*photos: courtesy of Phastek Performance
The fifth-gen Camaro was (and still is) the most popular pony car around, and when it was released back in the Fall of 2009 as a 2010 model, enthusiasts went wild scooping them up! That momentum hasn’t slowed down one bit, and with events like the Camaro5 Fest at an all-time high, we don’t see that changing any time soon.
On the weekend of August 6th, 2015, 5th-gen Camaro fanatics from all of the country and even Canada arrived to Bowling Green, Kentucky’s Beech Bend Raceway Park with their 21st century pony cars, to partake in a weekend filled with fun, racing, entertainment and a sheer awesome display of the Camaros you wouldn’t find at your Friday night cruise-in. Better still, was the fat that there was just more than one kind of racing on display; in addition to the typical 1320,’ there was also an autocross event and a track day at the recently opened, nearby National Corvette Museum road course!
Thursday, August 6th – National Corvette Museum Track Day
One of the last things you want to see on Race Day is a wet track and cloudy skies, but that’s exactly what the event attendees experienced on Thursday’s track outing. However, the rain eventually subsided and the racing resumed as planned. Quite a few Camaros turned up, with several Vettes in the mix, and all who ran the course had nothing but great things to say about NCM’s new circuit. If you’ve never tried road racing, you’re totally missing out!
Friday, August 7th – Drag Racing/Phastek’s Free T-shirt Raffle – Friday
With the track day segment (and the rain) behind the event, enthusiasts turned their attention to Friday’s drag racing and Phastek’s Free T-shirt Raffle. Holley Performance Products was on hand, showcasing some of their products with a COPO Camaro sitting proudly under their tent; of which they have supplied a Dominator EFI system for, as well as many other electrical and hardware components.
Chevrolet Performance was in attendance as well, and brought out some of their pre-production 6th-gen Camaros, one of which was an RS/SS model (pictured below). Based on the improvements made to the drivability, comfort, features, performance and the efficiency, we should see grey things to come from Camaro Six.
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- The crew at Phastek Performance were busy all weekend…
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- …entertaining show-goers, passing out free t-shirts and running the Friday afternoon raffle for free prizes!
Chevrolet turned up with this pre-production 2016 Camaro RS/SS, and the crowd simply couldn’t stay away from it! With all of the new tech, features, a boost in horsepower and a very respectable reduction in weight over the 5th-gen, we think GM hit a home run with this car!
Saturday, August 8th – CamaroCross AutoCross
If drag racing isn’t your thing and you prefer to be the only man on the circuit to beat, then Saturday’s CamaroCross autocross was for you! Held on Beech Bend’s very own autocross course, 5th-gen Camaros proved that heavyweights can indeed be graceful! In fact, some of the fastest cars around the cones are fifth-gen, thanks to their impressive IRS suspension, braking systems and powerplants. Of course, the aftermarket helps out a lot, too, helping the best Camaro ever made become even greater.
We’re looking forward to catching up to our friends at Camaro5 next year, and eagerly await the word on what’s planned to implement the 6th-gen into the 2016 event. We haven’t heard anything yet, but we’ll be at next year’s festivities for sure! If you would like to check out more from our photo gallery, head over to Phastek Performance’s site for the full spectrum!
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
