Between the Westgate Hotel and the Las Vegas Convention Center is an alleyway that most any other day of the year is simply an access road for trucks that are dropping off food, supplies and whatever else is needed for the two buildings by the ton. It’s unremarkable in just about every way except during SEMA…that’s when it transforms into Optima Alley. Nothing against roaming throughout the halls of the Convention Center, but there is something awesome about a full fleet of G-machine corner carvers and food trucks out in the open, resting in the shade of two buildings, while the soundtracks of the Ford Out Front drift teams, the Polaris Slingshot stunt show, and whatever mechanical demon Hoonigan was letting loose radiated throughout the air. Every year the cars that are selected to come compete at the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational at Las Vegas Motor Speedway park in Optima Alley (if they aren’t already booked into another booth) where they are poured over by SEMA visitors and the public as well. These cars are monsters, track machines that will be throttled around like the owners are trying to run from the law. And that does go for the Hyundai Ioniq and Tesla Model X that were parked here too…they get the lead foot treatment as well.

As always with SEMA, the question is easy: which one would you choose as a weapon? Mike DuSold’s 1967 Chevrolet Camaro stomped all at LS Fest and he did the same at the Invitational, taking home the overall win and the Holley EFI GTL class win. There is Efrain Diaz’s yellow 1969 Camaro that took the QA1 GTV class, Ken Thwait’s monster 2006 Mitsubishi EVO IX that is a past winner, or Randy Johnson’s 1969 Mercury Cyclone. Or you can dig through the gallery from Tuesday morning and pick your own favorites out!

If you missed our last gallery from SEMA 2018, you can click here to catch up on the action!