(Words and photos by Jacob Marshall) – There’s an old saying in the world of racing, “he who is last, shall be sideways and smiling”. Meaning that those who drift around a road course have slower lap times, but more fun than their friends who grip. But what the saying fails to convey, is exactly how much fun sliding sideways can be. The drift event taking place during the NMCA Indy weekend, made it extremely clear. Every fan on the wall had a big grin on their face while getting covered with chunks of rubber as cars slid by. And every racer had a cheesy smile and focused eyes as they reached full opposite lock in a slide, even when they ended up in a wall.
While some of you Bangshifters may shy away from drifting due to the prominence of Japanese cars and apparent lack of American Iron, I cannot emphasize enough that these cars are hotrods built with the same spirit as the muscle car in your garage. Turbo flutter from sliding cars could be heard across the facility, and there were almost as many LS swaps in the paddock, as there were in the staging lanes of the Dragstrip. So even if sideways cars don’t quicken your pulse (perhaps you’re dead?), I encourage you to flip through these shots and look at some of the unique rides that were being abused. Including a turbo GTO, Lingenfelter prepped Corvette, and 3rd Gen Camaro wearing a 5th Gen’s face.
