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There was nothing planned for
Thursday night, but between the hotel
restaurants and bars, the parking lot
outside and local eating places where
was plenty of socializing going on.
Which is what conventions are all
about. Six a.m. came all too soon on
Friday morning as the track’s gates
swung open and allowed the hoards to
move inside. The sight they saw was a
surprise to everyone. A minor tornado
had visited the track overnight, twist-
ing some pop-up tents and canopies
into unidentifiable rubble. It appeared
that no cars left at the track overnight
were damaged, aside from a few minor
paint scratches.
Things kicked off with the drivers
meeting which established the ground
rules of how the open track would be
run, as well as a safety briefing in-
tended to keep drivers grounded and
within their comfort zone. The open
track is intended to allow drivers to
exercise their cars at a level that will
not put anything (or anyone) at risk.
It’s not an opportunity to set any lap
records or demonstrate the kind of
skill that will get a driver invited to
join a top team.
The SHELBY AMERICAN
Fall 2016 76