Readers know Year One as a company that provides top-notch goodies for many of our favorite cars. But, many don't realize they don't just provide the parts we can't find anywhere else, they also put on a huge car show/drag race for all enthusiasts in Bristol, Tennessee, this year to celebrate their 20th anniversary.
We stopped by to see how things shaped up and were impressed by both the enthusiasm shared by participants and the overall quality of the cars brought out to play. This three-day event includes a huge car show, chassis-dyno tests, drag racing, and autocrossing, so there's plenty to do all weekend and it's really worth the trip.
We wanted to share a few glimpses from this event with those who weren't able to attend, but mark your calendars for late October next year when this party will happen all over again! Thanks to the folks at Year One for making this event possible, and hopefully it will continue to grow into one of the "can't-miss" events we all look forward to.
Year One employees are enthusiasts too, as proven by the clean '69 Chevy pickup owned by Jimmy Kerlin. He's a sales guy from 9 to 5, but a hot rodder 24/7! The truck is powered by a TPI'd 350-inch small-block. | 
If the dragstrip doesn't fulfill all you need for speed, how about the autocross course? Ed DeMarcellus has worked over the suspension on his '97 Vette and gave the goodies a solid thrashing at the Year One Bristol Bash. | 
Is the enthusiasm surrounding Impala SS cars fading? We don't think so; in fact, with more ex-police Caprices being offered up cheap around the country, we can only see this market maintaining at least as much steam as it's had the last few years. Martin Mogavero of Ellicott City, MD, knows the score. His '96 has all the right stuff, including a turbocharged, intercooled LT1 with 385 horses at the rear wheels. Obviously, he's addressed suspension tweaks, too (with Hotchkis components), and those tires are 255/40R-18 and 285/40ZR-18 Pirelli P-Zeros, front and rear, respectively. |
Roanoke, VA, is home to Kent Carter and his Electron Blue '02 Z06 Vette. He stayed busy all weekend by running 13.0-second passes on the dragstrip and also running the autocross. That's participation! Now, if we could only get more events like this around the country, we'd all have as much fun with our g-Machines! | 
Here's what we like to see: musclecars hitting the corners! This Chevelle looks great challenging the curves without losing its resto flavor. You don't have to cut a car like this up to enjoy it; just get the right bolt-ons in place and invest in some good tires. Troy Fakes of Raleigh, NC, had no reservations about pushing his clean silver '71. | 
Talk about quick street machines--how about Dan Jensen's '70 Pontiac T-37 running 12.0! These cars aren't light, so there's got to be plenty of Pontiac torque motivating this monster. Pretty color, too. |
Okay, we're about to start a fan club for this girl. She's Louden, TN, resident Laura Holt, and beyond being 21 and a diehard V-8 fan, she also assembled her own '68 Nova with a built 350/automatic combo. It's good for easy 13.50s in the quarter-mile. As she says, "This is all my car, no boyfriends involved! I do it all myself." She also just got out of the Navy, so she's got VA benefits, too! The line forms to the right, guys. | 
It may seem like a GM event, but there were plenty of Mopar and Ford entries too. Andy Burleson's '74 Duster runs a 340/automatic all-motor combination and scooted to 12.89-second passes at 103 mph. Plenty quick for a street machine! | 
We still love the drag racy looks of well-done Pro Street cars. Robert Nixon's '65 Chevelle fits the bill, with a Weiand-blown 350, old-school Cragar SS wheels, and 29x18.5x15-inch Mickey Thompson Sportsmans. Robert is a Bristol, TN, local. |
Some great historical cars showed up, too, including both past and present versions of Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick's Tameless Tiger '64 GTO. It seems Arnie is touring more now than he did in the '60s--he's racing everywhere! | 
As we mentioned, a chassis dyno was on hand to settle bets. This Ford Lightning pickup (with Powerdyne centrifugal supercharger, Edelbrock aluminum heads, Crane cam, and Dynomax exhaust) cranked out 374 horses to the rear wheels and ran 13.18 on the track. Congrats to Keith Blackburn of Pikeville, KY, for bringing it out and pushing it so hard. That's plenty quick for a traction-challenged pickup! | |