Year One's Fall Automotive Nationals - Three Days In Thunder Valley

Year One's Fall Automotive Nationals came back to Tennessee's racing mecca. Over 400 vehicles made it to Bristol Dragway. Rain did end up cutting out most of the events on Sunday, but attendance doubled from last year; word is spreading fast that the Bristol Bash is an event not to be missed.

Amongst a sea of Bow-Tie winners, the biggest catch of the weekend was made by Doug Nichols of Statesville, North Carolina. Doug and his father spent 18 months painstakingly restoring his '67 Nova SS. During that time, they custom-fabricated several pieces and added a 346ci LS1, mated to a T56 six-speed transmission. As the Year One Cup winner, Doug not only won the cup itself, but a $5,000 gift certificate from Year One.

Close competition was present on the dragstrip. Racers "run what they brung" in the Muscle on the Mountain classes and challenge all comers in the True Street class. Muscle on the Mountain racers were split up with each Year One catalog line having its own class in addition to an open class to make sure everyone who wanted to compete had the opportunity. True Street entries were limited to fully licensed and insured street-legal vehicles, including D.O.T.-approved tires and full exhaust--no cars with gutted interiors or non-functioning lights, wipers, horns, and windows. Competitors went on a 30-mile cruise, followed immediately by three consecutive passes down the track. Tire pressure and safety-related adjustments were the only changes allowed prior to any of the runs. Winners in Muscle on the Mountain were determined by the quickest e.t. in each class, while True Street winners were determined by the quickest average e.t. after three runs.

The Factory Appearing, Stock Tire (F.A.S.T.) invitational shootout was a big hit with the Bristol crowd. Cars that appear to be factory stock from the golden age of performance ('55-74) duke it out on the track for top honors. The reality is these cars are highly tweaked with extensive internal engine modifications and porting to extract maximum performance without compromising their stock appearance or sound. It's amazing to watch these cars hook better on narrow repop redlines (chemically treated, of course) than many late models with the latest in drag radial technology. Nitrous oxide is strictly forbidden and punishable by a lifetime ban.

A huge Manufacturer Midway was packed with the latest in go-fast and reproduction parts, while a swap meet held the possibility of yielding hidden gems. The car corral tempted everyone to make a little more space in their garage, and the NASCAR driving simulator allowed people to live out their racing fantasies, if only for a few minutes.

Mark your calendars now for the third weekend in October and check Year One's Web site for updates (www.yearone.com), because the Bash will be back at Bristol for another great weekend.

Fins are in and Don Smith brought his fins and the rest of his gorgeous '59 El Camino in from Bunker Hill, WV, to pick up First in Class at the car show.	The flames shooting out of the "Jungle Jim" nostalgia Funny Car gave just enough warning for spectators to cover their ears before the engine roared to life.	Competition for the Year One Cup was fierce, but a distinguished panel of automotive dignitaries eventually gave the nod to Doug Nichols of Statesvlle, NC. Doug's black '67 Nova SS is another outstanding example of classic styling seamlessly blended with the modern performance of an LS1.
Several youngsters were bitten early by the racing bug, as the slot car track turned out to be a popular attraction for the pre-teen crowd. We even saw a few adults sneak in, but they couldn't compete with the quick reflexes of these seasoned Playstation veterans.	Daniel Caufman picks up his trophy from Year One President Kevin King for winning the '67-81 Camaro class in Muscle on the Mountain with a quick e.t. of 9.786 at over 136 mph. Daniel's '69 was also the fastest car overall in the Muscle on the Mountain competition.	The Bristol Bash was very successful for Bakersville, NC's, Silver family. John and Misti's '64 Impala SS was a runner-up in their car show class and John captured the open division of Muscle on the Mountain with his '85 S-10. Sister-in-law Sherri contributed to the Silver success by driving her '73 Camaro to a Second Place finish in her Muscle on the Mountain class.
Competition was fierce in the show car compound, especially amongst the Chevrolets. Jonathan Human brought his exceptionally clean '99 SS up from Lawrenceville, GA, for the show. Jonathan's car is packed with subtle but effective modifications including Enkei Winsome wheels highlighted by body-colored pewter spokes.	There was no thunder in the valley on Sunday, but there was plenty of rain. The view from atop the dragstrip tower reminded us why they call these "The Smoky Mountains." Track personnel remained optimistic and worked on drying the track for a few hours, but it just wasn't meant to be.	Herb and Carol Lumpp are the proud owners of this stunning '66 El Camino. Herb dropped a 460 in his beast, backed by a Richmond six-speed transmission. We're probably not supposed to say who we voted for in the Year One Cup, but when we saw Herb take his spotless El Camino out on the strip for a good thrashing in the Muscle on the Mountain races, he had our vote locked up tight.
Herb didn't win the cup, but he did take Second in his class on the dragstrip.	Bob Haas' LT1-powered '69 Nova was the quickest Bow-Tie qualifier in the F.A.S.T. Shootout and the only Chevy to advance beyond the first round of eliminations. Unfortunately, his 12.58 pass was not enough to get past Joel Nystrom's '67 GTX, which ran a 12.03 to advance to the semi-finals.	Greg Grindstaff was another one of Bakersville, NC's, many residents who attended the Bash. In addition to his '69 Yenko Nova, Greg also brought a '57 Chevy. The 406-powered Nova spent most of the weekend tearing up the strip, where his low-10-second e.t.'s would have put him in the running for the True Street title. Unfortunately, the Nova was DQ'd when Greg missed True Street tech inspection.
Earl Ruhlman of Stainless Steel Brake Corporation was one of many manufacturing reps on hand to answer questions about their company's latest offerings.