2008 Bristol Super Chevy Show - Thunderin' In Thunder Valley

The complex that is Bruton Smith's Bristol Motorsports Park is an oasis for the roundy-round and quarter-mile faithful alike. Cut straight through the hills of Tennessee, Thunder Valley Raceway is a one-of-a-kind stage for tire scorching excitement with the shadow that is the Bristol Speedway as a backdrop. Thousands made the trip to the strip, which was threatened by rain all weekend, but a washout on Friday did not dampen spirits or spectators.

Tremec True Street saw 21 cars line up for the tour around town but to everyone's surprise, ended up being a left-turn only affair around the World's Fastest Half Mile. We all enjoy different forms of motorsports but I doubt a single person would pass up the opportunity to take a few laps on the same ground that Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, and Tony Stewart ran fender to fender with some of the best in the business.

After just about every competitor performed a John Force burnout across the start/finish line, it was back to the drag strip for a trio of back-to-back passes. Three competitors battled it out for the top spot as John Robinson averaged a 10.105 e.t. in his '71 Camaro, taking home the 10-second trophy. David Dockery in his '71 Nova and John Silver's '85 S-10 were neck and neck after making all high 9-second passes one after another. Anxiety set in as they waited for the final tally and after what seemed to be decades, True Street organizer Jeff Taylor announced the winner and runner-up. The S-10 proved to be the big dog averaging a 9.705 elapsed time, nudging out the Nova with a 9.796.

The 2009 Super Chevy Show schedule has recently been made official by AutoStar Productions. Some relocating has been done for 2009, including a stop at the newly refurbished Palm Beach International Raceway (formerly known as Moroso Motorsports Park), and the recently finished zMax Dragway in Charlotte, North Carolina. The season ends at Bristol, and we'll be happy to see you there.