The 2011 Super Chevy Show series presented by GM Performance Division came to a resounding end on the last weekend of October. And what better way to end a year of all Chevrolet shows than with perfect weather and a great location? Firebird Raceway, located just outside Phoenix, hosted the final event for the second year in a row.
If you are a Chevy fanatic in the Southwest, this was the place to be. The show area had some of the slickest Bow Ties to ogle, but there was more to the event than just shiny paint. There was a swap meet on site that had some really cool items, from cylinder heads to complete motors. If you didn't find what you needed there, you could continue on to the vendor midway. It was full of national vendors including AMSOIL, Duracell, Speedway Motors and others. This is a great opportunity to get one-on-one time with some of the companies you buy parts from, and also pick up new catalogs.
The strip was 1,320 feet of pure adrenaline as all levels of fast were covered, from 15s down to single digit e.t.'s. “We have put a lot of work into our quarter-mile racing surface in the past year, and our recent events have shown it,” said Chuck Sundstrom, director of operations at Firebird Raceway. You could be a first-time rookie or a seasoned vet—there was a class you could compete in and possibly take home some prize money.
Once you got tired of watching quarter-mile blasts, you could trip over to the autocross course sponsored by Total Cost Involved, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Currie Enterprises. We saw everything from a few dozen fifth-gen Camaros to—get this—a '60 ambulance piloting the coned course.
On top of the racing action there was of course a show-and-shine area that had a great selection of Chevys in all types of builds, from stock resto to restomod and everything in between. Since Arizona is such a car-crazy state, the quality of cars was top-notch.
Now that the 2011 season has concluded, you have some time to get to work on your own pride and joy. Hopefully you'll get it done in time to show it off at one of the 2012 Super Chevy Shows.
Editor's Choice Car Show Winners
- Paul Hayden, Chandler, AZ, '69 Camaro
- Blake Grandil, Gilbert, AZ, '67 Camaro
- Ed Newton, Tempe, AZ, '56 Corvette
- Don Steblton, Glendale, AZ, '66 Nova
- Bill Kraus, Phoenix, '55 Bel Air
- Robert Zumach, Puyallup, WA, '57 Bel Air convertible
- John Hill, Goodyear, AZ, '69 Chevelle Yenko Tribute
- Les Hoctor, Glendale, AZ, '65 Chevelle
- Dean Newman, Tucson, AZ, '60 ambulance
- Leslie Cheesser, Glendale, AZ, '59 El Camino
Editor's Choice Drag Car Winners
- Tanner "The Kid" Sundstrom, Gilbert, AZ, '69 Nova
- Nick Johnoff, Tucson, AZ, '73 Camaro
- Tyson Wood, Phoenix, '69 Z/28 Camaro
- Tony Cutaia, Phoenix, '57 210
- Mark Ballard, Tucson, AZ, '58 Del Ray
- Larry Smith, Mesa, AZ, '64 Nova
- Doug Sutherlin, Durango, CO, '69 Camaro
- Ken Passerby, San Tan Valley, AZ, '70 Nova
- David Brown, San Diego, '10 Camaro
Car Show Results
Gold Class Winners
- Kevin Dewitte, Fountain Hill, AZ, '65 Chevelle
- Paul Hay, Chandler, AZ, '69 Camaro
ISCA Award
- Les Hoctor, Glendale, AZ, '65 Chevelle
Best in Show
- Greg Pyle, Gilbert, AZ, '63 Impala
- Kim Myers, Casa Grande, AZ, '67 Camaro
- John Hill, Goodyear, AZ, '69 Chevelle
- Ed Newton, Temple, AZ, '56 Corvette
- Jesus Castro, Glendale, AZ, '08 Cobalt
- Pam & Sonny Hegarty, Albuquerque, NM, '32 Chevy coupe
- Fred Beaty, Phoenix, '65 El Camino
- Robert Zumach, Puyallup, WA, '57 Chevy conv.
- Andres Perez, Peoria, AZ, '72 Nova
- Leslie Cheesser, Glendale, AZ, '59 El Camino
- Kyle Hart, Mesa, AZ, '55 pickup
- Kevin Dewitte, Fountain Hill, AZ, '65 Chevelle
- Paul Hayden, Chandler, AZ, '69 Camaro
Autocross Winners
- Expert - Sal Solorzano
- Ladies - Valerie Pichette
- Novice - Andrew Helpingrone
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The Revell Make 'N' Take activity was featured once again to offer future gearheads someth
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Mike Derfus brought out his '70 Camaro that had a really cool mod.
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Mike skillfully grafted on a cowl-induction setup from a '70 Chevelle. It not only looks t
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Now there's something you don't see every day: a '60 Biscayne ambulance running an autocro
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While the swap meet wasn't massive, it had some quality goodies for sale. Some of the note
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Another cool engine swap was this '54 Vette fitted with...
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...one of the LT5 four-cam V-8s from the C4 ZR1 platform.
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Bob Parren from Glendale, Arizona, had probably the best sleeper of the event. From the ou
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...but under the hood lurks a dry-sump LS7 and 4L85E trans. Bob said the most fun part of
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There were a lot of Camaros in the show, but a bunch of them all belonged to one club. The
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Mark Ballard's '58 Del Ray was something to see on the track. This monster was able to cli
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The fastest car on the course was the TCI test Camaro driven by Sal Solorzano. This year's
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Trish and Robert Byrd—the dynamic fifth-gen duo—came to the show to tear up the autocross
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