The General’s 100 Year Birthday Celebration and the 50th Anniversary of the Impala were a HUGE success. Leading the celebration were David North, Retired Chief Designer, Mark Cantey, author of “GM 100 Years of Design” (visit www.gmdesignbook.com/carlisle to purchase the book and receive a discount) and Richard Earl, grandson of the legendary designer Harley Earl. Joining them were Scott Settlemire and John Fitzpatrick from GM along with a fleet of historical Impalas and Camaros from GM’s Heritage Collection.

Bumblebee arrived with Scott & John and they hosted a special Transformer signing. The Camaro Concept convertible joined Bumblebee in Building T making for an awesome display. Late Saturday afternoon to everyone’s great surprise, Scott & John rolled in with one of the new Camaro Reliability Test Vehicles (as they are referred to in the corporate world). In our words, a “Test Mule”! That was awesome! In fact, one lucky person got to take a ride Saturday night, having purchased the chance during the Camaro Nationals auction hosted by the American Camaro Association. Now that’s pretty darn cool. Of course, they are sworn to secrecy about the interior and the other things they saw while enjoying a ride with Scott. You just never know what you’ll find happening here, so don’t EVER leave early.

• American Camaro Association
• Camaro Reliability Test Vehicle Appearance

The American Camaro Association hosted another very successful event to celebrate their tenth anniversary of the Camaro Nationals here at the All-GM Nationals. 49 judged classes in 10 Levels, from non-judged to concours were offered including a Non-Judged location for your special Camaro. Over 700 Camaros showed and enjoyed being a part of history in the making. Goody Bags for Early Registrants, Hundreds of door Prizes, a Huge Classic Car Corral (Over 200 Cars), and Camaro Memorabilia Auction were all included.

This year the call went out to Firebirds, the other F-Body, and sister car to the Camaro. The plan was to see 1000 F-Bodies gathered on our show field. The ACA has done their part in gathering over half of that number every year with the Camaro. We didn’t quite make our goal of 1000 F-Bodies for Scott, but we’re getting very close. The folks from Pontiac Enthusiast Magazine stepped in to help.

• The American Camaro Association

Doing their part to help, the folks Pontiac Enthusiast Magazine stepped up and created the Pontiac Pavilion where you could see up close and personal some of the cover and feature cars that graced the pages of their magazine along with the Pontiac Solstice Coupe concept, the Red Bull Drift Solstice and the Solstice from the hit TV show “Setup”. Jim Wangers and David Anderson and the Gee-T-O Tiger were on display also.

The GTO was well represented this year by two different clubs, the Capitol City GTOs and the Susquehanna Valley GTO Tigers. They brought LOTS of GTOs. Thanks guys! Be sure to register early for the 2009 event. Pre-Registration is now open. Register for the All-GM Nationals, June 26-28, 2009. Save some bucks and be a part of the elite.

Many new stars were discovered by the editors from Pontiac Enthusiast Magazine. Check out their website and the pages of their magazine to catch up on all the latest from them, and their plans for the 2009 All-GM Nationals.

• Pontiac Enthusiast Magazine
• Pontiac Registry

How cool was the Rocket Car? If you missed the blast off of the Rocket Car you missed the ride of a lifetime. Many fans and enthusiasts rode the Rocket Car all over the Carlisle Fairgrounds. Not to mention a few folks who were lucky enough to hitch a ride to the track Friday night. And Saturday night’s cruise to dinner left a real impression on the staff and diners at the Rustic Tavern. Not to mention the residents of Carlisle who couldn’t believe their eyes seeing this big silver bullet actually cruising the boulevards.

Wow, that sure sounds like a Who’s Who of Drag Racing. Linda Vaughn as “Miss Hurst” still has the power to wow a crowd, as does Jungle Pam and Bruce Larson. My goodness when these three sat for autographs the line was long! Close by were some very recognizable and historical race cars like "Old Reliable" that actually made the “Trip to the Track” and made exhibition passes along with the Gee-T-O Tiger piloted by David Anderson and co-owned by Jim Wangers.

We offer our sincere gratitude, and that of the loyal fans, to the owners of those very special vehicles that entertained all weekend. And the people? What more can you say about our special guests other than, please come back soon!

David Snyder brought his special talent to the show to help celebrate the General's 100th Anniversary. He had an awesome display of his automotive art featuring products produced by The General. Those who had the opportunity to meet David and talk to him about his passion for cars and painting were thrilled. Some even took the opportunity to acquire some of his artwork. His attention for detail and historical accuracy has made its mark in the world of automotive art. David's original paintings and limited edition prints are collected worldwide and he boasts over 40 limited edition print series sold out! David Snyder unveiled his newest painting in the Motorama series "Motorama 1955" actually putting the finishing touches on it in front of the crowd at the All-GM Nationals, June 20-22.

