk through the Carlisle show field, a last chance to haggle with the vendor who has that ‘one of a kind’ item you’ve been looking at all weekend, and the opportunity to swap a few final stories with all your Shelby friends before you head home.
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