It has been an amazing and exciting weekend in Bowling Green, Kentucky for the sixth annual Holley LS Fest. We’ve seen nearly every type of off road performance driving on display at this weekend’s event. Sunday brought cool temperatures and beautiful weather for the final day of this outstanding event.
Competition was hot in every class, and it all came down to some exciting final round action on both the drag strip and over at the 3S Challenge being held at Beech Bend’s circle track. When the smoke cleared and the score boards lit for the final time, we had a group of champions for this year’s LS Fest.
There are hundreds of photos in our LS Fest photo gallery. Be sure to check it out.
In Real Street Jessie Coulter (pictured left) was stepping things up all weekend long. Unfortunately for Coulter, number one qualifier George Farkouh brought his A-game to Bowling Green. The two met in the final and in a race that was closer than the numbers show Farkouh took the win with a 7.65 to Coulter's 8.18.
The Drag Radial cars were running 1/8-mile all weekend long. Andy Essary came out with a win in his 2002 Trans Am. Essary’s final round performance was a 4.46 at 180.56
Ronnie Hackelton faced off against Glenn Pushis in the final of Chevrolet Performacne Stock. Pushis is the 2015 NMCA CPS champion and was looking to wrap up his season with a win at LS Fest. Hackelton had other ideas and even qualified number one. Pushis cut a much better light with a .074 to Hackelton’s sleepy .104, but it wasn’t enough as Hackelton tripped the win light with a faster 10.55 at 126.87 to Pushis’s 10.62 126.46.
Brian Massengill was the man to beat in COPO, and no one could do it this weekend. Massingill managed to out perform his competitors and take the win for the SAM racing school.
In Street King Al Corda came all the way from Wisconsin to take the win in his 2000 Firebird. Cord’s final round performance was a 10.473 ET.
Lester Miller took the win in the Latemodel class behind the wheel of his 2010 Camaro. In the LS rumble class Marvin Poole took the win behind the wheel of his 2004 GTO.
The 3S Challenge is an autocross style drag race and stopping challenge. Competitors leave the line in pairs simultaneously, then race against each other, and the clock on two mirrored courses. At the end of the course is a stop box. Hit a cone in the stop box and it results in a DNF for that run. The challenge combines multiple aspects of performance driving and is part of the grand champion competition.
Danny Popp won Saturday’s LS Fest autocross behind the wheel of his Lingenfelter powered C5 Z06. Popp was a favorite to win the 3S challenge.
Tyler Powell narrowly missed beating Popp in the 3S Challenge.
Danny Popp dominated the Grand Champion category all weekend long. Popp’s C5 ran high 10.80s on the drag strip, netting him third in the drag race category. Having participated in the Track Cross to earn the participation points every competitor received there, and then winning the Autocross and 3S challenges, Popp edged out out Josh Leisinger and Kyle Tucker for the title of Grand Champion. Image: Holley Performance.
That does it for LS Fest 2015. We’ll be back at Beech Bend next September to bring it to you again. A big thanks goes out to all the sponsors, participants, and fans who made this an awesome weekend of racing and showing everything LS. We can’t wait for LS Fest 2016!