The Mid America Ford and Shelby Nationals celebrated 38 years along with 50 years of Shelby American It's more like a family reunion than a car event. After 38 years, attendees at the Mid America Ford and Shelby Nationals share more in common than just the common bond of Shelbys, Mustangs, and Fords. Many have also shared nearly four decades of bench-racing in the parking lot, hanging with Ford industry celebs in the Marriott lobby, and partying the night away with karaoke in the hotel's Remington lounge. I've heard many of the stories--and have witnessed some as well.
The 38th annual edition of Mid America continued the tradition of "something for everyone" with four days of open track at Oklahoma's Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, a Thursday evening cruise to Tulsa's Brady Arts District, Friday evening banquet with Ford and Shelby American executives, all-day Saturday drag racing, Sunday car show, and the usual (or unusual) swap meet and manufacturer's midway that migrates from venue to venue. This year's event, held on June 13-17, also incorporated Shelby American's 50th Anniversary Tour with special cars and even a rare appearance by the new Shelby 1000. Ford Motor Company was well-represented by new vehicles, including '13 Shelby GT 500s and Boss 302s, and people, including marketing execs Steve Ling, Jim Owens, and Steve Denby, not to mention Henry Ford III who dropped in as the banquet's keynote speaker and also got in a few '13 Shelby GT 500 laps at both Hallett and on the quarter-mile at Tulsa Raceway Park. As we always say at Mid America, you never know who you might be riding with in the Marriott elevator.
The city of Tulsa shuts down...
The city of Tulsa shuts down the streets in the Brady Arts District for Mid America's Thursday evening cruise-in. Held just a few weeks after Carroll Shelby's death, Tulsa mayor Dewey Bartlett proclaimed June 14, 2014 as "Carroll Shelby Day."
In addition to its 50th Anniversary...
In addition to its 50th Anniversary cars, Shelby American brought the new Shelby 1000 (see "Gentle Giant" in the May 2012 issue) sporting its production wheels.
It was good to see a packed...
It was good to see a packed show field on Sunday. Event director Jim Wicks says overall attendance is almost back to the record levels of several years ago.
Tulsa is also the home to...
Tulsa is also the home to the Mustang Brewing Company, which was handing out t-shirts and coozies during the cruise. Ed Meyer found a can of the real thing at a local pub.
While Saturday's drag racing...
While Saturday's drag racing program was dominated by newer Mustangs, there were still plenty of vintage Mustangs pounding the quarter-mile. Kate Contreras laid a hole-shot on unsuspecting competitors in her '67 Mustang hardtop, which was also looking good in Sunday's car show.
Henry Ford III was Mid America's...
Henry Ford III was Mid America's keynote speaker at Friday night's banquet, but he stuck around on Saturday to sign autographs at the drag strip. Currently a sales zone manager for Ford's Los Angeles regional office, the personable HFIII is very likely the future face of Ford Motor Company.
This year's Mid America was...
This year's Mid America was one of the scheduled stops for the Shelby American 50th Anniversary Tour. As such, Shelby American sent its display rig loaded with 50th Anniversary Shelbys, most of which saw track duty by in-house driver Gary Patterson and hired-gun Steve McCarley. Ford also had a couple of '13 Boss 302s and Shelby GT 500s on hand for ride and drives.
In addition to the Sunday...
In addition to the Sunday car show, there was also an event-long car show in the Marriott lobby where some of the best vintage Shelbys in the country were judged by some of the country's top Shelby judges, including Jeff Speegle, Bob Gaines, Ed Meyer, and Jeff Yergovich.
For those who prefer a race...
For those who prefer a race course over a cruise, Mid America provided plenty of track time with four days of open track at the Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, located about an hour west of Tulsa. As expected, the '12 Boss 302s were out in force, including several hard-to-miss Laguna Secas.
One of Friday's highlights is the exhibition race for vintage race cars. If you want to know what it looked and sounded like in the 1960s, this is the place to find out.