Tony Lopez brought this gem of a road warrior to the show. This first-year street Camaro is powered by a 383 and made enough smoke to leave the jet-guys jealous.
Tire smoke and breathtaking horsepower hit the desert at the recent Super Chevy Show at Southwestern International Raceway. The Tucson, Arizona, site was host to yet another successful exhibition of some of the finest Bow Ties on the planet-both in the car show and on the strip.
Just about everywhere you go, the Camaro section is big enough to be a show within itself, but not on this weekend. Diversity was the name of the game here, with an emphasis on triple nickels, rat rods, and shoeboxes alike.
On the track, there was something for everyone. Foot brake/electronics bracket races, nitromethane-pumping Nitro Coupes, fire-breathing jet cars, the Airborne Express wheelstander, and the True Street competition-all contributing to a great return to the hot sands of Arizona.
Tremec True Street was once again the highlight of the weekend with fully registered and official street machines dukin' it out for bragging rights and cash money. For those of you unfamiliar with the format of the True Street competition, it's a 30-mile hike through the hills, followed by three passes directly thereafter. No cool down, no refueling, no whiners. Competitors are literally swept off the highway, strapped down, and rolled into the water box. True Street's rules demand streetability, horsepower, and ultimately, respect.
In Tucson, the big winner was Carl Cole of Alta Loma, California, who handled his '55 Bel Air to a three-run average of 11.98, with a best pass of 11.96. Runnerup was hometown hero Dave Nast, whose '69 Camaro had an average of 12.32.
Whether at the show or on the track, first-generation Camaros are inevitably crowd pleasers. Tucson native Mike Valdez took home the award for "Best Camaro In Show" with his yellow 6-9... | 
Imagine what John Milner would have said if Bob Falfa rolled up to that street light with this baby. This '55 screamed through the eighth-mile with an e.t. of 4.316 seconds and an mph of 165.66. As Falfa said, "I ain't nobody, dork." | 
...and Larry Saitali's '67 Camaro strung together a handful of 10.0 passes at 134 mph. |
Taking home the Best Tri-Five of the event was Jim Nelson of Casper, Wyoming, with this absolutely stunning 1955 Panel Wagon. | 
All of the bracket classes proved to have great side-by-side action, including this pair that matched up in the first round of eliminations in the Tremec Bonus Race. |  |