Imagine a competition designed to prove who really has the fastest track car–one that has no restrictions beyond car and driver passing a safety inspection.
Luckily, you don’t have to imagine anymore, as the Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge Presented by Grassroots Motorsports is that event.
You want in? You better act quickly, as the UTCC–this year set to take place at Kentucky’s NCM Motorsports Park–is just around the corner, October 12-15.
And yes, the rules really are as simple you and your car passing a safety inspection. That means pretty much everything is welcome: new, old, factory-bought and home-built. Wings are cool. So are box flares, giant intercoolers and sequential shifters.
Curious to know who you will be competing against? Here are some of the latest competitors to enter:
Stan Whitney is bringing a 2022 Ford Shelby GT500. Tuning the aero may have been a challenge for Stan leading up to the UTCC, though he notes that the DCT transmission in the GT500 is its greatest strength.
Although the saying goes “race on Sunday, sell on Monday,” Terrence Singh is doing things a little differently. Instead of selling the 2019 VW Golf SportWagen on Monday, he plans to use it to pick up his kid from school.
Chinchi Chiang claims that the 2017 Honda Civic Type R he’s entered is one of the fastest front-wheel-drive cars around. Seeing as the Type R has been upgraded to 470 horsepower and 450 lb.-ft. of torque, it’s easy to see where he's coming from.
A C6 Corvette Z06 may already be a capable track machine, but Michael Laffey took his Z06 to the next level by turning up the power to 600 horsepower and 511 lb.-ft. of torque thanks to a number of go-fast goodies under the hood.
Ed Hazelwood explains that the greatest strength of the Chevy Camaro he’s entered is that, in addition to being built by a pro builder and racer, the car also has a well-versed driver behind the wheel: Ed Hazelwood.
The C5 Corvette is still one of the best performance bargains around (just ask us how we know), and it can be made even better by swapping one LS engine for another. Casey Woodside chose an LS7 to replace the factory LS in the 2001 Chevrolet Corvette he entered.
What Derrick Curry’s 2006 Porsche 911 lacks in engine upgrades, it makes up for with handling upgrades like adjustable coil-overs and a big ol’ rear wing.
Learn more about the UTCC, including how you can register today, by visiting ultimatetrackcarchallenge.com.
The Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge is presented by Tire Rack and Sunoco, the official fuel of the UTCC, in association with CRC Industries, Wilwood Engineering, SPA Technique, Ampere EV LLC and Miller Electric, with trophies from XS Batteries and CalltoGrid.Thank you to the SCCA for sanctioning the UTCC.
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