SAAC-51 Day-By-Day – Thursday, August 27, 2026

 SAAC-51 is planned to be four days of fun, combined with the Mustang Club of America’s Anniversary event

We have the Road Atlanta track for three of the four days and Thursday, the first day, is an off-track series of fun-filled events.

Cruise Tour– Our crew will be hosting the first event; it will be a group Touring Drive (and possibly a Poker Run).  The actual route will be revealed the morning of the event, but we guarantee it will take you through many scenic Georgia areas, with beautiful photo opportunities and waypoints along the way . This event will start early afternoon at our HQ Hotel and end at the Chateau Elan Winery, for a relaxing happy hour. Wine tasting and tours on your own at this beautiful facility.

For those that are tracking over the next few days... load-in at Road Atlanta will begin late afternoon on Thursday; exact time will be published in the Official Schedule

SAAC-51 Day-By-Day – Friday, August 28, 2026

 We have the Road Atlanta Raceway for the entire weekend, and Friday is the first day of track activity. We are offering several discounted admission packages this year, which will offer choices of displaying your vehicle on the Infield of the track… or a package of admission and SAAC Car Show entry. Details will be on the online Registration page

Open Track – We will have Open Track sessions on all three days; watch for specific times when the official schedule is released. You may purchase full single day passes (four sessions) or discounted three-day passes.

SAAC's High-Speed Event at the Road Atlanta will be similar in concept to the open track events held at past national conventions. All drivers must be full or associate SAAC National members, MCA members or Team Shelby members. This is not a competitive event. There will be no classes, no times taken and no trophies awarded.

Simply put, SAAC's High-Speed Event is an opportunity for you to drive your car at a speed you feel comfortable with under the safest conditions we can conceive. Safety is our #1 concern. We want everyone to have an enjoyable time, but we also want to continue to make high-speed events part of all national conventions.

Parade Laps – When the track goes "cold", we will conduct a few sessions of Parade Laps.  This is the opportunity to get the feel of a road racing course, but at highway speed. The Laps are run with a Pace Car and passengers are welcome to ride with you. When you get to the track, you should stop at Registration to pick up your Parade Lap pass to display on your dashboard.

Autocross:

We will have an autocross course setup on Friday and Saturday. Cost is $25 for three runs.

Dinner and Evening Program – This year, our Dinner will be on Friday Night at the Braselton Civic Center.  It will be a special combined banquet with the Mustang Club of America. Come down to the reception area for our Cocktail Hour.  This is a delightful social meeting with interesting special guests who are available for conversation and autographs.  At the proper time, the doors will swing open to the banquet room for our dinner and Evening Program. Dinner tickets are available in advance; the Banquet area will almost surely be sold out this year.  We're planning a very special evening program ...enjoyable with a few surprises.  As always, the evening program is available at no charge (with standing room only) for anyone who wants to attend, following the dinner service.

Friday, for sure, will be a busy day.

SAAC-51 Day-By-Day – Saturday, August 29, 2026

Saturday finds us deep into the festivities and is a day of non-stop fun and action. It's a full day of track action and a car spotter's dream of viewing some of the best Shelby specimens around. The track opens at 7:00am, in time for the sleepy but anxious Open Track participants to attend the Driver's Meeting.

Open Track – Saturday is a full day of track action. Participants are divided into groups of Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, and have multiple 20-minute sessions on the track during the day. Road Atlanta is a famous, challenging road course. Once an entrant has run one session, they are permitted to run subsequent sessions with a passenger.

Parade Laps – Once again, when the track goes "cold", we will conduct a few sessions of Parade Laps.  This is the opportunity to get the feel of a road racing course, but at highway speed. The Laps are run with a Pace Car and passengers are welcome to ride with you. We do limit the number of cars on at a time, so that we don't simulate a traffic jam. Parade laps are almost always sold out in advance, so be sure to sign up if you don't want to miss out.

Concours Judging – starting from early in the morning and running throughout the entire day will be the SAAC National Concours Judging.  This is an opportunity to see literally the best of the best.  These cars are scrutinized by a team of expert judges from throughout the country.  The cars are, simply stated, measured against one benchmark... that is, the way the car appeared at the dealer or on the showroom floor, when it was a new car.  A team of judges will examine each car in detail, top and bottom, looking at workmanship, authenticity and originality.  Many owners strive for years to recreate the originality of their car in the hopes of obtaining one of the valued awards from a SAAC Concours. Bring your cameras and take your time strolling through the judging area ...you may never have seen cars presented in this condition before.

Vintage Racing – during the day, mixed in with the Advanced open track participants, will be some unique vehicles.  This group of cars, here for a Vintage Race, will be practicing and getting used to the road course at Road Atlanta.  These cars are purpose-built race cars from the vintage Shelby era.  Midafternoon, their sessions will be used to qualify their starting positions in the much-anticipated Vintage Race which will be held at the end of the afternoon.  This is serious wheel to wheel racing, with a field of cars that are reminiscent of the races seen in the old days.  Be sure to get a good seat in the grandstand or along the fence to watch this race.

Evening  Social and Sunset Party at the Panoz Museum – We are planning an evening social event at The Panoz Auto Museum. A private exclusive evening with tours of the Museum and hours of good talk and bench racing. This may be a ticketed event, compared to past years. It is still a work in progress regarding time and cost, so hold that slot in your calendar... details and registration will be announced soon.

A plus will be a Pop-Up Car Show, in Cars and Coffee style… so bring along your folding chairs.

SAAC-51 Sunday, August 30, 2026  Day-By-Day –

Sunday is the home stretch for this 51st celebration. It's another full day of track action and a car show that will leave you amazed. The track opens at 7:00am, in time for early laps.

Open Track – Sunday is a full day of track action. Participants are still divided into groups of Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced, but I bet we'll see some weekend speedsters graduate to a higher class.

Parade Laps – Once again, when the track goes "cold", we will conduct a few sessions of Parade Laps.

Popular Vote Car Show – When the track gates open, we will see the Show Field slowly fill up to capacity. You'll see almost every example of Shelby vehicles... old and new... lined up for your viewing pleasure. These cars are competing for Best in their class, as well as special awards for Appearance and Presentation. Special specimens will be selected by Celebrity and VIP Judges, for coveted and unique awards.