Each Year, OPTIMA Batteries brings a bunch of enthusiasts together to see who has that baddest car in the land. The Ultimate Street Car Association (USCA) is a sanctioning body formed to create safe, fun, and high-profile national automotive events for street-legal performance vehicles.

In 2019, the USCA returned for its sixth season of competition. How it works is, throughout the year, the world’s very best all-around street-legal cars, trucks, and SUVs made their way to seven different tracks around the country. Each vehicle is hoping to qualify for the annual OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational, which takes place in Las Vegas, Nevada, immediately following the SEMA Show each year.

The aircraft-inspired interior is fitting for a car that flies!

Last year, Chevrolet fans had a lot to be happy about, as Mike DuSold and his ’67 Camaro swept the competition. This year, the celebration continues. After the Vegas challenge was complete, OPTIMA Batteries announced Mike DuSold’s 1967 Chevrolet Camaro as the 2019 Ultimate Street Car Invitational Champion at the invitational even, presented by Advance Auto Parts.

“This is amazing, and I couldn’t have done it without my team,” says Mike, two-time OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational champion. “Doing something like this takes more than one guy, and I have to give credit where it’s due. We’re really so excited that we could pull this off, and just wait until you see what we have next year!”

The 2019 OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational put competitors and their vehicles to the test through a series of challenges, including the Lucas Oil Road Rally, QA1 Autocross, Falken Tire Road Course Time Trial, PowerStop Speed Stop Challenge, and the Lingenfelter Design and Engineering Competition.

“Back for its 12th year, the 2019 OPTIMA Search for the Ultimate Street Car Invitational, presented by Advance Auto Parts, continued to showcase the absolute best all-around street cars in the world,” said Cam Douglass, director of marketing at OPTIMA Batteries. “As the popularity of the series continues to grow, we are thrilled to see so many new cars and competitors from all over the country compete in this event.”

Each competitor received points as they competed in the challenges. Their scores were totaled to determine the winner in each category. This year, Austin Barnes took Second Place overall, competing in a 2010 Dodge Viper, and Jordan Priestley came in Third Place in a 2017 Chevrolet C7 Grand Sport Corvette.

No one can question the ingenuity or the attention to detail that went into building DuSold’s Camaro. However, there are some who feel it pushes the definition of “street car.” DuSold acknowledges it pushes the envelope but feels if he wants to compete against modern-performance cars, he can’t concern himself with whether or not his masterpiece appeals to everyone’s tastes.

If you want to see more on the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational, you can find it by clicking here.