• David Snyder Car Art Online

Lawn Mower Racing made its All-GM Nationals Debut in the second in a series of 3 events coming to Carlisle. The PA Lawn Mower Racing Association (PALMRA) conducted a sanctioned event on Sunday, June 22nd. It was open to all mowers from stock to highly modified, to compete in nine different classes. Non members were signed up and given a brief instruction by PALMRA at the show. And for those that always wanted to build a mower but didn’t know where to start, they conducted a Build Clinic Seminar on Saturday to show what goes into these machines. Anyone that wishes to participate should see www.letsmow.com to view the Rule Book. No Mower Blades, class structures and the like.

• PA Lawn Mower Racing Association

General Motors Corporation celebrated 100 years in business and we focused on the 50th Anniversary of the Impala. Many Impala’s were featured on the showfield as part of a special display celebrating the birth of one of the most popular models ever produced by The General. This was a GREAT chance for everyone to enjoy a huge number of Impalas in the special display area. Many awards were given out to some very select cars. It was very cool!

Photo courtesy of Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motor Sports

• Pre-register and Save

Dyno Dale was here and was very, very busy throughout the weekend. Axcelerated Motorsports is the official Dyno of Carlisle Events and frequents all Carlisle Car and Truck shows throughout the season. Axcelerated provides mobile Dyno tuning for cars and trucks using their Dynojet 248 chassis dynamometer. Next time you’re here, find out how much horsepower your car or truck really has! Their wide band O2 monitoring will determine if all that precious fuel is making power or just being wasted out the tail pipes.

Attention Clubs! Coming early or staying late? Club rates may apply for off peak hours at the events. A minimum number of cars may be required. Availability varies by event. For more information, please contact the Carlisle Dyno Guy at 215.297.8139 or dale@axceleratedmotorsports.com

• Axcelerated Motorsports, Inc.

Our seminars on drag racing for those interested in taking a trip down the 1320 were packed! The newly renovated Quarter Aces Drag-O-Way (formerly South Mountain Dragway) (formerly South Mountain Dragway) is 660 feet, or a one-eighth mile track. This program was for first-timers as well as those with the burning passion to acquire a greater knowledge of drag racing techniques. Conducting the seminars were a collection of drag racing’s most notable stars including Bruce Larson, “Miss Hurst” Linda Vaughn and “Jungle Pam” Lieberman. They were joined by other drag racing stars to teach the tricks of the trade they have perfected over the years of storied competition. It all started on the Carlisle Events fairgrounds with a “chalkboard” explanation of some the terms, tricks and techniques required to have a good drag racing experience. Learning how to be competitive, for those with that goal, was offered as well. Following the “chalkboard” session, we took a “Trip to the Track” where the stars continued to share their tricks and techniques of drag racing on the racing surface. There were exhibition passes made by the “Great Ones” in some the actual surviving drag cars from yesteryear. Many then hopped into their own vehicles and with training from the “Great Ones” made your trip down the track more fun and enjoyable. Who knows, some of them may have actually taken home a trophy from their “trip to the track”. Show up next year and participate. Perhaps you can be a star?

• Quarter Aces Drag-O-Way
• Quarter Aces Drag-O-Way Directions PDF

NOTE: Building “T” houses a special Invitational Display of GM vehicles of significance. To have your El Camino or other Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile or Pontiac considered for the indoor invitational display, please complete the 2009 Invitational Display Form and send it with photos of the exterior, interior and engine along with any magazine coverage and a description of vehicle to:

Carlisle Events
Attn: GM Invitational Display (Rick)
1000 Bryn Mawr Rd
Carlisle, PA 17013

• 2009 Invitational Display Form

The Carlisle shows are always exciting and for the 2009 season we’re turning up the heat with the Activities Corner! Try your rodeo skills on the Mechanical Bull and many of the other activities we have planned for your enjoyment in 2009. The Mechanical Bull will be located next to the Guest Services booth. Guest Services is our central information center and the right location to check on activities and contests and to sign up for all of our contests including the beauty contest and the burnout contest.

One very happy guy James Allison jumped to his feet and raced to the stage to present his winning ticket when his number was called to win the Firebird. Another All-GM Nationals participant happy with his new car. You must be here June 26-28, 2009 for your chance to win our giveaway vehicle. No Purchase necessary, however one must be present to win.

See ya June 26-28, 2009 at the All-GM Nationals!