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PONTIAC — Fasten your seat belts — it’s time for the third annual American Speed Festival.
The event will race into town from Sept. 28 through Oct. 1 at the M1 Concourse, located at 1 Concourse Drive, which is situated at the northwest corner of Woodward Avenue and South Boulevard.
“The American Speed Festival offers more than just static displays; it provides an engaging and captivating experience for people of all ages,” an American Speed Festival press release states. “Attendees can fully immerse themselves in the event, hearing the thunderous roar of a NASCAR as it enters the pit lane, catching the scent of burning rubber around the track, and witnessing the thrilling spectacle of time attacks. It’s an interactive event that truly brings the excitement to life.”
The M1 Concourse is a playground for any car buff. The 87-acre property features a 1.5-mile road course, an events center, and indoor and outdoor spaces that overlook the racetrack. Also built on-site are private car condominiums that feature living rooms, kitchenettes and personal garages, which will open for a fee on late Friday afternoon.
The four-day American Speed Festival is a chance for car owners and spectators to mingle in an automotive setting. There will be race car drivers and sports car owners on-site. Everything from vintage Indy cars to historic stock vehicles to classic cars will spin their wheels. Some of the cars were built for speed, while others became popular because of their unique style.
“It will be a mix of early classic cars, Packards from the 1930s, cars from the ’50s, ’60s, Oldsmobiles, Buicks,” M1 Concourse CEO Timothy McGrane said.
Festival officials have set up the event so onlookers “can get up close and personal and talk to the drivers,” McGrane added.
In addition, the American Speed Festival will celebrate three significant automotive anniversaries: 100 years of Americans at Le Mans, 70 years of Corvette, and 50 years of International Race of Champions (IROC) Series.
The “vroom vroom” fun begins on Thursday with the “speed ring” circuit laps for competitors from noon to 5 p.m., followed by the Motor Grille driver reception from 6-9 p.m. The speed ring is a rare opportunity to see race cars from every era perform on the Concourse track.
The momentum continues on Friday with on-track activities featuring various classifications of supercars, endurance race cars, vintage Indy race cars and Le Mans race cars. Corvette fans will want to stay for the Corvette parade laps at 12:50 p.m., along with the Reeves Callaway tribute, set for 12:25 p.m. Callaway founded Callaway Cars and was well known in the Corvette community.
“He passed away suddenly earlier this year,” McGrane said. “We’ll have six of his race cars from when he raced on display.”
Among the many activities on Saturday will be a parade lap featuring Ford GTs and GT40 sports cars, among more speed ring events. The festival will finish out Sunday with an awards ceremony, an art expo, an Americans at Le Mans seminar, a vintage Indy seminar and more.
“There are so many great cars out there,” said McGrane. But if he had to pick his favorite model, he said it would be “the 1959 Aston Martin DBR1.”
McGrane, who grew up in Kent, England, in the southeastern part of the country, remembers the look of the luxury sports car, which gained fame for the James Bond movies.
“It was sort of a brand I was fond of when I was a young boy,” McGrane said. “I grew up very close to a racetrack. Cars were something that made an impression on me very early in my life.”
For more information about the American Speed Festival — including admission fees to the various events, off-site parking and shuttles — visit m1concourse.com or call (248) 326-9999. For information about entering your car in the Speed Ring, email the car selection committee at asfcarselection@m1concourse.com.
