LS Fest West Event Recap and Race Results For 2019

The show is over and results are in from Holley’s LS Fest West 2019. We saw some fantastic cars and met some awesome people while attending this 3-day show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Here is a recap from the show and the event results from our friends over at Holley Performance Products.

According to Holley, LS Fest West 2019 was the largest event in the west with a staggering 50-percent growth over 2018. The event was host to 1,000 cars and experienced massive growth in bot spectator and vendor attendance. LS Fest brought 17,000 enthusiasts over three days to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for all kinds of crazy LS-powered action.

Event Results:
Late-Model Grand Champion – Rich Willhoff

Rich Willhoff was named Late-Model Grand Champion at LS Fest West 2019, beating out Austin Barnes and Jordan Priestley for the title. Rich edged out the competition and just an eight-point span separated the three top finishers. With the combined score from the four categories, Rich tallied 399 points winning the autocross and 3s Challange. Austin Barnes won the other two events, the road course & drag race portion of the Grand Champion competition.

Late Model Grand Champion Results

Vintage Grand Champion – Mike Dusold

Mike Dusold continued his winning ways to become Vintage Grand Champion again.  Mike Dominated the field, taking the autocross, road course, 3S Challenge, and drag race events. With his Maiden Texas ’67 Camaro, he dominated the competition, and none of his competitors were close to the car’s times. Mike, who won LS Fest East in 2018, won the Vintage Grand Champion title with 401 points. Nick Relampagoscame in second place with 363 points piloting his ’70 Camaro. Greg Thurmond collected 354 points for third place.

Vintage Grand Champion Results

Truck Grand Champion – David Carroll

Winning two of the four events in the Truck Grand Champion class, David Carroll had a strong showing in the autocross, 3S Challenge, road course, and drag racing despite being the largest field to date. Pat Sheely finished the competition is second place, and Rob Phillips took third. All three competitors were driving Chevy C10 pickups.

Truck Grand Champion Results

Grand Champion, Autocross, & 3S Challenge Results

Lucus Oil Drift Challange – Brandon Schmidt

The Lucas Oil Drift Challenge went down at LS Fest West with thirty drivers in this annual event. Brandon Schmidt from Canada won first place, while Nate Hamilton took the second place trophy back to Texas. Ian McDougal from Colorado secured the third-place spot podium.

Lucas Oil Drift Challenge Results

MSD Drag Racing

The drag racing event has never been bigger than it was at LS Fest West this year. Cars were continually making passes throughout the days with several different classes to choose.
MSD Drag Race Results

Holley EFI Burnout Challange – Dario Gaiga

Dario Gaiga showed up to LS Fest West with his 6-71 supercharged LS-powered Austin Mini and did massive burnouts! The little mini was a blast to watch as smoke billowed out from under the small car. When the smoked cleared, Dario was the clear winner and earned the trophy for the burnout challenge.

Flowmaster Off-Road Challange

The Off-Road Challange was another event that we couldn’t get enough of as the truck and buggies raced around the course with huge jumps and massive air to match. This course did take its toll on a few competitors but most were back at it the next day.
Unlimited Truck Winner: Kevin Stearns
Unlimited Truck Runner-Up: Cory Bergey (not pictured)

Hooker Blackheart Show-N-Shine

As the LS Fest West show grew, so did the Show-N-Shine participants. A total of 296 LS/LT-powered vehicles came out to show their unique builds. We saw everything from an LS-powered boat to an LS-powered Pacer on the property.

2019 Show-N-Shine Results

NOS Dyno Challange

For this year, top honors in the forced induction class went to Garrett Mitchel (Cleetus McFarland) in Leroy The Savage. The twin-turbocharged LS-powered Corvette put down 1,352 horsepower at the rear tires! Adrian Herrada’s Camaro took first place in the naturally aspirated category with 554 horsepower at the wheels.

SAC Speed Shop/Mr. Chow’s Sideshow

Sac Speed Shop brought out 60 cars down from the Bay to make a total of 150 sideshow vehicles at LS Fest West. The driving skills that this group possessed was nothing short of extraordinary as they wheeled the cars in a tight area while punishing the tires. This event was a massive hit with the crowd from what we could tell through the billowing smoke.

Cleetus and Cars

If it’s one thing LS Fest didn’t lack, it was tire smoke. The Cleetus and Cars Sideshow Takeover at LS Fest West had plenty of shredded rubber and two winners. Jose Aguilar was one of those in his Pontiac GTO as was Timothy Wallin in his Chevrolet Corvette.

We had a great time at LS Fest West 2019 and are already getting excited for LS Fest East. We hope to see you there!

Article Sources

About the author

Brian Havins

A gearhead for life, Brian is obsessed with all things fast. Banging gears, turning wrenches, and praying while spraying are just a few of his favorite things.
Read My Articles